If You Were the Only Girl (In the World) explained

"If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)" is a popular song, written by Nat D. Ayer with lyrics by Clifford Grey. It was written for the musical revue The Bing Boys Are Here, which premièred on 19 April 1916 at the Alhambra Theatre in Leicester Square, London. The song was originally performed as a duet between Lucius Bing, played by George Robey, and his love interest Emma, originated by Violet Loraine.^[1]

The song was published in 1916 by B. Feldman & Co. and republished in 1946. It has become a standard, recorded by many artists.In Aldous Huxley's The Genius and the Goddess, there is a comment about this "'disgusting' song and how it comes again after a (war) slaughter..."^[2]

Notable recordings

The first recording, 'the original cast recording', by the first performers to sing this song, George Robey and Violet Loraine, was released on a 78rpm disc and became a hit. It was a popular recording during World War I, played in war zones as well as 'at home'.

• Perry Como - recorded on March 21, 1946, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1857-B, the B-side of "They Say It's Wonderful". This version reached No. 14 on the Billboard Records Most-Played on the Air chart.^{[3] [4]} The recording was also released in the United Kingdom by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number BD-1165, the flip side of "I Dream of You (More than You Dream I Do)".^[5]
• Peggy Lee as "If You Were the Only Boy in the World", a transcription for Capitol Records, recorded on July 29, 1946.^[6]
• Bing Crosby on Philco Radio Time recorded on January 22, 1947. Orchestra directed by John Scott Trotter with Skitch Henderson on piano).
• Donald Peers with two pianos recorded it at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on June 13, 1949, as the first song of a medley along with "Blue Skies" and "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder". The medley was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9792.^[7]
• Doris Day recorded the song for her 1953 Columbia Records album By the Light of the Silvery Moon and sang the song with Gordon MacRae in the 1953 film By the Light of the Silvery Moon
• Gordon MacRae and June Hutton - for the Capitol Records album By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953).^[8]
• William Frawley recorded his version of this song for his 1958 album of classic songs, Bill Frawley Sings The Old Ones.
• Georgia Brown - as "If You Were the Only Boy in the World", for the album Sings a Little of What You Fancy (1962).^[9]
• Kathy Kirby - as "If You Were the Only Boy in the World", for her album Kathy Kirby Sings 16 Hits from Stars and Garters (1963).^[10]
• Dean Martin - for his album Dream with Dean (1964)
• Barbra Streisand recorded this song under the title "If You Were the Only Boy in the World", with a Peter Matz arrangement for her album My Name Is Barbra in 1965.^[11]
• Bernadette Peters recorded this song as “If You Were the Only Boy in the World” for her eponymous debut album, Bernadette Peters (1980), and again for the live concert recording from Carnegie Hall, Sondheim, Etc. Etc., first recorded in 1997, and later released in 2005.
• Frankie Vaughan - for the album Love Hits & High Kicks (1985).^[12]
• Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan, performed the song on his 1990 album Satan Takes a Holiday.

Film and television appearances

Actor-singer Rudy Vallée sang it in the 1929 film The Vagabond Lover, with the beat changed from a foxtrot to a waltz.

The song is performed by Tommy Trinder and Jean Colin in the 1940 film, "Laugh it off".

Soldiers on a train are also heard singing this song in the 1942 Noël Coward film, In Which We Serve.

The song was sung by soldiers during a concert in the 1944 war drama, The Way Ahead.

In the 1948 film "Mickey" it was sung by Lois Bultler.

The song was sung by Gordon MacRae and Doris Day in the 1953 film By the Light of the Silvery Moon.

The song was sung by Perry Como himself, with the Buffalo Bills joining in, in a 1958 episode of The Perry Como Show.

The song is comically performed at the entertainment evening in the 1957 film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, set during World War II.

The song was incorporated into the score of the 1959 television version of the musical Meet Me in St. Louis, and sung by Tab Hunter and Jane Powell.

In the 1971 film The Omega Man, Charlton Heston quotes the song.^[13]

David Abraham sings a line of this song in the movie Kotwal Saab (1977) to celebrate the news of marriage between his two paying guests.

Jeanette Nolan plays the first line on a piano and sings "If I was the only girl in the world..." to Steve Franken in the disaster movie Avalanche (1978).

The song was heard in the 2000 episode "Pardon My Past" of the television show Charmed.

The song was sung by a honeymooning couple in The Duchess of Duke Street, Series 2, Episode 8.

The song was sung for wounded British soldiers by the characters Lady Mary Crawley and Matthew Crawley (played by Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens, respectively) in Series 2, Episode 4 of Downton Abbey, set in 1918 and broadcast in 2011. It was sung, ahistorically, in waltz (¾) time.

The song is played as a solo piano instrumental by the character Malcolm Hamilton in the BBC Scotland soap, River City, at the end of the 3 July 2012 episode.

Lyrics

Sometimes when I feel badand things look blueI wish a pal I had... say one like you.Someone within my heart to build her throneSomeone who'd never part, to call my own

If you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boyNothing else would matter in the world todayWe could go on loving in the same old way

A garden of Eden just made for twoWith nothing to mar our joyI would say such wonderful things to youThere would be such wonderful things to doIf you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boy.

No-one I'll ever care for dear... but you.No-one I'll fancy, therefore love me do.Your eyes have set me dreaming all night long…Your eyes have set me scheming, right or wrong

If you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boyNothing else would matter in the world todayWe could go on loving in the same old way

A garden of Eden just made for twoWith nothing to mar our joyI would say such wonderful things to youThere would be such wonderful things to doIf you were the only girl in the worldand I were the only boy.^[14]

External links

• "If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)" sung by Loraine and Robey, 1916 (mp3)
• "If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)" sheet music at the UCLA Music Library's Digital Archive of Popular American Music

Notes and References

1. http://musicofthegreatwar.org/2015-medley-songs/if-you-were-the-only-girl-in-the-world/ "If You Were the Only Girl in the World"
2. Book: Huxley, Aldous . Aldous Huxley . The Genius and the Goddess . 3 September 2015 . Random House . 9781473521773.
3. Records Most-Played on the Air. Billboard. 1946-10-26.
4. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 98. registration.
5. Web site: Perry Como Discography. Kokomo.ca. January 6, 2018.
6. Web site: Peggy Lee Discography. Peggyleediscography.com. January 6, 2018.
7. Web site: 45worlds.com. 45worlds.com. January 6, 2018.
8. Web site: June Hutton, Gordon MacRae, Axel Stordahl – By the Light of the Silvery Moon. Discogs.com. January 6, 2018.
9. Web site: Georgia Brown With Ted Heath And His Music – Sings A Little Of What You Fancy. Discogs.com. January 6, 2018.
10. Web site: Kathy Kirby – Kathy Kirby Sings 16 Hits From Stars And Garters. Discogs.com. January 6, 2018.
11. http://barbra-archives.com/record/albums/my_name_barbra.html Barbra Streisand Archives: Records/My Name is Barbra album
12. Web site: Frankie Vaughan – Love Hits & High Kicks. Discogs.com. January 6, 2018.
13. Book: The Gothic Other Racial and Social Constructions in the Literary Imagination . 2014 . McFarland . 83.
14. Web site: Gilliland, John. . Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #19 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library . Digital.library.unt.edu . 197X . 2021-01-26.