Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus Kahn. It was introduced in 1929 by Ruby Keeler (as Dixie Dugan) in Florenz Ziegfeld's musical Show Girl.[1] The stage performances were accompanied by the Duke Ellington Orchestra.[2] On the show's opening night in Boston on June 25, 1929, Keeler's husband and popular singer Al Jolson suddenly stood up from his seat in the third row and sang a chorus of the song, much to the surprise of the audience and Gershwin himself.[3] Jolson recorded the song a few days later on July 6, 1929, and his rendition rose to number nine on the charts of the day.[4]
| "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Ruby Keeler (stage versions feature Duke Ellington Orchestra) | |
| Recorded | 1929 |
| Genre | Jazz standard, instrumental |
| Composer(s) | George Gershwin |
| Lyricist(s) | Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn |
Other notable recordings
editA popular jazz standard, the song has been recorded by:
- Ipana Troubadors, vocal by Smith Ballew, recorded July 9, 1929 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 1903D).[5]
- Leo Reisman and His Orchestra, recorded July 9, 1929 for Victor Records (catalog No. 22069A).[6]
- Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra - recorded on September 25, 1934 for Decca Records (catalog No. 555).[7]
- Art Tatum Swingsters - recorded on October 9, 1934 for Decca Records (catalog No. 1373).[8]
- Teddy Wilson - a single release on the Brunswick label in 1935.[9]
- Benny Goodman Quartet, recorded August 2, 1937 for Victor Records (catalog No. 25660).[10]
- Chick Webb and His Orchestra - recorded on May 3, 1938 for Decca Records (catalog No. 1840).[11]
- Paul Whiteman Swinging Strings - recorded on November 15, 1938 for Decca Records (catalog No. 2223).[12]
- Frankie Carle and His Orchestra, recorded April 2, 1942 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 36689).[13]
- Ethel Smith - recorded on October 24, 1944 for Decca Records (catalog No. 23426).[14]
- The Quintet of the Hot Club of France, featuring Django Reinhardt - recorded January 2, 1946 for Decca Records.[15]
- Al Jolson - he recorded it again on June 11, 1947.[16]
- Bing Crosby - recorded May 21, 1954 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra.[17]
- Thelonious Monk - included in his album The Unique Thelonious Monk (1956) and again in Monk (1964).
- The Four Freshmen - included in their album Four Freshmen and Five Saxes (1957).
- Chet Atkins - on Finger-Style Guitar (1957).
- Bobby Darin - included in his album Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile (1966).
- Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea - on album An Evening with Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea: In Concert - recorded February 1978 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 35663).
- Michael Feinstein - for his album Pure Gershwin (1987).
- Mel Tormé - for his album Velvet & Brass (1995).
- Judy Garland - a 1963 TV version included in the album The Show That Got Away (2002).[18]
- Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli - recorded together in 1943, included in Bioshock's Licensed Soundtrack (2007).[19][20]
Film appearances
edit- 1945 Rhapsody in Blue
- 1945 George White's Scandals - performed on the Hammond B3 Organ by Ethel Smith.
- 1946 The Jolson Story - sung by Larry Parks (dubbed by Al Jolson), danced by Evelyn Keyes.
- 1946 The Big Sleep - heard outside Eddie Mars' house
- 1947 The Man I Love - played by San on the piano when Petey calls the Bamboo Club.
- 1951 An American in Paris
- 1951 Starlift - sung and danced by Patrice Wymore (singing dubbed by Bonnie Lou Williams)
In popular culture
editThe song is the namesake of Liza Minnelli, who performed the number at her 2008-9 concert Liza's at The Palace...!. It is also included in the 2015 Broadway musical An American in Paris, a joke on the mispronunciation of "Lise" - the female lead's name - by the American Jerry Mulligan.
Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappeli's licensed version appears as a song in Bioshock (2007). Players will hear it upon activating a jukebox in the level, and will hear its notable tune during the Farmer's Market section. Featured in-game, the song has been slowed down[21] whilst the original recording is played at slightly faster speed.[22]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Tyle, Chris. "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away))". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ^ Jasen, David A. (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899–1999). Taylor & Francis. p. 121. ISBN 0-415-93700-0.
- ^ Goldman, Herbert G. (1988). Jolson : The Legend Comes To Life. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 191-192. ISBN 0-19-506329-5.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 235. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "Django Reinhardt Discography". djangopedia.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ Goldman, Herbert G. (1988). Jolson : The Legend Comes To Life. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 390. ISBN 0-19-506329-5.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ^ "Music of the BioShock series", Wikipedia, 2021-07-23, retrieved 2021-08-08
- ^ Django Reinhardt - Liza, 13 October 2009, retrieved 2021-08-08
- ^ Django Reinhardt - Liza, 13 October 2009, retrieved 2021-08-08
- ^ Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) (Digitally Remastered), 19 June 2018, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2021-08-08