| "Body and Soul" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Composer | Johnny Green |
| Lyricists | |
"Body and Soul" is apopular song andjazz standard written in 1930 with music byJohnny Green and lyrics byEdward Heyman,Robert Sour andFrank Eyton. It was also used as the musical theme and underscoring in the American film noir boxing dramaBody and Soul.
"Body and Soul" was written inNew York City for the British actress and singerGertrude Lawrence, who introduced it to London audiences. Published in England, it was first performed in the United States byLibby Holman in the 1930 Broadway revueThree's a Crowd. In Britain the orchestras ofJack Hylton andAmbrose recorded the ballad first in the same week in February 1930. In the United States,[1] the tune grew quickly in popularity, and by the end of 1930 at least 11 American bands had recorded it.[1]Louis Armstrong was the first jazz musician to record "Body and Soul", in October 1930,[2] but it wasPaul Whiteman andJack Fulton who popularized it in United States.
"Body and Soul" is one of the most recorded jazz standards, and multiple lyrics have been written for it.[1]
"Body and Soul" is usually performed in the key ofD-flat major. There is a verse that precedes the chorus, that is rarely performed, although recordings by bothLibby Holman andBillie Holiday include it. The main part of the tune consists of a repeated eight-bar melody, followed by an eight-bar bridge and a final eight-bar return to the melody. The 32-barAABA form is typical of popular songs of the time.[3] The "A" section uses conventional chord progressions includingii–V–I turnarounds in the home key of D flat, however the bridge is highly unusual in itstonal center shifts. It has been described as "a bridge like no other".[4] "Body and Soul" is considered a challenging piece to solo over; however, the unusual nature of the chords provides a "large degree of improvisational freedom".[1]
| "Body and Soul" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byColeman Hawkins | |
| Recorded | October 11, 1939 |
| Studio | RCA Studios,New York, NY |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Length | 3:00 |
| Label | Bluebird |
| Songwriters | |
One of the most famous and influential takes was recorded byColeman Hawkins and His Orchestra on October 11, 1939, at their only recording session forBluebird, a subsidiary ofRCA Victor. The recording is unusual in that the song'smelody is only hinted at in the recording; Hawkins' two-choruses ofimprovisation over the tune'schord progression constitute almost the entire take.[5] Jazz critic Leonard Feather says, "This became his biggest hit and established him as a national name."[6] Because of this, as well as the imaginative use of harmony and break from traditionalswing cliches, the recording is recognised as part of the "early tremors ofbebop".[7] In 2004, theLibrary of Congress entered it into theNational Recording Registry.[8][9]
On November 9, 1947,Frank Sinatra recorded "Body and Soul" with jazz trumpet playerBobby Hackett and a large orchestra arranged and conducted by Alex Stordahl forColumbia Records. This recording was held back until June 1949, when it was one of the eight recordings on Sinatra's fourth Columbia album,Frankly Sentimental. Since then, two alternate takes have been released by Columbia. Two takes begin with Hackett's trumpet, one, the longest, begins with the orchestra, then Hackett's trumpet. The takes can also be distinguished by their running times. The first take is 3:15. The second, released on the LP "Reflections" in 1960, runs 3:20. And the third, released in 1967 on the album "The Essential Frank Sinatra", runs 3:23.[10]
Sinatra expert Charles Granada explains the significance of this recording in his note on the first CD release of the third released take (listed here as 3:24):
In addition to ["Body and Soul's"] revered status as a pop and jazz standard, Sinatra's superb interpretation (along with that of the lateBillie Holiday) could be considered the ultimate vocal rendition. A crossroad of sorts, this performance finds Sinatra beginning to inject some of the pain of his personal life into the music; the singer delving deep within his soul, struggling to extract every nuance of emotion possible, to bring the complex lyric and melodic subtleties intended by the songwriters sharply into focus. As well, his tonal quality reflects much of the aching, melancholic mood that would fully emerge (and become so poignant) just a short time later, in the late Columbia period.[11]
| "Body and Soul" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byTony Bennett andAmy Winehouse | ||||
| from the albumDuets IIandLioness: Hidden Treasures | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | March 23, 2011 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
| Tony Bennett singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Amy Winehouse singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Body and Soul" was recorded as a duet byTony Bennett andAmy Winehouse on March 23, 2011.[12] It was the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011, at the age of 27. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011, what would have been her 28th birthday, oniTunes,MTV andVH1.
When the song reached number 87 on theBillboard Hot 100 for the week of October 1, 2011, it made Bennett, at age 85, the oldest living artist to chart on the Hot 100. It also gave Bennett the longest overall span of appearances on the Hot 100; his version of "Young and Warm and Wonderful" appeared on the very first Hot 100 chart, for the week of August 4, 1958.[13] The song received aGrammy Award at the54th Grammy Awards in theBest Pop Duo/Group Performance category on February 12, 2012. Proceeds from "Body and Soul" go to benefitThe Amy Winehouse Foundation, an organisation created to raise awareness and support for young adults struggling with addiction.[14]
