Anita O'Day performed it on her 1956 album Anita, re-released in 1962 (V/V6-8483) as This is Anita the song became part of the jazz singer's repertoire. It also appears on Vera Lynn's album 16 Most Requested Songs. The song has since become a standard, being recorded by Bing Crosby (recorded 20 December 1940), Frank Sinatra in London in June 1962, Rod Stewart on the 2004 album Stardust: the Great American Songbook 3. The record was first charted on 21 December 1940, peaking at No. The opening, using either a clarinet or flute, has been picked up by others including the Frank Sinatra recording. The fluttering clarinet that opens the track and no doubt is meant to suggest the sound of the nightingale began, it seems, with the Miller recording. The Glenn Miller recording (Bluebird 10931) with a Ray Eberle vocal was made in New York City on 11 October 1940. Įarly charts hits of the song in the US were by Glenn Miller, Ray Noble, Guy Lombardo and Sammy Kaye. The sculpture and the accompanying soundtrack A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square formed an art installation titled 'Was that a dream?' by a French artist Cédric Le Borgne. ![]() It was notably sung by Elsie Carlisle, an English female singer active both before and during the British dance band era.Īn illuminated wire sculpture of a nightingale, displayed in London's Berkeley Square as part of Lumiere London 2018, an art festival. The tune is a recurring theme in the Fritz Lang film Man Hunt (1941). ![]() In the same year it was also performed by both Ray Noble and then by Vera Lynn. The song was published in 1940, when it was first performed in the London revue New Faces by Judy Campbell (later the mother of Jane Birkin). Twiggy's version was featured in an episode ("Fran's Gotta Have It") of The Nanny. The verse and the additional lyrics to a second chorus were in the song as written, but are rarely sung in recordings (those of Bobby Darin, Mel Torme, Blossom Dearie, Twiggy, Vera Lynn and Rod Stewart being notable exceptions). ![]() With the help of the local tourist office, elderly residents were questioned, but it proved impossible to identify the venue. In the spring of 2002, an attempt was made to find the bar where this song was first performed: it was hoped that a blue plaque could be set up. Maschwitz sang the words while holding a glass of wine, but nobody seemed impressed. The song had its first performance in the summer of 1939 in a local bar, where the melody was played on piano by Manning Sherwin with the help of the resident saxophonist. According to Maschwitz, the title of the song was "stolen" from that of the story. "When the Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is the title of a short story by Michael Arlen, published in 1923 as part of his collection These Charming People. It is typically sung in the key of D-flat major by male vocalists such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The song was written in the then-small French fishing village of Le Lavandou-now a favourite resort for British holidaymakers and second-home owners-shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. ![]() It favours rural habitats, and is unlikely to be heard in Central London. The nightingale, a migrant songbird, is celebrated in literature and music for the beauty of its song. The Ritz Hotel referred to is just outside Mayfair, adjacent to Green Park.Īnd a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square. The song makes reference to the nearby luxurious The Ritz Hotelīerkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part of London.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |