It's Only a Paper Moon

"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song published in 1933 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose.[1]

1933 recording by Paul Whiteman on Victor featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet and Peggy Healy on vocals

Background

It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me", but later went by the more popular title "It's Only a Paper Moon".[2] The song was written for an unsuccessful 1932 Broadway play called The Great Magoo that was set in Coney Island.[3] Claire Carleton first performed this song on December 2, 1932.[4] It was used in the movie Take a Chance in 1933 when it was sung by June Knight and Charles "Buddy" Rogers. Paul Whiteman recorded a hit version later that year, released on the Victor label in October 1933 featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet and Peggy Healy on vocals. A version released a month before Whiteman's was by Henry King and His Pierre Hotel Orchestra on the Vocalion label.[5] Another popular 1933 recording was done by Cliff Edwards.[6]

The song's lasting fame stems from its revival by popular artists during the last years of World War II, with hit recordings being made by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Goodman (vocal by Dottie Reid).[7] It is now regarded as a jazz and pop standard, and has been recorded by numerous artists over the years.

Blanche DuBois is heard singing the song when in the bathroom in Scene Seven of Tennessee Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire.

Notable recordings

Usage in film and television

See also

References

Citations

  1. "It's Only a Paper Moon". jazzstandards.com. 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  2. "Afterglow". indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  3. "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  4. "Original versions of If You Believed in Me by Claire Carleton". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  5. "Tracks on Night Owl - Henry King and His Pierre Hotel Orchestra (September 1933) | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 146. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 181. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  8. "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  9. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  10. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  11. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  12. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  13. "Paper Moon". IMDb. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  14. Brooks & Marsh, p. 795.
  15. DeCandido, Keith R. A. (2014-12-30). "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch: "It's Only a Paper Moon"". Tor.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.

Bibliography

  • Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1995). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39736-3.
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