Day In, Day Out (1939 song) explained

"Day In, Day Out" is a popular song with music by Rube Bloom and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and published in 1939.^[1]

Background

According to Alec Wilder the song, 56 measures long, has a wonderful, soaring melodic line, free from pretentiousness, but full of passion and intensity which is superbly supported by the lyrics.^[2] Although the catch phrase "day in—day out" sounds like a dull routine, Mercer uses exotic images to contrast with the boring sound of the phrase.^[1]

Recordings

The song has been recorded by numerous artists.^[3]

• Helen Forrest with Artie Shaw and his Orchestra – Bluebird Records 78 rpm single (1939)
• Helen Ward with Bob Crosby and his Orchestra (1939) – a #1 hit on the Billboard charts
• Horace Silver – Horace Silver Trio (1953)
• Frank Sinatra – The Point of No Return (Expanded Edition 2002 – Song recorded April 4, 1953), Come Dance with Me! (1959)^[4], Nice 'n' Easy (1960), (1994)
• Billie Holiday – Songs for Distingué Lovers (1957)
• Lena Horne with Nat Brandwynne's Orchestra – Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria (1957)
• Johnny Mathis – Wonderful, Wonderful (1957)
• Lola Albright as Edie Hart in the Season 1, Episode 1 of Peter Gunn (1958) ^[5]
• Petula Clark – Petula Clark in Hollywood (1959)
• Judy Garland – Judy in Love (1958)^[6] and Garland at the Grove (1959)
• The Four Freshmen and Stan Kenton – Road Show (1960)
• Carmen Cavallaro – Swingin' Easy (1962)
• Nat King Cole – Let's Face the Music! (1964)
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook (1964), Ella at Juan-Les-Pins (1964)
• Phyllis Marshall - That Girl (1964)
• The Peddlers – Birthday (1969)
• Mel Tormé – Night at the Concord Pavilion (1991)
• Susannah McCorkle – The Songs of Johnny Mercer (1996)
• Margaret Whiting – Love Songs/Sings for the Starry Eyed (1998)
• Bobby Caldwell - Come Rain or Come Shine (1999)
• Dena Derose - I Can See Clearly Now (2000)
• Diana Krall – From This Moment On (2006)
• Eliane Elias – Bossa Nova Stories (2008)
• Sophie Milman – Take Love Easy (2009)
• Bob Dylan – Triplicate (2017)
• Sachal Vasandani – Shadow Train (2018)

Notes

1. Book: Furia , Philip . 1992. Poets of Tin Pan Alley . limited. Oxford University Press . New York & Oxford. 268–269. 0-19-507473-4.
2. Book: Wilder , Alec . 1990. American Popular Song: The Great Innovators 1900–1950. Oxford University Press. New York & Oxford. 136–139. 0-19-501445-6. registration.
3. Web site: The Johnny Mercer Educational Archives . 2007-03-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070422222524/http://johnnymercer.com/intro/othervocals.htm . 2007-04-22.
4. Web site: www.allmusic.com. allmusic.com. December 1, 2024.
5. Web site: Peter Gunn: Soundtracks . imdb.com . April 18, 2023.
6. Web site: www.allmusic.com. www.allmusic.com. August 1, 2024.