Film songs, 1929 to now

Hollywood through the years

Nearly all of these songs come from films, from Marianne in 1929 to Days of Wine and Roses in 1962. Fred Astaire sings three of them on screen, and Snow White sings another in Disney's 1937 film. The page follows them from the orchestra records of the 1930s to the trios, saxophonists and singers who still record them in the 2020s.

Through the years

1920s
Jesse Greer and Raymond Klages write Just You, Just Me for the 1929 film Marianne, where Marion Davies and Lawrence Gray introduce it. It is the earliest song on this page.
1930s
Fred Astaire introduces A Foggy Day in A Damsel in Distress and The Way You Look Tonight in Swing Time, and sings They Can't Take That Away from Me in Shall We Dance. Bing Crosby records Pennies from Heaven, the title song of his 1936 film, and Billie Holiday follows with Teddy Wilson's band. Duke Ellington's orchestra, in both films, records Three Little Words from Check and Double Check and My Old Flame from Belle of the Nineties.
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys Three Little Words · 1930 Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Ivie Anderson My Old Flame · 1934 Bing Crosby with Georgie Stoll Pennies from Heaven · 1936 Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra featuring Billie Holiday Pennies from Heaven · 1936 Fred Astaire The Way You Look Tonight · 1936 Teddy Wilson The Way You Look Tonight · 1936 Fred Astaire with Ray Noble A Foggy Day · 1937 Teddy Wilson Easy Living · 1937
2 more
Fred Astaire with Johnny Green They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1937 Billie Holiday They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1937
1940s
Film songs go straight onto records. Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra, in The Fleet's In, records I Remember You, Bing Crosby sings But Beautiful in Road to Rio, and Frank Sinatra, who sings Time After Time in It Happened in Brooklyn, records it first. Then jazz players take them up: Lester Young plays Just You, Just Me, Bud Powell plays I Should Care, and Charlie Parker's quintet records My Old Flame.
Glenn Miller The Nearness of You · 1940 Billie Holiday I Cover the Waterfront · 1941 Louis Armstrong I Cover the Waterfront · 1941 Jimmy Dorsey I Remember You · 1941 Woody Herman I'll Remember April · 1941 Ella Fitzgerald You Don't Know What Love Is · 1941 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1941 Jo Stafford with Paul Weston It Could Happen to You · 1943
17 more
Lester Young Quartet Just You, Just Me · 1943 Jimmy Dorsey Star Eyes · 1943 Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter Like Someone in Love · 1944 Billie Holiday and Eddie Heywood My Old Flame · 1944 Lester Young and the Kansas City Six Three Little Words · 1944 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl I Should Care · 1945 Woody Herman Laura · 1945 Gene Krupa Lover · 1945 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl Time After Time · 1946 Bing Crosby with Victor Young But Beautiful · 1947 Bud Powell Trio I Should Care · 1947 Bud Powell Trio I'll Remember April · 1947 Charlie Parker My Old Flame · 1947 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl Stella by Starlight · 1947 Thelonious Monk Quartet with Kenny 'Pancho' Hagood I Should Care · 1948 Art Tatum I Cover the Waterfront · 1949 Sarah Vaughan with Joe Lipman The Nearness of You · 1949
1950s
The film songs become jazz material. Jeri Southern and Doris Day record When I Fall in Love, from One Minute to Zero, in 1952, and Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Bill Evans follow by 1959. Davis also records Easy Living and On Green Dolphin Street, John Coltrane records Invitation, from A Life of Her Own, and Dave Brubeck's quartet plays Someday My Prince Will Come on Dave Digs Disney.
