Ill Wind (Arlen-Koehler song)

"Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)" is a song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ted Koehler. It was written for their last show at the Cotton Club in 1934 and was sung by Adelaide Hall[1] In an interview, Adelaide Hall explained how she performed the song to great effect during the show:

I starred in the Cotton Club Parade where I sang "Ill Wind," which Harold Arlen had written for me. There were twenty-four girl dancers behind me all dressed in grey and I was in pink. It was the first show ever that had nitrogen smoke rise from the floor on stage.

— Adelaide Hall[2]

Ill Wing Song Music Cover, 1934

The melody came to Arlen while he was visiting Anya Taranda, then a model who later became his wife.[3]

The song is also featured in the 1984 Francis Ford Coppola movie The Cotton Club sung by the actress Lonette McKee. McKee plays a character with similarities to Adelaide Hall in real life.