NIGHT AND DAY
Music and lyrics: Cole Porter
Year: 1932
Origin of the song
On 29 November 1932 Gay Divorce was released in the Ethel Baltimore Theater of New York. This musical, which reached two hundred forty seven performances, meant Fred Astaire’s first performance without his sister Adele and it was his last appearance in Broadway. That night, his partner was Claire Luce and both sang for the first time ‘Night and Day’ in the play’s first act, although many people think that the presentation of the theme was actually in the film The Gay Divorcee. The film, while it keeps a big part of the original plot, doesn’t preserve any of the songs Porter’s musical, but ‘Night and Day’, which Fred Astaire sings and dances with Ginger Rogers.
Some people say that the idea of using a persistent note at the beginning of the song came up to Porter during a visit to Morocco, when he heard some firm footsteps coming. Other upheld another version. When in a rainy night the compositor went to visit some friends in Newport, the host exclaim in relation with a broken pipe: ‘This drip-drip-drip is driving me crazy!’. Porter ran to the piano to shape the song. And in the lyrics, he also refers to this origin ‘Like the drip drip drip of the rain drops…’
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1932.11.22 |
1932.12.17 |
18 |
1 (ten weeks) |
Fred Astaire (voc), Leo Reisman Orchestra |
|
|
1932.12.07 |
1933.01.01 |
8 |
2 (three weeks) |
Lee Sherwood (voc) |
|
|
Charlie Barnet Orchestra |
1940.09.17 |
1940.11.23 |
1 |
24 |
Instrumental |
|
Frank Sinatra |
1942.01.19 |
1942.03.28 |
2 |
16 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Axel Stordahl Orchestra |
|
Frank Sinatra |
1942.01.19 |
1944.09.02 |
3 |
15 |
New entrance in the top charts |
|
Bing Crosby |
1944.02.11 |
1946.09.21 |
3 |
21 |
Bing Crosby (voc), John Scott Trotter Orchestra |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
Artie Shaw New Music |
1937.04.28 |
Artie Shaw (cl, dir), John Best, Malcolm Crain, Tom DiCarlo (tp), George Arus, Harry Rodgers (tb), Les Robinson, Art Masters (as), Tony Pastor, Fred Petry (ts), Les Burness (p), Al Avola (g), Ben Ginsberg (b), Cliff Leeman (d) |
|
1938.01.31 |
Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Django Reinhardt (g), Roger Chaput, Eugène Vées (g), Louis Vola (b) |
|
|
1939.08.16 |
Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, Corky Cornelius (tp), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Bruce Squires (tb), Toots Mondello, Buff Estes (as), Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome (ts), Fletcher Henderson (p), Arnold Covey (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Nick Fatool (d) |
|
|
1944.02.17 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Israel Crosby (b), Cozy Cole (d) |
|
|
1944.08.10 |
Mary Lou Williams (p), Bill Coleman (tp), Al Hall (b) |
|
|
1944.12.04 |
Edmond Hall (cl), Irving Randolph (tp), Henderson C. Chambers (tb), Ellis Larkins (p), Johnny Williams (b), Arthur Trappier (d) |
|
|
1950.05.03 |
Red Norvo (vib), Tal Farlow (g), Charles Mingus (b) |
|
|
1950.06.06 |
Zoot Sims (ts), Gerald Wiggins (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d) |
|
|
1952.12.01 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b) |
|
|
1953.12.28 |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1954.07.27 |
Erroll Garner (p), Cándido Camero (cng), Wyatt Ruther (b), Eugene Heard (d) |
|
|
1955.03.29 |
Art Tatum (p), Roy Eldridge (tp), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1956.09.11 |