Sarah Vaughan It Might As Well Be Spring · 1950 Charlie Parker with strings Laura · 1950 Billy Eckstine My Foolish Heart · 1950 Charlie Parker Quartet Star Eyes · 1950 Charlie Parker They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1950 Dave Brubeck Trio You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1950 Stan Getz Quartet You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1950 Wynton Kelly Blue Moon · 1951
122 more
Bud Powell It Could Happen to You · 1951 Oscar Peterson The Nearness of You · 1951 Oscar Peterson Trio A Foggy Day · 1952 Billie Holiday Blue Moon · 1952 Oscar Peterson Blue Moon · 1952 Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio Just You, Just Me · 1952 Don Byas Quartet Laura · 1952 Peggy Lee with Gordon Jenkins Lover · 1952 Charlie Parker with Joe Lippman Stella by Starlight · 1952 Stan Getz Quintet The Way You Look Tonight · 1952 Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio There Will Never Be Another You · 1952 The Oscar Peterson Trio They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1952 Jeri Southern with Victor Young When I Fall in Love · 1952 Doris Day with the Norman Luboff Choir When I Fall in Love · 1952 Frank Sinatra A Foggy Day · 1953 Clifford Brown Sextet Easy Living · 1953 Charlie Parker Quartet I Remember You · 1953 Horace Silver Trio I Remember You · 1953 The Dave Brubeck Quartet I Remember You · 1953 Oscar Peterson Trio It Might As Well Be Spring · 1953 Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker My Old Flame · 1953 Bud Powell Stella by Starlight · 1953 The Stan Getz Quintet The Nearness of You · 1953 The Dave Brubeck Quartet The Way You Look Tonight · 1953 Frank Sinatra They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1953 Stan Getz Quintet I'll Remember April · 1954 Art Blakey Quintet The Way You Look Tonight · 1954 Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk Quartet The Way You Look Tonight · 1954 Chet Baker There Will Never Be Another You · 1954 Chet Baker Quartet Time After Time · 1954 J.J. Johnson Quartet Time After Time · 1954 Miles Davis All Stars You Don't Know What Love Is · 1954 Nat King Cole Autumn Leaves · 1955 Ahmad Jamal Trio Autumn Leaves · 1955 Clifford Brown Blue Moon · 1955 Hampton Hawes Trio Easy Living · 1955 Miles Davis Quintet Easy Living · 1955 Erroll Garner I Cover the Waterfront · 1955 Chet Baker Quartet I Remember You · 1955 Milt Jackson Quartet I Should Care · 1955 Erroll Garner I'll Remember April · 1955 Carmen McRae I'll Remember April · 1955 Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet with Neal Hefti Orchestra Laura · 1955 The Dave Brubeck Quartet Lover · 1955 Dinah Washington My Old Flame · 1955 Milt Jackson The Nearness of You · 1955 Nat King Cole There Will Never Be Another You · 1955 Erroll Garner They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1955 Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong A Foggy Day · 1956 The Red Garland Trio A Foggy Day · 1956 Art Tatum / Buddy DeFranco Quartet A Foggy Day · 1956 The Charlie Mingus Jazz Workshop A Foggy Day · 1956 Jimmy Smith Trio Autumn Leaves · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald Blue Moon · 1956 Sonny Criss Quintet Easy Living · 1956 Bill Evans Trio Easy Living · 1956 The Bud Powell Trio I Cover the Waterfront · 1956 Hank Mobley Quintet I Should Care · 1956 Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet I'll Remember April · 1956 The Miles Davis Quintet It Could Happen to You · 1956 Thelonious Monk Trio Just You, Just Me · 1956 Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane and Zoot Sims Just You, Just Me · 1956 Teddy Charles Quartet Laura · 1956 Tal Farlow Trio Like Someone in Love · 1956 Stan Getz Quartet Like Someone in Love · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald with Buddy Bregman Lover · 1956 Lester Young Pennies from Heaven · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong The Nearness of You · 1956 Johnny Griffin The Way You Look Tonight · 1956 Stan Getz Quartet There Will Never Be Another You · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1956 Nat King Cole with Gordon Jenkins When I Fall in Love · 1956 Miles Davis Quintet When I Fall in Love · 1956 Sonny Rollins You Don't Know What Love Is · 1956 Kenny Dorham But Beautiful · 1957 Sarah Vaughan I Cover the Waterfront · 1957 Thelonious Monk I Should Care · 1957 Sonny Rollins It Could Happen to You · 1957 Sonny Clark It Could Happen to You · 1957 Coleman Hawkins Septet Laura · 1957 Ella Fitzgerald with Frank DeVol Like Someone in Love · 1957 John Coltrane Like Someone in Love · 1957 Max Roach Quintet Lover · 1957 Kenny Dorham My Old Flame · 1957 Barney Kessel, Ray Brown and Shelly Manne On Green Dolphin Street · 1957 Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio Pennies from Heaven · 1957 Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio Pennies from Heaven · 1957 Dave Brubeck Quartet Someday My Prince Will Come · 1957 Art Pepper Star Eyes · 1957 Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio Three Little Words · 1957 Stan Getz Quartet