Someone to Watch Over Me (song)

Origin#

Initially, “Someone to Watch Over Me” was written by George Gershwin for the musical Oh, Kay! as a “fast and jazzy” up-tempo rhythm tune – marked scherzando (playful) in the sheet music followed by Margaret Whiting in 1944. Howard Dietz, who was involved in composing other songs in Oh Kay! while Ira Gershwin was hospitalized for six weeks for a ruptured appendix, claimed that he helped write the lyrics to “Someone to Watch Over Me”. He was not named in the song credits, and he was paid very little for his contribution. a fact first revealed by Ira in his 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions. Lawrence’s performances of the song in 1926 and 1927 were presented in a solo scene at the beginning of Act II, with Lawrence wearing a maid’s uniform and singing to a rag doll that she held in her hand.

Recordings and features#

The song was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946 for his debut album The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1954 for the film Young At Heart, and again during the Nice ’n’ Easy sessions in 1960. Sinatra’s popular recordings helped cement the standard slow style.

See also#

• List of 1920s jazz standards
• The play Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me by poet Frank McGuinness.