How Deep Is the Ocean?

"How Deep Is the Ocean?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1932, and can be heard in the background of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan. The song was introduced by Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra with vocals by Jack Fulton.

The song was written at a low point in Berlin's professional and personal life, and is among the select few of his numbers introduced on the radio rather than onstage or in film. The song is a series of questions posed in succession to one another, with the only exception being the second line, "I'll tell you no lie."^[1]

Notable recordings

Al Hirt for his album, Trumpet and Strings (1962)^[2]
Aretha Franklin for her album The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962)
Barry Manilow - The Greatest Love Songs of All Time (2010)
Benny Goodman (vocal by Peggy Lee) #1 (1941)
Bill Evans Trio – Explorations (1961)
Billie Holiday – Billie Holiday (1954)
Bing Crosby (1933)
Dexter Gordon – True Blue (1976)
Diana Krall - Love Scenes (1997)
Eddie Fisher with Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra. Recorded at Manhattan Center, New York City, on February 26, 1953. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-5202A (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10638.
Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (1957)
Eric Clapton - Clapton (2010)
Etta James – Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday (1994)
Franck Amsallem - Out a Day (1992)
Frank Morgan and McCoy Tyner - Major Changes (1988)
Frank Sinatra – Nice 'n' Easy (1960)
Julie Andrews (1987)
Julie London - Lonely Girl (1956 mono, 1959 stereo)
Kurt Rosenwinkel - Intuit(1999)
Lee Wiley – featured in Night in Manhattan (1937)
Michael Feinstein "Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin" (1987 CD)
Nat King Cole
Rita Reys – Marriage in Modern Jazz (1960)
Susannah McCorkle - From Bessie to Brazil (1993)
The Isley Brothers - Shout! (1959)

↑Jump back a section

References

^ Wilson, Jeremy. "How Deep Is the Ocean? (How High Is the Sky?)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
^ Al Hirt, Trumpet and Strings Retrieved April 8, 2013.

↑Jump back a section

"Alexander's Ragtime Band"
"All Alone"
"All by Myself"
"Always"
"Any Bonds Today?"
"Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)"
"The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)"
"Blue Skies"
"Change Partners"
"Cheek to Cheek"
"Count Your Blessings"
"Daddy, Come Home"
"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly"
"Easter Parade"
"Follow the Crowd"
"Get Thee Behind Me Satan"
"The Girl That I Marry"
"God Bless America"
"Happy Holiday"
"Heat Wave"
"Heaven Watch the Philippines"
"How About Me?"
"How Deep Is the Ocean?"
"How's Chances?"
"I Got Lost in His Arms"
"I Got the Sun in the Mornin' (and the Moon at Night)"
"I Used to Be Color Blind"
"I Want To Go Back To Michigan"
"I'm an Indian Too"
"I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket"
"I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now"
"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"
"Isn't This a Lovely Day?"
"It's a Lovely Day Today"
"Lazy"
"Let Yourself Go"
"Let's Face the Music and Dance"
"Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee"
"Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk"
"Mandy"
"Moonshine Lullaby"
"My Defenses Are Down"
"The Near Future"
"No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)"
"Now It Can Be Told"
"Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning"
"Play a Simple Melody"
"A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody"
"Puttin' on the Ritz"
"Reaching for the Moon"
"Remember"
"San Francisco Bound"
"Say It Isn't So"
"Sisters"
"Slumming on Park Avenue"
"The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)"
"Stay Down Here Where You Belong"
"Steppin' Out with My Baby"
"Supper Time"
"That International Rag"
"That Mysterious Rag"
"There's No Business Like Show Business"
"They Say It's Wonderful"
"Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"
"What'll I Do"
"When I Lost You"
"White Christmas"
"Who Do You Love, I Hope?"
"You Can Have Him"
"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun"
"You Keep Coming Back Like a Song"
"You'd Be Surprised"
"You're Just in Love"
"You're Laughing at Me"

