Quicksilver is a song, which became a hit forBing Crosby in 1950. It was written byEddie Pola,George Wyle andIrving Taylor.
A composition of the same name by jazz pianistHorace Silver was first recorded in 1952 and has become most associated with him.
"Quicksilver" was recorded byBing Crosby and theAndrews Sisters withVic Schoen and his orchestra on November 25, 1949[1] and it became a top 10 hit in February 1950. In late February 1950 it was cited byBillboard as the fifth most popular record on jukeboxes. It peaked in mid March at Number 8 in the singles charts.[2][3] By the end of April it was still in the charts at Number 30.[4] It was the best selling single in Australia for the year of 1950.[5]
Another version of this song was recorded byDoris Day & Her Country Cousins in 1949[6] and this also reached the USA charts with a peak position of No. 20.[7]
Another song of the same title was later recorded byHorace Silver in 1952,[8] based on his interpretation of "Lover Come Back to Me". "Quicksilver" was performed and recorded live in 1954 at New York City'sBirdland byArt Blakey and his Quintet which included Silver,Clifford Brown,Lou Donaldson, andCurly Russell. It appears on theBlue Note Records album by them,A Night at Birdland Vol. 1.[9]
Cannonball Adderley recorded a "near-frantic" version of it which he called "Spectacular".[10]Lee Morgan recorded it withHoward Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars group.[11] The song has more recently been performed in tributes to Horace Silver, such as the Arale Kaminsky Quintet in 2014.[12]
