"Pennies from Heaven" is a 1936 American popular song with music by Arthur Johnston and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was introduced by Bing Crosby with Georgie Stoll and his Orchestra in the 1936 film of the same name.[5][6]
| "Pennies from Heaven" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Bing Crosby and the Georgie Stoll Orchestra[1] | |
| B-side | "Let's Call a Heart a Heart" |
| Published | October 16, 1936,[2] Select Music Publications, Inc., New York[3] |
| Released | October 1936 |
| Recorded | July 24, 1936[4] |
| Studio | Recordings Incorporated Studios, 5505 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California[1] |
| Genre | Popular music |
| Length | 3:08 |
| Label | Decca 947 |
| Composer(s) | Arthur Johnston |
| Lyricist(s) | Johnny Burke |
Background
editIt was recorded in 1936 by Billie Holiday and afterwards performed by Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington, Clark Terry, Big Joe Turner, Lester Young, Dean Martin, Gene Ammons, Legion of Mary, Guy Mitchell, and Harry James.
The July 24, 1936, recording by Bing Crosby and the Georgie Stoll Orchestra[1][7] topped the charts for ten weeks in 1936[7][8] and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. He recorded another version on August 17, accompanied by Louis Armstrong, Frances Langford and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Crosby recorded the song again for his 1954 album Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
Other versions
editOn July 21, 1936, at Victor's Hollywood Studio, Eddy Duchin and his Orchestra made the first recording of "Pennies from Heaven."[9] It was released on October 14, 1936, on Victor 25431[10] and rose to number 2 on the Billboard charts.[8] Jimmy Dorsey also recorded it on August 4,[11] released on Decca 951 in October, and made the chart for one week in December.[8] Then Crosby and Dorsey, along with Louis Armstrong and Frances Langford, made another recording for Decca on August 17,[12] released in October on a 12" Shellac pressing only.[12][13]
- Louis Armstrong – (1947)[7]
- Count Basie with Jimmy Rushing – (1937)[7]
- Polly Bergen and Gordon MacRae sang a medley which included "Pennies from Heaven" on her 1958 NBC variety show, The Polly Bergen Show.[14]
- Dave Brubeck Quartet – "Brubeck Time" (1954)[15]
- Marty Robbins – "Marty after Midnight" (1962)
- Dave Brubeck with Paul Desmond – The Dave Brubeck Quartet at Carnegie Hall (1963)[7]
- Richard 'Groove' Holmes – Get Up & Get It! (1967)
- Stan Getz with Oscar Peterson – Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio (1975)[7]
- Billie Holiday's version was used in the 1994 film Corrina, Corrina (1994) and appears on the soundtrack.[16]
- Seth MacFarlane – Sing (2016)[17]
- Regis Philbin – It's Time for Regis! (1968) – also appeared on the soundtrack to the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire[18]
- Louis Prima – The Call of the Wildest (1957)[7]
- Jimmy Raney with Sonny Clark – Jimmy Raney Quartet (1954)[7]
- Marc Secara recorded the song on You're Everything[19]
- Frank Sinatra recorded two versions, the first one in 1956 with a Nelson Riddle for the Songs for Swingin' Lovers! LP[20] and a second one with Count Basie – Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First (1962)[7]
- The Skyliners (1960) – In the US, this version reached #24 on the Hot 100.[21]
- Arthur Tracy – 1937 recording.[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "A Bing Crosby Discography". BingMagazine.co.uk. UK: International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1936). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1936 Musical Compositions Fine Arts New Series Vol 31 Pt 3 For the Year 1936. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- ^ "Items tagged with "Select Music Publications, Inc., Brill Bldg., 1619 Broadway" | Levy Music Collection". levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "Decca matrix DLA 463. Pennies from heaven / Bing Crosby - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "Pennies from Heaven (1936)". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
Pennies from Heaven is not full of out-and-out song classics, but its score by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnston is enjoyable and features ... the title song, which was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields's 'The Way You Look Tonight', from Swing Time.
- ^ Bush, John. "Bing Crosby, George Stoll: 'Pennies from Heaven'". AllMusic.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 334–335. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 105. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Victor matrix PBS-97624. Pennies from heaven / Eddy Duchin Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "Victor 25431 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced) – Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "Decca matrix DLA 519. Pennies from heaven / Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra – Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ a b "Decca matrix DLA 580. Pennies from heaven / Louis Armstrong ; Bing Crosby ; Frances Langford – Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "DECCA (USA) 15000 series 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ "The Polly Bergen Show". Classic Television Archives. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
- ^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Corrina Corrina [Original Soundtrack] – Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: The Album – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ "New Album Release 2008 – You're Everything!". Marcsecara.de. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ "www.allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012. Record Research. p. 774.
- ^ Gussow, Mel (October 8, 1997). "Arthur Tracy, 98, Musical Star Known as the Street Singer". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2023.