Songs from 1939 to 1953
Jimmy Van Heusen
Jimmy Van Heusen writes these seven songs between 1939 and 1953, with the lyricists Johnny Burke, Johnny Mercer and Eddie DeLange. Several come from films or Broadway shows, and singers record them first. This page follows them decade by decade, as jazz players take them up, from Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in the early years to Samara Joy and the Bill Charlap Trio today.
Through the years
- 1930s
In 1939 Van Heusen writes Darn That Dream for the Broadway musical Swingin' the Dream, and I Thought About You with Johnny Mercer. Benny Goodman's orchestra records both that autumn with Mildred Bailey singing. Darn That Dream reaches number one in 1940, and I Thought About You reaches number 17.
- 1940s
Singers carry these songs first, and four of them are written in this decade. Frank Sinatra records Polka Dots and Moonbeams with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra in March 1940, and it becomes his first hit. Jo Stafford records It Could Happen to You in 1943, and Bing Crosby records Like Someone in Love in 1944 and But Beautiful in 1947.
- 1950s
Jazz players take the songs up. Miles Davis's nonet, Bud Powell and Gerry Mulligan's quartet with Chet Baker all record them early in the decade, and Sonny Rollins plays It Could Happen to You alone in 1957. Billie Holiday sings I Thought About You in 1954 and But Beautiful in 1958. Van Heusen writes Here's That Rainy Day in 1953, and Frank Sinatra records it in 1959.
Miles Davis Nonet, vocal by Kenny Hagood Darn That Dream · 1950Bud Powell It Could Happen to You · 1951Gerry Mulligan Quartet Darn That Dream · 1953Kenny Dorham Quintet Darn That Dream · 1953Bud Powell Trio Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1953Billie Holiday I Thought About You · 1954Sarah Vaughan Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1954Stan Getz Quintet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 195415 more
The Miles Davis Quintet It Could Happen to You · 1956Tal Farlow Trio Like Someone in Love · 1956Stan Getz Quartet Like Someone in Love · 1956Kenny Dorham But Beautiful · 1957Mose Allison I Thought About You · 1957Ella Fitzgerald with Frank DeVol I Thought About You · 1957Sonny Rollins It Could Happen to You · 1957Sonny Clark It Could Happen to You · 1957Ella Fitzgerald with Frank DeVol Like Someone in Love · 1957John Coltrane Like Someone in Love · 1957Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis But Beautiful · 1958Art Farmer Quintet Darn That Dream · 1958Chet Baker It Could Happen to You · 1958Chet Baker Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1958Frank Sinatra Here's That Rainy Day · 1959 - 1960s
The songs turn up in many settings. Bill Evans plays Polka Dots and Moonbeams with his trio and Darn That Dream with Jim Hall as a piano and guitar duo in 1962, then Here's That Rainy Day alone in 1968. Miles Davis records I Thought About You in 1961, Stan Getz and Bill Evans record But Beautiful in 1964, and Wes Montgomery plays Here's That Rainy Day with strings in 1965.
Freddie Hubbard But Beautiful · 1960Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Like Someone in Love · 1960Wes Montgomery Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1960Miles Davis I Thought About You · 1961Kenny Dorham It Could Happen to You · 1961Bill Evans and Jim Hall Darn That Dream · 1962The Oscar Peterson Trio with the Ernie Wilkins Big Band Here's That Rainy Day · 1962Kenny Burrell with Coleman Hawkins I Thought About You · 19628 more
Bill Evans Trio Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1962Paul Desmond - Jim Hall Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1963Stan Getz and Bill Evans But Beautiful · 1964Dexter Gordon Darn That Dream · 1964Wes Montgomery with the Don Sebesky Orchestra Here's That Rainy Day · 1965Paul Desmond – Jim Hall Quartet Here's That Rainy Day · 1965Elvin Jones & Richard Davis Here's That Rainy Day · 1967Bill Evans Here's That Rainy Day · 1968 - 1970s
Freddie Hubbard records Here's That Rainy Day in 1970 with Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock and George Benson, and Joe Pass plays it alone on guitar in 1973. Bill Evans plays But Beautiful live at the Village Vanguard in 1974 and records it in 1975 as a duet with Tony Bennett.
- 1980s
Bill Evans's trio plays Like Someone in Love live at Keystone Korner in San Francisco in August 1980, during a nine night residency. In 1986 Chet Baker records Here's That Rainy Day in Copenhagen and Stan Getz records I Thought About You. Carmen McRae and Betty Carter sing But Beautiful as a live duet in 1987.
- 1990s
Keith Jarrett's trio, with Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette, records I Thought About You in New York in October 1991 and plays It Could Happen to You in Tokyo in March 1996. Chick Corea plays But Beautiful alone at the piano in Yokohama in November 1999. Jimmy Greene plays Darn That Dream on his 1999 album Brand New World, and Gonzalo Rubalcaba plays Here's That Rainy Day on Inner Voyage.
- 2000s
Joe Lovano leads a quartet with Hank Jones on piano, George Mraz on bass and Paul Motian on drums, and records Like Someone in Love in June 2003 for a Blue Note album. Milestone releases Bill Evans's 1980 Keystone Korner recordings in 2000.
- 2010s
Diana Krall sings and plays piano on Like Someone in Love, the opening track of Turn Up the Quiet, recorded in fall 2016 with Christian McBride on bass and Russell Malone on guitar.
- 2020s
Samara Joy records But Beautiful with guitarist Pasquale Grasso in October 2020, and it is on her debut album, released in July 2021. Fred Hersch and Sara Gazarek release a medley of Dreams and Darn That Dream in March 2020, and the Bill Charlap Trio records the song live at the Village Vanguard in 2023. Laufey sings It Could Happen to You on Bewitched: The Goddess Edition.
The tunes
- Darn That DreamJimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange, 1939
- I Thought About YouJimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer, 1939
- Polka Dots and MoonbeamsJimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke, 1940
- It Could Happen to YouJimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke, 1943
- Like Someone in LoveJimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, 1944
- But BeautifulVan Heusen/Burke, 1947
- Here's That Rainy DayJimmy Van Heusen / Johnny Burke, 1953