The Showtunes Sing-Off - Irving Berlin - "Always" - Part 1 of 2

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Shaughnessy

Irving Berlin | American composer | Britannica

Irving Berlin - "Always"

""Always" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1925, as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin Mackay whom he married in 1926, and to whom he presented the substantial royalties.

Although legend (and Groucho Marx) claims Berlin wrote the song "Always" for The Cocoanuts he never meant for the song to be included in that musical, and it was not. Thematically, it serves as a sequel to Berlin's earlier song "When I Lost You" which pertained to the death of his first wife Dorothy.

The song entered into the public domain on January 1, 2021."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Always_(Irving_Berlin_song)

"Always"

Everything went wrong,
And the whole day long
I'd feel so blue.
For the longest while
I'd forget to smile,
Then I met you.
Now that my blue days have passed,
Now that I've found you at last -

I'll be loving you Always
With a love that's true Always.
When the things you've planned
Need a helping hand,
I will understand Always.

Always.

Days may not be fair Always,
That's when I'll be there Always.
Not for just an hour,
Not for just a day,
Not for just a year,
But Always.

Note: This is a two-part contest

Part One - Tony Bennett - Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughn - Marvin Gaye - Billie Holiday - Frank Sinatra (1947)

Part Two - Bobby Darin - Ella Fitzgerald - Mandy Patinkin - Frank Sinatra (1961) - Kiri Te Kanawa

Tony Bennett

Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughn

Marvin Gaye

Billie Holiday

Frank Sinatra - (1947)

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MAS

· #7 · 4 mo ago (Edited)

Tony Bennett’s arrangement is too “jazzy” for me;
Sinatra’s fiddle distracts and it’s too slow overall.
Billy Eckstein and Sarah’s Vaughn have gorgeous voices, but I’d like them to have sung the song solo; the tempo and arrangements, though, are right for me.
Marvyn Gaye (is he?) is too noisy for the lyrics, IMO.
Surprisingly, Lady Day lays a egg. Too noisy.

I don’t like any of them, but if I have to vote, Eckstein and Vaughn!