Time After Time · 1957 Sonny Rollins You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1957 Cannonball Adderley Autumn Leaves · 1958 Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis But Beautiful · 1958 John Coltrane Invitation · 1958 Chet Baker It Could Happen to You · 1958 Ahmad Jamal Trio It Might As Well Be Spring · 1958 Gene Ammons' All Stars It Might As Well Be Spring · 1958 Red Garland Quartet It Might As Well Be Spring · 1958 Ella Fitzgerald with Marty Paich's Dek-Tette Just You, Just Me · 1958 John Coltrane Lover · 1958 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Lover · 1958 Miles Davis Sextet On Green Dolphin Street · 1958 Louis Armstrong Pennies from Heaven · 1958 The Oscar Peterson Trio Pennies from Heaven · 1958 Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott Pennies from Heaven · 1958 Miles Davis Sextet Stella by Starlight · 1958 Sarah Vaughan Three Little Words · 1958 John Coltrane Quartet Time After Time · 1958 Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis You Don't Know What Love Is · 1958 Ahmad Jamal Trio You Don't Know What Love Is · 1958 Max Roach New Quintet You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1958 Bill Evans Trio Autumn Leaves · 1959 The Sonny Stitt Quartet I Cover the Waterfront · 1959 Cannonball Adderley Quartet I Remember You · 1959 Bill Evans Trio On Green Dolphin Street · 1959 Bill Evans Trio Someday My Prince Will Come · 1959 Red Garland Trio There Will Never Be Another You · 1959 Milt Jackson and John Coltrane Three Little Words · 1959 Lou Donaldson with the Three Sounds Three Little Words · 1959 Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings When I Fall in Love · 1959 Bill Evans Trio When I Fall in Love · 1959
1960s
A new film song arrives. Henry Mancini records Days of Wine and Roses from the 1962 film, Andy Williams sings it on the soundtrack, and Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson and Joe Henderson with the Wynton Kelly Trio follow. Miles Davis names a 1961 album after Someday My Prince Will Come, and John Coltrane plays You Don't Know What Love Is on Ballads.
Freddie Hubbard But Beautiful · 1960 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Like Someone in Love · 1960 Eric Dolphy Quintet On Green Dolphin Street · 1960 Miles Davis Quintet On Green Dolphin Street · 1960 Red Garland The Nearness of You · 1960 Grant Green I Remember You · 1961 Paul Desmond with Jim Hall and strings I Should Care · 1961 Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Nelson Riddle Invitation · 1961
42 more
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Invitation · 1961 Kenny Dorham It Could Happen to You · 1961 Frank Sinatra It Might As Well Be Spring · 1961 Bill Evans Trio My Foolish Heart · 1961 Miles Davis Sextet Someday My Prince Will Come · 1961 Wynton Kelly Trio Someday My Prince Will Come · 1961 The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus Star Eyes · 1961 Art Blakey Blue Moon · 1962 Bill Evans Trio I Should Care · 1962 Bill Evans Trio It Might As Well Be Spring · 1962 Grant Green Quintet Someday My Prince Will Come · 1962 Chet Baker Sextet Star Eyes · 1962 John Coltrane Quartet You Don't Know What Love Is · 1962 Dexter Gordon Quartet You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1962 Andy Williams Days of Wine and Roses · 1963 Wes Montgomery Trio Days of Wine and Roses · 1963 Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete Days of Wine and Roses · 1963 Bill Evans Just You, Just Me · 1963 Oscar Peterson Trio with Nelson Riddle's Orchestra My Foolish Heart · 1963 Etta Jones Someday My Prince Will Come · 1963 McCoy Tyner Trio Star Eyes · 1963 Joe Pass Quartet There Will Never Be Another You · 1963 Stan Getz and Bill Evans But Beautiful · 1964 Frank Sinatra Days of Wine and Roses · 1964 Oscar Peterson Trio Days of Wine and Roses · 1964 Paul Desmond Easy Living · 1964 Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle I Remember You · 1964 Lucky Thompson Invitation · 1964 The New Stan Getz Quartet featuring Astrud Gilberto It Might As Well Be Spring · 1964 Thelonious Monk Quartet Just You, Just Me · 1964 Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle Laura · 1964 Miles Davis Quintet Stella by Starlight · 1964 Grant Green You Don't Know What Love Is · 1964 Miles Davis Quintet On Green Dolphin Street · 1965 Sonny Rollins There Will Never Be Another You · 1965 Sonny Rollins Three Little Words · 1965 Bill Evans Trio Laura · 1966 Bill Evans Trio Star Eyes · 1966 Bill Evans Trio Stella by Starlight · 1966 Ella Fitzgerald with Marty Paich Time After Time · 1966 Joe Henderson with the Wynton Kelly Trio Days of Wine and Roses · 1968 Joe Henderson Invitation · 1968
1970s
Many versions are stripped down. Jim Hall and Ron Carter play I'll Remember April as a guitar and bass duo, John McLaughlin closes an album with My Foolish Heart alone on guitar, and Tony Bennett sings But Beautiful and My Foolish Heart with Bill Evans at the piano. Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson record When I Fall in Love, and Dexter Gordon plays Invitation.
