"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American success.[4] It was published by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd.[2] Like most compositions published in the period (commonly called Tin Pan Alley songs), its main refrain (in thirty-two bar A-A-B-A form) is preceded with what were then called "sectional verses" or "introductory verses" which are usually omitted from early recordings and modern performances.
| "Love Is the Sweetest Thing" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Ray Noble and His New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, vocal Al Bowlly | |
| B-side | I'll Do My Best to Make You Happy[1] |
| Published | November 9, 1932 by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd., London, UK[2] |
| Released | June 30, 1933[1] |
| Recorded | September 8, 1932[3] |
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios 2, London, UK[3] |
| Genre | Popular Music, British dance band |
| Length | 3:18 |
| Label | Victor 24333[1] |
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Noble[2] |
| Official Audio | |
| "Love Is the Sweetest Thing" on YouTube | |
Notable recordings
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2024) |
The following artists, among others, have made recordings :-
- Ray Noble and His New Mayfair Orchestra (8 September 1932) – vocal by Al Bowlly.
- Jack Hylton and His Orchestra (4 October 1932) – vocal by J. Pat O'Malley.
- Jack Payne and His Orchestra (14 November 1932) – vocal by Jack Payne. Recorded for inclusion in the British musical drama film Say It with Music.
- Hal Kemp and His Orchestra (14 August 1933) – vocal by Skinnay Ennis.[5][6]
- Perry Como – recorded circa mid-February, 1945 from a "Chesterfield Supper Club" radio broadcast and issued as a V-Disc Record Number A-444-B (Navy N-224-B).[7]
- Mel Tormé (1946).
- Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (1950).
- Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1954[8] for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the box set The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954–56) issued by Mosaic Records (catalog MD7-245) in 2009.[9]
- Mario Lanza – recorded for his Coca-Cola Radio Show in 1952 and included in the album The Touch of Your Hand (1955).
- Gogi Grant – included in her album Suddenly There's Gogi Grant (1956).
- Ferlin Husky – included in his album Sittin' on a Rainbow (1958).
- Frankie Vaughan – a single release in 1959.[10]
- Dinah Washington – for her album Dinah Washington – In Love (1962).
- Operatic tenor, Saverio Saridis (The Singing Cop),[11] went to #86 on the US Hot 100 with his recording in 1962.[12]
- Mary Hopkin – included in her album Post Card (1969).
- Peter Skellern – for the album Skellern (1978).[13]
Film appearances
edit- 1932 Say It with Music – performed by Jack Payne
- 1945 Confidential Agent – performed by Lynn Baggett at the road house
- 1956 Reach for the Sky
- 1959 The Lady Is a Square – sung by Frankie Vaughan
- 1959 The Captain's Table
- 1970 Country Dance – sung by Al Bowlly
- 1978 "The Sweetest Thing" (episode 2 of Pennies from Heaven) – sung by Al Bowlly
- 1980 Rising Damp
- 1990 Come See the Paradise – performed by Mark Earley
- 2004 Death on the Nile – the BBC-TV series with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot – sung by Al Bowlly
- 2004 Spider-Man 2 – performed by Peter Cincotti and The Peter Cincotti Trio
Lyrics extracts
editFirst introductory verse:
- Whether you're 20 and starting in life
- Whether to 30 you've grown
- Whether to 40, a husband or wife,
- Whether you're 50, a Darby and Joan
- There's one thing certain that you'll have to own...
Start of main refrain (nowadays "Verse One"):
- Love is the sweetest thing
- What else on earth could ever bring
- Such happiness to ev'rything
- As Love's old story.
End of main refrain (nowadays "Verse Three"):
- Love is the greatest thing
- The oldest yet, the latest thing
- I only hope that fate may bring
- Love's story to you.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Victor 24333 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
- ^ a b c Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1932). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1932 Musical Compositions New Series Vol 27 Pt 3 For the Year 1932. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- ^ a b "Gramophone matrix 0B3196. Love is the sweetest thing / New Mayfair Dance Orchestra ; Ray Noble - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
- ^ "A Century of Song: Part One". www.m-magazine.co.uk. PRS for Music. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
Love is the Sweetest Thing was a massive hit for Ray on both sides of the Atlantic, earning him his first US number one. Its success brought him a few Hollywood acting roles, where he played alongside Fred Astaire and Joan Fontaine in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress.
- ^ "78 Record: Hal Kemp - Snowball (1933)".
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 252. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "allbutforgottenoldies.net". allbutforgottenoldies.net. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 741.
- ^ Peter Skellern-Love is the sweetest thing.avi on YouTube