George Gershwin, music · Ira Gershwin, lyrics · Written for Lady, Be Good
George and Ira Gershwin wrote The Man I Love for the 1924 musical Lady, Be Good. The show dropped it, and it became a standard with a plain 32 bar A A B A form. Hear it sung, then played on alto and tenor saxophone, two pianos and in a piano trio.
E♭ major · 32 bars · A A B A form · how it works
The path starts with three singers, the last of them with guitar and piano behind the voice. It then moves through a small group, alto and tenor saxophone, two pianos and a closing piano trio.
8 recordings, 1954 to 1976 · Play all 8 on YouTube ↗
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Ella Fitzgerald · 1959 · Vocal
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
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Sarah Vaughan · 1957 · Vocal
Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin
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Anita O'Day · 1954 · Vocal
An Evening With Anita O'Day
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Miles Davis All Stars · 1954 · Hard bop
“The Man I Love (Take 2)”, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants
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Sonny Criss Quartet · 1956
Go Man!
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Bob Brookmeyer and Bill Evans · 1959
The Ivory Hunters
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Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers · 1975 · Swing
Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers
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The Phineas Newborn Trio · 1976
Look Out: Phineas Is Back!
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5 more, from 1939 to 1998. Tap a cover to play it here.
1939 · Swing
Billie, Ella, Lena, Sarah!
Billie Holiday sings it on a recording originally released in 1939.
1946
Buddy 100
Lester Young plays it in a trio with Nat King Cole and Buddy Rich, in a 1946 recording produced by Norman Granz.
1951 · Bebop
Oscar Peterson Plays George Gershwin
Oscar Peterson plays it in a piano and bass duo with Auston Roberts, issued in 1953.
1958 · Swing
“The Man I Love (From Lady, Be Good!)”, Encores in Hi-Fi
Erroll Garner plays it for more than eight minutes on Encores in Hi-Fi.
1998 · Modal jazz, Bebop
Gershwin's World
Herbie Hancock plays it with Joni Mitchell singing, on his 1998 Gershwin album.
The song runs 32 bars in A A B A form, with eight bars in each section. iReal Pro gives E♭ major as the home key, so this page counts all 32 bars as one key area. The B section is the bridge, and the last A brings the tune home.
Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.