Joe Pass I Cover the Waterfront · 1970 Dexter Gordon Quartet Star Eyes · 1970 Oscar Peterson Trio You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1970 Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson When I Fall in Love · 1971 Jim Hall and Ron Carter I'll Remember April · 1972 Duke Jordan Trio My Old Flame · 1973 Chet Baker Autumn Leaves · 1974 Andrew Hill Invitation · 1974
8 more
Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker There Will Never Be Another You · 1974 Tony Bennett and Bill Evans But Beautiful · 1975 Dexter Gordon Quartet Invitation · 1975 Tony Bennett & Bill Evans My Foolish Heart · 1975 Zoot Sims They Can't Take That Away from Me · 1975 McCoy Tyner You Stepped Out of a Dream · 1976 Ron Carter Quartet Three Little Words · 1977 John McLaughlin My Foolish Heart · 1978
1980s
Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio plays Stella by Starlight and The Way You Look Tonight in Paris in 1985, and When I Fall in Love in Munich in 1986. Bill Evans plays Days of Wine and Roses and Like Someone in Love in 1980. Ella Fitzgerald sings Easy Living with only Joe Pass on guitar, Pass records A Foggy Day in Hollywood, and Jaco Pastorius takes Invitation on tour with his big band.
Bill Evans Trio Days of Wine and Roses · 1980 Bill Evans Trio Like Someone in Love · 1980 Jaco Pastorius Invitation · 1982 Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson Just You, Just Me · 1983 Kenny Garrett Quintet Lover · 1984 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette Stella by Starlight · 1985 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette The Way You Look Tonight · 1985 Keith Jarrett Trio Autumn Leaves · 1986
4 more
Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass Easy Living · 1986 Chet Baker My Foolish Heart · 1986 Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass On Green Dolphin Street · 1986 Keith Jarrett Trio When I Fall in Love · 1986
1990s
Jarrett's trio keeps playing them live: Days of Wine and Roses at the Blue Note in New York in 1994, You Don't Know What Love Is at the Deer Head Inn in 1992 and It Could Happen to You in Tokyo in 1996. Chick Corea plays But Beautiful alone in Yokohama, Lee Konitz plays Someday My Prince Will Come, and Pharoah Sanders plays The Nearness of You, written for a film that was never made.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet The Nearness of You · 1990 The Benny Green Trio Time After Time · 1991 Joe Pass Blue Moon · 1992 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian You Don't Know What Love Is · 1992 Keith Jarrett Trio Days of Wine and Roses · 1994 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette It Could Happen to You · 1996 Lee Konitz Someday My Prince Will Come · 1996 Jane Ira Bloom Quartet Time After Time · 1997
1 more
Chick Corea But Beautiful · 1999
2000s
Joe Lovano and Hank Jones record Like Someone in Love and Stella by Starlight in June 2003. Keith Jarrett's trio plays My Foolish Heart at Montreux in 2001 and Someday My Prince Will Come in 2002, and in 2007 Jarrett and Charlie Haden record My Old Flame as a duet. Ahmad Jamal stretches My Foolish Heart to almost fourteen minutes in Paris, and Rufus Wainwright sings A Foggy Day at Carnegie Hall.
Ahmad Jamal My Foolish Heart · 2000 Chick Corea Akoustic Band Autumn Leaves · 2001 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette My Foolish Heart · 2001 Keith Jarrett Trio Someday My Prince Will Come · 2002 Joe Lovano with Hank Jones, George Mraz and Paul Motian Like Someone in Love · 2003 Joe Lovano with Hank Jones, George Mraz, Paul Motian Stella by Starlight · 2003 Rufus Wainwright A Foggy Day · 2006 Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden My Old Flame · 2007
2010s
Ahmad Jamal brings his quartet to Blue Moon in 2011, with Herlin Riley on drums and Manolo Badrena on percussion. Bill Charlap's trio opens its album Notes from New York with I'll Remember April again in 2015, and Chick Corea's Akoustic Band plays On Green Dolphin Street live in 2018 with John Patitucci and Dave Weckl.
Ahmad Jamal Blue Moon · 2011 Bill Charlap Trio I'll Remember April · 2015 Chick Corea Akoustic Band On Green Dolphin Street · 2018
2020s
Samara Joy records But Beautiful with the guitarist Pasquale Grasso in October 2020, and opens her 2024 album Portrait with You Stepped Out of a Dream. Laufey sings It Could Happen to You eighty years after Dorothy Lamour sang it in And the Angels Sing, and Arooj Aftab and James Francies give Autumn Leaves a modern setting that crosses genres.
Samara Joy with Pasquale Grasso But Beautiful · 2020

Through the years

The tunes