Nobody's Sweetheart Now Explained

Nobody's Sweetheart
Published:	©Jack Mills, Inc., New York.
Composer:	Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel

"Nobody's Sweetheart", also known as "Nobody's Sweetheart Now" and "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now", is a popular song, written in 1924, with music by Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel, and lyrics by Gus Kahn and Ernie Erdman. The song is a jazz and pop standard.

Background

The song was introduced by Ted Lewis in the Broadway revue The Passing Show of 1923.^[1] The song was duly published in 1924 by Mills Music in New York by Jack Mills. It was first recorded on February 22, 1924 by Isham Jones and his Orchestra and released on Brunswick Records as a 78 single.^[2]

Joel Whitburn assessed the early popular recordings of the song as being by Isham Jones (1924); Red Nichols (1928); Paul Whiteman (1930); Cab Calloway (1931); and by The Mills Brothers (1931).^[3]

The song was used as the theme for the Joan Davis Time program on old-time radio.^[4]

Other recordings

The song is a jazz and pop standard recorded by the following musicians:

• Louisiana Rhythm Kings (1928)
• Red Nichols & His Five Pennies (1928)
• Fred Elizalde & His Music (1929)
• Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - recorded October 9, 1929.^[5]
• Louis Armstrong - a single release (1930).^[6]
• Cab Calloway & His Orchestra (1931)
• Eubie Blake & His Orchestra (1931)
• The Mills Brothers (1931)
• Tampa Red (1931)
• Billy Cotton and His Band (1932)
• Roy Fox and His Band (vocal: Al Bowlly) - recorded December 7, 1931. (See Al Bowlly discography)
• Clyde McCoy and His Drake Hotel Orchestra (1933)
• Nat Gonella and His Trumpet (1933)
• Benny Goodman Trio (1936)
• Oscar Alemán (1938)
• Connee Boswell - recorded August 22, 1940 for Decca Records (catalog 3425A).^[7]
• Kay Starr - a single release for Capitol Records (catalog 1194) (1950).^[8]
• Doris Day - included in the album I'll See You in My Dreams (1951).
• Bing Crosby - issued as a single release. Originally recorded for a radio show in 1952 and mastered for commercial release on February 14, 1952.^[9]
• Chet Atkins - for his album Chet Atkins' Gallopin' Guitar (1953).
• Johnnie Ray - a single release on the Columbia Records label (1954).^[10]
• John Serry Sr. and his accordion ensemble for RCA Thesaurus (1954)^{[11] [12]}
• Della Reese - included in her album Della Reese at Basin Street East (1964)
• Leon Redbone - for his album Double Time (1977).
• Captain Sensible - for the album Women and Captains First (1982).^[13]
• Acker Bilk - included in the album Acker Bilk in Holland (1983).^[14]

Film appearances

• 1929 The Vagabond Lover - performed by Rudy Vallée and the Connecticut Yankees
• 1932 Red-Headed Woman
• 1932 Betty Boop M.D - sung by Red Pepper Sam
  • 1940 I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now - sung by Constance Moore 1943 Stormy Weather - danced by an unidentified male dancer immediately after the "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City" number and played when Gabe brings candy to the chorus girls
• 1943 Hit Parade of 1943
  • 1944 Atlantic City - sung by Belle Baker 1944 Two Thousand Women
• 1945 It's a Pleasure - first solo skating number.
• 1945 Waterloo Road
• 1951 I'll See You in My Dreams - sung by Doris Day.
• 1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - sung as the parody line "I'm nobody's houseboy now . . ."
• 1984 Cotton Club

External reference

• Song lyric with chords

Notes and References

1. Web site: Fuller. Bill. In Tune. earlyjas.org. September 17, 2017.
2. http://secondhandsongs.com/performance/206511 Nobody's Sweetheart Now. Second Hand Songs.
3. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 559. registration.
4. Book: Dunning . John . On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio . 1998 . Oxford University Press, USA . 9780195076783 . 371 . registration . Joan Davis Time. . 4 August 2018 . en.
5. Book: Rayno. Don. Paul Whiteman: Pioneer in American Music Vol. 1: 1890-1930. 2003. Scarecrow Press. Maryland, USA. 0-8108-4579-2. 671.
6. Web site: 45worlds.com. 45worlds.com. September 18, 2017.
7. Web site: The Online Discographical Project. 78discography.com. September 18, 2017.
8. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. September 18, 2017.
9. Web site: A Bing Crosby Discography. BING magazine. International Club Crosby. September 17, 2017.
10. Web site: 45cat.com. 45cat.com. September 18, 2017.
11. https://www.esm.rochester.edu/sibley/files/John-J-Serry-Sr-Collection.pdf Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" Audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor tSudios in 1954 p. 18-19 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
12. https://www.esm.rochester.edu/sibley/specialcollections/findingaids/#S Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Sudios in 1954 p. 18 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
13. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. September 18, 2017.
14. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. September 18, 2017.