v t e Al Hirt

Studio albums	Al Hirt in New Orleans Al Hirt's Jazz Band Ball Al Hirt and His New Orleans All Stars Blockbustin' Dixie! Swingin' Dixie at Dan's Pier 600 in New Orleans, Vol. 1 Swingin' Dixie, Vol. 3 Swingin' Dixie at Dan's Pier 600 in New Orleans, Vol. 2 He's the King and His Band The Greatest Horn in the World At the Mardi Gras Horn A-Plenty Trumpet and Strings Honey in the Horn Our Man in New Orleans Personalities Beauty and the Beard Sugar Lips Cotton Candy The Best of Al Hirt Live at Carnegie Hall That Honey Horn Sound They're Playing Our Song The Happy Trumpet The Horn Meets The Hornet Soul in the Horn Al Hirt Plays Bert Kaempfert Super Jazz 1 That's a Plenty Cotton Candy Jazzin' at the Pops Al's Place Raw Sugar, Sweet Sauce The Sound of Christmas Have a Merry Little Christmas Bourbon Street Parade Al Hirt & His Golden Trumpet Live on Bourbon Street Music to Watch Girls By

Singles	"Java" "Cotton Candy" "Sugar Lips" "Up Above My Head (I Hear Music in the Air)" "Feelin' Fruggy" "Fancy Pants" "Al's Place" "The Silence (Il Silenzio)" "Mame" "Trumpet Pickin'" "The Arena" "Green Hornet Theme" "Ludwig" "Music to Watch Girls By" "Puppet on a String" "Keep the Ball Rollin'" "We Can Fly/Up-Up and Away" "If"

B-sides	"I Can't Get Started" "Walkin'" "Poupee Brisee (Broken Doll)" "September Song" (A-Side) "Louisiana Lullaby" "Star Dust" "Mister Sandman" "Love Theme from The Sandpiper" "Seven Days To Tahiti" "Skillet Lickin'" "Yesterday" (A-Side) "Strawberry Jam" "His Girl" "Big Honey" "Manhattan Safari" "Penny Arcade" (A-Side)

Cover songs	"Alley Cat" "As Time Goes By" "Autumn Leaves" "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" "Baby, It's Cold Outside" "Begin the Beguine" "The Birth of the Blues" "Bye Bye Blues" "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" "Danny Boy" "Dear Old Southland" "Deep Purple" "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" "Down by the Riverside" "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" "Everybody Loves My Baby" "Fly Me to the Moon" "Fools Rush In" "Georgia on My Mind" "The Gypsy in My Soul" "Hello, Dolly!" "How Deep Is the Ocean?" "I Cried for You" "I Had the Craziest Dream" "I Love Paris" "I'll Be Seeing You" "I'll Get By" "I'll Never Smile Again" "I'm Moving On" "I've Heard That Song Before" "It's Been a Long, Long Time" "Jitterbug Waltz" "Just Because" "Last Date" "Laura" "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" "Love for Sale" "Love Makes the World Go 'Round (Theme From ''Carnival!'')" "Lover, Come Back to Me" "Margie" "Memories of You" "Muskrat Ramble" "Mutual Admiration Society" "My Baby Just Cares for Me" "New Orleans" "Ol' Man River" "One O'Clock Jump" "Out of Nowhere" "Panama" "Personality" "Poor Butterfly" "The Song from Moulin Rouge" "Stella by Starlight" "Stompin' at the Savoy" "Stranger in Paradise" "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" "Tenderly" "Tennessee Waltz" "That Old Feeling" "There! I've Said It Again" "Three Little Words" "Till There Was You" "True Love" "Undecided" "Walk Right In" "What's New?" "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" "When the Saints Go Marching In" "Willow Weep for Me" "Bill Bailey" "You Took Advantage of Me" "You'll Never Know"

This show tune-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This jazz composition-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This pop standards-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

↑Jump back a section

Read in another language

This page is available in 2 languages

Last modified on 17 April 2013, at 01:53

How Deep Is the Ocean?

Notable recordings

References

See also

Read in another language