Irving Berlin, music and lyrics · Written in 1925 as a wedding gift for Ellin Mackay
Always
Irving Berlin wrote this waltz in 1925 as a wedding gift for Ellin Mackay, whom he married in 1926. Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan with Billy Eckstine, and Oscar Peterson each recorded it for an album of Berlin songs. This page runs from Benny Goodman's 1935 band to a 1995 duet by Ruby Braff and Roger Kellaway.
Listen in this order
The path starts with Benny Goodman's 1935 band and Ella Fitzgerald's sung version, then moves through two piano trios, a vibraphone quartet and a baritone sax quintet from Stockholm. It ends with a Bill Evans trio and a cornet and piano duet.
Ella Fitzgerald recorded it in March 1958 for her Irving Berlin songbook, with Paul Weston arranging and conducting his orchestra. Verve issued the album as a two-record set.
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Ella sings the melody over Paul Weston's orchestra. The track runs just over three minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Sing or hum the tune along with Ella. Then play the of 1–4 (, , Fmaj7, F6) under your voice, one chord per bar.
Dave Brubeck's trio recorded it in San Francisco in November 1950. Fantasy issued it as a single and then on the trio album Distinctive Rhythm Instrumentals.
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A trio of piano, bass and drums plays the tune in under three minutes, with little else in the way. Notice which instrument carries the melody.
Try it on your instrument
Play the ( 9–16) slowly: , , , , , , , . The Amaj7 in bar 11 is the first outside .
Oscar Peterson recorded it in Los Angeles in early December 1952 with Barney Kessel and Ray Brown. It came out in 1953 on Oscar Peterson Plays Irving Berlin.
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The trio is piano, guitar and bass, so Kessel's guitar and Brown's bass fill the space under Peterson's piano. The track runs 2:50.
Try it on your instrument
Play the of the ( 17–24) in time: , , Fmaj7, then , and in bar 20, for two bars, and for two. Bar 20 steps down one chord at a time.
Lionel Hampton's quartet recorded it in New York on September 2, 1953, with Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich. Clef issued it on The Lionel Hampton Quartet in 1954.
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At nearly eight minutes, this is the longest track on the path. Hampton plays vibes and Peterson piano, with Ray Brown on bass and Buddy Rich on drums; pick out which instrument has the tune at the start.
Try it on your instrument
Try the D section ( 25–32) with three beats a bar: , , , , Gm7, , , C7. Soloing over a whole takes more skill; the smaller version is to play only the root of each .
Lars Gullin led a quintet on baritone sax in Stockholm on April 25, 1956. Metronome issued the track in 1957, and it also appears on the album Lars Gullin Swings.
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Gullin leads on baritone sax, with Åke Persson's trombone alongside. The track runs just over six minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Play only the roots of the ( 1–8) on a bass or with your left hand: F, F, F, F, G, C, F, C. This is the smallest version; add the full chords when it feels easy.
Bill Evans recorded it with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian in New York on December 18, 1963. It appeared in 1964 on Trio 64, Peacock's only record with Evans and Motian's last with him.
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Evans plays piano with Gary Peacock on bass and Paul Motian on drums. Follow the bass for one pass through the tune and the piano for the next.
Try it on your instrument
Play the ( 1–8) with one per bar: , , Fmaj7, F6, , , Fmaj7, C7. Keep the left hand quiet so the melody on top leads.
Cornetist Ruby Braff and pianist Roger Kellaway recorded this duet in September 1995 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Concord issued it on Inside & Out in February 1996.
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Only two players, Ruby Braff on cornet and Roger Kellaway on piano, share almost seven minutes. With no bass or drums, every sound comes from those two.
Try it on your instrument
Play the tune with a friend: one plays the melody, the other the of the ( 1–8), then swap. On your own, play just the chords in time first.
Berlin writes the song in 1925 as a wedding gift for Ellin Mackay, and they marry in January 1926. George Olsen and His Music has a recording of it from 1926.
1930s
Benny Goodman's orchestra records it in New York on April 19, 1935. Victor issues it as record 25024 that May.
1940s
Kai's Krazy Kats, a small New York group with Stan Getz on tenor sax, record it in 1945. Frank Sinatra records it in 1947 with Axel Stordahl arranging and conducting.
1950s
Oscar Peterson's trio records it for an Irving Berlin album in 1952, and Lionel Hampton's quartet plays it for nearly eight minutes in 1953. Ella Fitzgerald sings it in March 1958 for her Berlin songbook.
1960s
Bill Evans records it with Gary Peacock and Paul Motian in December 1963. Hank Garland's guitar quartet, with Gary Burton, Joe Benjamin and Joe Morello, has it on a record first issued in 1961.
1990s
Kenny Rankin sings it on a 1991 album, and in 1995 cornetist Ruby Braff and pianist Roger Kellaway record it as a duo.
More great versions
5 more, from 1945 to 1991. Tap a cover to play it here.
1940sKai's Krazy Kats1945
Frank Sinatra1947
1950sSarah Vaughan & Billy Eckstine1957
1960sHank Garland1961
1970s
1980s
1990sKenny Rankin1991 · Vocal
Kai's Krazy Kats
1945
Stan and His Gang of Players
A small New York group with Kai Winding on trombone and Stan Getz on tenor sax recorded it on December 14, 1945. Savoy issued it as record 590.
Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin
Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine sing it together on their 1957 Mercury album of Irving Berlin songs, with Hal Mooney's orchestra. It was their only complete album together.
Guitarist Hank Garland recorded it with Gary Burton, Joe Benjamin and Joe Morello; the track first came out in 1961 and Legacy reissued it in 2001 on Move!
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
Show the form and chords
How the tune works
F majorusual key
32 barsA · B · C · D form
F major → A major → F majorkey centers
A8 bars
B8 bars
C8 bars
D8 bars
F
A
F
Four sections, A to D, run straight through with no repeated section. A begins on and , then and lead back to Fmaj7 in bar 7, and C7 in bar 8 points to the next section. B opens the same way, then bars 11 to 14 move into with , , and , and and C7 in bars 15 and 16 bring the music back to F. C starts on Fmaj7 and F6 again; bar 20 steps down through , E7 and , lasts two bars, and Gm7 lasts two. D runs Gm7, E♭7, Fmaj7, , Gm7 and C7, then F6 in bar 31 and C7 in bar 32 to turn back to the top. The follow the iReal Pro chart; players often vary them.