"I'll Walk Alone" is a 1944 popular song with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was written for the 1944 musical film Follow the Boys, in which it was sung by Dinah Shore, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “Swinging on a Star”. Shore recorded the song in March as a single, which became her first #1 hit on the Billboard charts.

"I'll Walk Alone"
Single by Dinah Shore
B-side"It Could Happen to You"[1]
PublishedFebruary 24, 1944 (1944-02-24) by Mayfair Music Corp., New York[2]
ReleasedMay 19, 1944 (1944-05-19)[3]
RecordedApril 11, 1944 (1944-04-11)[4]
VenueIntroduced "Follow The Boys" April 25, 1944
GenrePopular music, Musical film
Length2:44
LabelVictor 20-1586[1]
Composer(s)Jule Styne
Lyricist(s)Sammy Cahn

"I'll Walk Alone" was released in May 1944 on Victor 20-1586,[1] and first appeared in 'The Billboard' on June 3, 1944. Competing versions were released by Martha Tilton, Mary Martin, Louis Prima, and others. It finally reached the top ten of the Best Selling and "Most Played Juke Box Records" charts in August 1944. Despite charting with Bing Crosby's "Swinging On A Star", "I'll Walk Alone" remained in the top ten of the Best Selling Records chart for twenty consecutive weeks, with four of those as the number one song in the nation. It also reached number one on the Juke Box chart, finally exiting in January 1945 after 26 weeks. It was rated the number six record of 1944, Shore's biggest career hit until she topped herself in 1948 with "Buttons and Bows."[5]

Lyrics edit

Like other songs that came out during the World War II years such as "Till Then," it reflects the enforced separation of couples caused by the war. While "Till Then" is written from the point of view of the soldier wanting his lover to wait for him, "I'll Walk Alone" is written from the point of view of the stay-at-home lover, promising to be true.[original research?]

Recordings edit

Popular culture edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "RCA Victor 78rpm numerical listing discography: 20-1500 - 20-2000". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  2. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1944). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1944 Music New Series Vol 39 Pt 3 No 1. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  3. ^ "Victor 20-1586 (10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  4. ^ "Victor matrix D4VB-0091. I'll walk alone / Dinah Shore - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research.
  6. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Dinah Shore with music sample
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 524.
  8. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Martha Tilton with music sample
  9. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Jane Froman (10", Album 'With A Song In My Heart' 1952) with music sample
  10. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Don Cornell
  11. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Rick Nelson with music sample
  12. ^ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 2, side A.
  13. ^ Discogs Marty Robbins Portrait Of Marty
  14. ^ LP Discography Marty Robbins
  15. ^ "Kristy's Marty Robbins Page". Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
  16. ^ Allmusic "I Walk Alone" Marty Robbins with music sample
  17. ^ Amazon "I'll Walk Alone" Willie Nelson MP3 with music sample
  18. ^ Allmusic "I'll Walk Alone" Nancy Wilson with music sample