My Funny Valentine Explained

My Funny Valentine
Published:1937 by Chappell & Co.
Genre:Traditional pop
Composer:Richard Rodgers
Lyricist:Lorenz Hart

"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. One of them was Chet Baker,[1] for whom it became his signature song.[2] [3] In 2015 the Gerry Mulligan quartet's 1953 version of the song (featuring Chet Baker) was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for its "cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy". Mulligan also recorded the song with his Concert Jazz Band in 1960.[4]

History

Babes in Arms opened at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway, in New York City on April 14, 1937 and ran for 289 performances.[5] In the original play, a character named Billie Smith (played by Mitzi Green) sings the song to Valentine "Val" LaMar (played by Ray Heatherton).[6] The character's name was changed to match the lyric of this song.[7]

In the song, Billie describes Valentine's characteristics in unflattering and derogatory terms (at one point Billie describes Valentine's looks as "laughable", in keeping with the title), but ultimately affirms that he makes her smile and that she does not want him to change. The description of Valentine was consistent with Lorenz Hart's own insecurities and belief that he was too short and ugly to be loved.[8] The lyrics are sufficiently gender-neutral to allow the song to be sung about a person of any gender, and a large proportion of cover versions of the song have been by men describing a hypothetical woman.

Chart versions and covers

The song first hit the charts in 1945, performed by Hal McIntyre with vocals by Ruth Gaylor.[9] It only appeared for one week and hit No. 16.[10] Frank Sinatra recorded a hit version in 1955.

In addition to Chet Baker's 1954 recording, the song has also been covered by Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Goodman, Rickie Lee Jones, Julie London, Harpo Marx, Gerry Mulligan, and Josipa Lisac, amongst others.[11] [12] [13]

In popular culture

The Chet Baker and the Julie London versions of the song were credited in the 1981 film Sharky's Machine, which Burt Reynolds starred in and directed. Doc Severinsen produced the soundtrack for the film,[14] along with Al Capps and Bob Florence.[15]

In the popular manga title Steel Ball Run, the main antagonist Funny Valentine is named in reference to this song.[16]

The song inspired Ettore Sottsass in his choice of a name for the Olivetti Valentine typewriter.[17] [18]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (My Funny Valentine).
  2. Book: Patricia Highsmith on Screen. 9783319960500. Schwanebeck. Wieland. McFarland. Douglas. 8 October 2018. Springer .
  3. Web site: My Funny Valentine. Jazz Messengers.
  4. Web site: National Recording Registry To "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" . The Library of Congress . 25 March 2015 . 25 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160623180708/http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2015/15-041.html . 23 June 2016.
  5. Book: Trager, James . 2005 . The People's Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from Prehistory to the Present . 3 . Detroit . Gale . 0805031340.
  6. Playbill from 1937 Babes in Arms theatrical performance.
  7. Rodgers, Richard (1975) Musical Stages: an autobiography. New York: Random House, page 181
  8. Holden, Stephen."Television Review: Thou Rodgers, Thou Hart, So Fizzy, So Smart", The New York Times, January 6, 1999.
  9. Orodenker . M. H. . 1945-01-27 . . Popular Record Reviews . 27 . 4 . 0006-2510.
  10. Book: Whitburn, Joel . 1992 . Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music . Record Research, Inc . 0-89820-083-0 . As cited in My Funny Valentine (1937), written, compiled, and published by jazzstandards.com.
  11. Web site: Zollo . Paul . 2021-02-15 . Seven Favorite Covers of "My Funny Valentine" . 2024-03-14 . American Songwriter . en-US.
  12. Web site: Wallace . Steve . 2020-01-30 . My (Not So) Funny Valentine: A Brief History . 2024-04-16 . The WholeNote . en-gb.
  13. Book: Janjatović, Petar. Ex YU rock enciklopedija 1960–2023. 2024. self-released / Makart. Belgrade. 178.
  14. Web site: July 9, 2021 . Sharky's Machine (1981) . November 18, 2023 . B&S About Movies.
  15. Web site: 2023 . Sharky's Machine (1981) Full Cast & Crew . November 18, 2023 . IMDB.
  16. Web site: Funny Valentine . 14 February 2024 .
  17. Web site: 2018-04-12 . Perché Valentine è l'oggetto di design assoluto . 2024-03-14 . Rivista Studio . it-IT.
  18. Web site: 6 December 2018 . 1969, odissea nel design: così Olivetti inventò la tecnologia che ha stile . 14 March 2024 . La Stampa . it.

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