"Beautiful Girl" is a song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, first published in 1933. It was originally written for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film Stage Mother (1933) and appeared the same year in another MGM production – Going Hollywood (1933), where it was sung by Bing Crosby, whose rendition charted in the US at number 11 for 3 weeks.[2][3]
| "Beautiful Girl" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bing Crosby with Lennie Hayton and his Orchestra | |
| Published | 1933 by Robbins Music Corp. |
| Recorded | September 27, 1933[1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:20 |
| Label | Brunswick 6694 |
| Composer(s) | Nacio Herb Brown |
| Lyricist(s) | Arthur Freed |
Background edit
"Beautiful Girl" was introduced by a vaudeville singer and actor Sam Ash in a pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture Stage Mother (1933). It appeared in a show sequence, where it was danced to by Maureen O'Sullivan.[4] The original arrangement and orchestration of the song was made by Jack Virgil and was conducted by Lou Silvers.[5] The master recording of Ash's version was on August 7, 1933.[a]
The first commercial recording of "Beautiful Girl" however, was made by Freddy Martin and his Orchestra on September 20, 1933.[1] A version recorded a week later by Bing Crosby with Lennie Hayton's Orchestra became a hit, charting at number 11 on Billboard for 3 weeks.[2] Released in December the same year Going Hollywood (1933) contained another interpretation of the song by Crosby, in a different key.[3]
According to the labels on shellac records, the target dance for "Beautiful Girl" is the foxtrot.[3]
Re-arranged by Roger Edens and Conrad Salinger, the song appeared in a musical film Singin' in the Rain (1952).[6] Under the direction of returning Lennie Hayton, it was sung by Jimmie Thompson during the "Beautiful Girl Montage" segment.[5]
Renditions edit
| Date | Main recording artist | Vocalist | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 7, 1933 | Sam Ash | Soundtrack recording for Stage Mother (1933).[a] | [5] | |
| September 20, 1933 | Freddy Martin and his Orchestra | Terry Stand | First commercial recording of the song. | [1] |
| September 26, 1933 | Harry Reser and his Eskimos | Jimmy Brierly | [7] | |
| September 27, 1933 | Bing Crosby | Featuring Lennie Hayton and his Orchestra. | [1] | |
| October 3, 1933 | Bernie Cummins and his New Yorkers | Walter Cummins | [8] | |
| October 4, 1933 | Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra | Ozzie Nelson | [7] | |
| October 11, 1933 | Don Bestor and his Orchestra | Neil Buckley | [8] | |
| January 4, 1934 | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra | Bob Lawrence | Live recording for the Kraft Music Hall radio program. | [9] |
| June 8, 1951 | Jimmie Thompson | Soundtrack recording for Singin' in the Rain (1952). | [5] | |
Charts edit
| Chart (1933) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard[2] | 11 |
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Brunswick 6000 Series Numerical Listing". 78discography.com. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ a b c "Song artist – Bing Crosby". tsort.info. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 104. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Full credits of Stage Mother – Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ a b c d Feltenstein, George (2002). "Singin' in the Rain (Deluxe Fiftieth Anniversary Edition)" soundtrack liner notes. Turner Entertainment Co. pp. 22–26.
- ^ "Full credits of Singin' in the Rain – Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved 2023-06-12.
- ^ a b "The Shedd Institute – Recordings of "Beautiful Girl"".
- ^ a b "Nacio Herb Brown – Discography of American Historical Recordings".
- ^ "Paul Whiteman's Orchestra "On the Air"".