Art Tatum (p), Ben Webster (ts), Red Callender (b), Bill Douglass (d) |
|
|
1958.12.15 |
Bill Evans (p), Sam Jones (b), Philly Joe Jones (d) |
|
|
1964.05.06 |
Stan Getz (ts), Bill Evans (p), Ron Carter (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
1964.11.30 |
Joe Henderson (ts), McCoy Tyner (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
1973.08.28 |
Joe Pass (g) |
|
|
Stéphane Grappelli |
1995.10.09 |
Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Bucky Pizzarelli (g), Jon Burr (b) |
|
Kenny Garrett Trio |
1995.??.?? |
Kenny Garrett (as), Charnett Moffett (b), Brian Blade (d) |
|
Adam Makowicz |
1997.??.?? |
Adam Makowicz (p) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra |
1937.07.20 |
Tommy Dorsey (tb, dir), George Erwin, Joe Bauer, Andy Ferretti (tp), Les Jenkins, Walter Mercurio (tb), Johnny Mince (cl), Fred Stulce (as), Skeets Herfurt (as, cl), Bud Freeman (ts), Howard Smith (p), Carmen Mastren (g), Gene Traxler (b), Dave Tough (d), Jack Leonard (voc) |
|
Maxine Sullivan |
1938.12.10 |
Maxine Sullivan (voc), Bobby Hackett (cnt), Slats Long, Chester Hazlett (cl, as), Bud Freeman (ts), Milt Rettenberg (p), Ken Binford (g), Ed Brader (b), Edward P. Rubsam (d) |
|
1939.12.13 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Buck Clayton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Lester Young (ts), Earle Warren (as), Jack Washington (as, bars), Joe Sullivan (p), Freddy Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d) |
|
|
1956.11.26 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
1959.04.09 |
Anita O'Day (voc), Billy May Orchestra |
On cinemas
The song 'Night And Day' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
The Gay Divorcee |
La alegre divorciada |
1934 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Sweethearts |
Enamorados |
1938 |
Background music |
|
Now Voyager |
La extraña pasajera |
1942 |
|
|
Action In The North Atlantic |
Acción en el Atlántico Norte |
1943 |
Julie Bishop (dubbed by Martha Mears) |
|
Destination Tokyo |
Destino: Tokio |
1943 |
Background music |
|
Reveille With Beverly |
La canción del amanecer |
1943 |
Frank Sinatra |
|
Lady On A Train |
La dama del tren |
1945 |
|
|
Night And Day |
Noche y día |
1946 |
Bill Days; a chorus |
|
Desk Set |
Su otra esposa |
1957 |
Katherine Hepburn |
|
Julia |
Julia |
1977 |
A band |
|
Evil Under The Sun |
Muerte bajo el sol |
1982 |
|
|
Once Upon A Time In America |
Érase una vez en America |
1984 |
|
|
After Hours |
¡Jo, qué noche! |
1985 |
|
|
That’s Dancing! |
¡Esto sí es bailar! |
1985 |
Secuence of 'The Gay Divorcee' |
|
Radio Days |
Días de radio |
1987 |
|
|
September |
Septiembre |
1987 |
Art Tatum- Ben Webster Quartet |
|
Rocketeer |
Rocketeer |
1991 |
|
|
Jumanji |
Jumanji |
1995 |
|
|
Un divan á New York |
Romance en Nueva York |
1996 |
Sonia Wieder-Atherton and Bruno Fontaine |
|
Jane Austen´s Mafia! |
Mafia, estafa como puedas |
1998 |
Rick Riso |
|
What Women Want |
¿En qué piensan las mujeres? |
2000 |
The Temptations |
|
De-Lovely |
De-Lovely |
2004 |
John Barrowman and Kevin Kline |
|
The Good Shepherd |
El buen pastor |
2006 |
|
|
It’s Complicated |
No es tan fácil |
2009 |
Oscar Peterson |
|
Fantastic Mr. Fox |
Fantástico Sr. Fox |
2009 |
Art Tatum |
|
Phoenix |
Phoenix |
2014 |
|
|
The Monuments Men |
Monuments Men |
2014 |
Patrick Péronne |
|
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice |
Batman v Superman: El amanecer de la justicia |
2016 |
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine |