It was one of the very few times I've ever suggested anything like that to John.They came in the back door, sat down at the piano and played the score of "Blues in the Night".
It was a lovely night.Additional recorded versions (and further details on above versions) I said, "Why don't you try that?" The music was written by Harold Arlen, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for a 1941 film begun with the working title Hot Nocturne, but finally released as Blues in the Night. When Mercer wrote "Blues in the Night", I went over his lyric and I started to hum it over his desk. The song is sung in the film by William Gillespie. Martha couldn't say a word. Judy and I ran to the piano to see who was going to learn it first. Judy Garland said, "Play it again." For other uses, see Additional recorded versions (and further details on above versions)The whole thing just poured out. It sounded marvelous once I got to the second stanza but that first twelve was weak tea. Mel got up and said, "I can't believe it."
On the third or fourth page of his work sheets I saw some lines—one of them was "My momma done tol' me, when I was in knee pants." The Blues In The Night Harold Arlen 1941 Tenor Sax - YouTube And I knew in my guts, without even thinking what Johnny would write for a lyric, that this was strong, strong, strong! "Blues in the Night" is a popular blues song which has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook. I remember forever the reaction. Arlen and Mercer wrote the entire score for the 1941 film When they finished writing the song, Mercer called a friend, singer In 1942 "Blues in the Night" was one of nine songs nominated for the Mercer, being from the South, realized "that Arlen's notes were meant to be sung as a In addition, the song was recorded at least three times by This article is about the song.
We had them play it seven times. Mickey Rooney said, "That's the greatest thing I've ever heard."