Why Was I Born?
| "Why Was I Born?" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Helen Morgan | |
| B-side | "Don't Ever Leave Me" |
| Written | 1929 |
| Published | 1929 T.B. Harms, Inc., Universal Polygram International Publishing, Inc.[1] |
| Released | January 20, 1930[2] |
| Recorded | October 16, 1929 take 2[3] |
| Studio | New York City |
| Venue | Sweet Adeline (1929 Broadway musical) |
| Genre | Show tune, Popular Music |
| Length | 3.22 |
| Label | Victor 22199 |
| Composer | Jerome Kern |
| Lyricist | Oscar Hammerstein II |
"Why Was I Born?" is a 1929 song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.
It was written for the show Sweet Adeline (1929) and introduced by Helen Morgan.[4] Popular recordings in 1930 were by Helen Morgan and by Libby Holman.[5]
Notable recordings
[edit]
- Billie Holiday - recorded the song for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 7859) on January 25, 1937 with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra.[6]
- Lena Horne in the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
- Frank Sinatra recorded the song for Columbia Records on December 28, 1947.[7]
- Vic Damone reached No. 20 in the Billboard charts in 1949 with the song.[8]
- Dorothy Lamour - The Road to Romance...For Bing, Bob and You! (1957).
- Judy Garland - The London Sessions (1960)[9]
- Margaret Whiting - Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960)[10]
- Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane (1963)[11]
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1963)[12]
- Dinah Washington - for her album Dinah '63 (1963).
- Georgia Brown - Georgia Brown (The Sensational New Singing Star of Oliver!) (1963).
- Cher - Bittersweet White Light (1973)[13]
- Sonny Rollins - Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert (2005)[14]
- Bob Dylan - Triplicate (2017)[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Victor 27682 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Victor matrix BVE-56191. Why was I born? / Helen Morgan - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
- ↑ "Sweet Adeline – Broadway Musical – Original". IBDd.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 612. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ↑ "Frank Sinatra Discography". Jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 120. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ "thejudyroom.com". thejudyroom.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
- ↑ "Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book, Vols. 1-2 - Margaret Whiting | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell, John Coltrane | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ↑ "www.allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Vinyl Album: Cher - Bittersweet White Light (1973)". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert - Sonny Rollins | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ↑ "Triplicate - Bob Dylan | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
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