A Fine Romance (song)

"A Fine Romance"
Song by Fred Astaire
B-side	"The Waltz in Swing Time"
Published	1936 by Chappell & Co.[1][2]
Released	August 1936
Recorded	July 28, 1936
Studio	Los Angeles, California
Genre	Jazz, Pop Vocal
Label	Brunswick 7716
Composer(s)	Jerome Kern
Lyricist(s)	Dorothy Fields[3]
Fred Astaire singles chronology
"I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" (1936) "A Fine Romance" (1936) "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936)

"A Fine Romance"
Single by Billie Holiday and her Orchestra
B-side	"I Can't Pretend"
Released	1936
Recorded	September 29, 1936
Genre	Jazz blues
Length	2.53
Label	Vocalion 3333[4]
Billie Holiday and her Orchestra singles chronology
"These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" (1936) "A Fine Romance" (1936) "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936)

A Fine Romance performed on tenor sax by Jules Grandgagnage

"A Fine Romance" is a popular song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, published in 1936.

The song was written for the musical film, Swing Time, where it was co-introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire recorded a solo version of the song on July 28, 1936 for Brunswick records (catalog 7716)^[5] and it topped the charts of the day for five weeks.^[6] Billie Holiday recorded the song for Vocalion Records on September 29, 1936^[7] and this too reached the charts of the day as did versions by Henry King and Guy Lombardo.^[8]

Other notable recordings

• Henry King and his Orchestra with vocals by Joe Sudy (1936)^[9]
• Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee Crosby with Victor Young & His Orchestra (recorded August 19, 1936)^[10]
• Marian McPartland – Lullaby of Birdland (1952)^[11]
• Fred Astaire – The Astaire Story (1953)^[12]
• Count Basie and Joe Williams – The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (1956)^[13]
• Mel Tormé – Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (1956)^[14]
• Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald – Ella and Louis Again (1957)^[15]
• Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae – Boy Meets Girl (1957)^[16]
• Margaret Whiting – Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960)^[17]
• Frank Sinatra – Ring-a-Ding-Ding! (1961)^[18]
• Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé – Cozy (1961)^[19]
• Ella Fitzgerald included a solo rendition on her Verve Records album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook, produced by Norman Granz. (1963)^[20]
• Lena Horne – Lena in Hollywood (1966)^[21]
• Susannah McCorkle – How Do You Keep the Music Playing (1985)^[22]
• Kiri Te Kanawa – Kiri Sings Kern (1993)^[23]
• Johnny Mercer and Martha Tilton – 1946 single, The Song Is You: Capitol Sings Jerome Kern (1994)^[24]
• Sylvia McNair – Sure Thing: The Jerome Kern Songbook (1994)^[25]
• Jerry Hadley and Frederica Von Stade – Puttin' on the Ritz with Erich Kunzel / Cincinnati Pops (1995)^[26]
• Ann Hampton Callaway – To Ella with Love (1996)^[27]
• Billie Holiday – 1936 single, A Fine Romance (1997)^[28]
• Stacey Kent – Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire (2000)^[29]
• Marilyn Monroe– Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (2006)^[30]

Popular culture

• In the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), the song is performed by Virginia O'Brien.
• In a version sung by Judi Dench it also became the theme song of A Fine Romance, a British television series starring Dench and her husband Michael Williams.
• A recording by Lena Horne features in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). The song also features in the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical.

References

1. A Fine Romance. 1936-01-01.
2. Knoell, Tiffany (2015-06-27), 1936 - A Fine Romance, retrieved 2021-08-04
3. "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
4. Billie Holiday And Her Orchestra – A Fine Romance / I Can't Pretend (1936, Shellac), retrieved 2021-08-04
5. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
6. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 37. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
7. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
8. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 498. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
9. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 257. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
10. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
11. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
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20. "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
21. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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27. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
28. "www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
29. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
30. RCA Records Recording date: September 3, 1954 Label: RCA Records, Italy 1974 LP: Marilyn Monroe – La Voce, Le Musiche E I Films Number: TPL1 of 7025 (e)