#37 'Autumn Leaves' by Jo Stafford (1950)

SONG
*Another one you'll have to 'Watch on YouTube'*

"First impression is that it's a bit moany and dull. I like the musical arrangement but the singing is a bit boring, if I'm being honest (which I, usually always, am). It's pleasant enough but I think I could have died quite happily having not heard it." - LC

Written by: Joseph Kosma, Jaques Prevert and Johnny Mercer.

Producer: Uncredited.

Label: Capitol.

FACTS

• Jo Stafford found fame singing with The Pied Pipers and became a favourite of U.S. troops in World War II, which earned her the nickname 'G.I. Jo'.
• Although Autumn Leaves is now a jazz classic, it began life as a French tune written in 1946.
• Johnny Mercer brought the song to America with new English lyrics that he had written to Joseph Kosma's melody.
• Stafford is viewed as the pioneer of musical parody and won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1961.
• She was the first woman to reach number 1 in the UK singles chart.
• She retired in 1966, whilst only in her forties, exclaiming that she was hanging up her mic "for the same reason that Lana Turner doesn't pose in a bathing suit any more."

Recommended songs by this artist...

"A" You're Adorable (1949)
How Sweet You Are (1944)
It's Almost Tomorrow (1956)
Jambalaya (1952)
That's for Me (1945)
There's No You (1945)
Whispering Hope (1962)
You Belong to Me (1952)