That's All

Album: That's All (1959)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by lyricist Alan Brandt and composer Bob Haymes in 1952, this romantic ballad was first recorded by Nat King Cole the following year, but its popularity exploded when Bobby Darin recorded an up-tempo version as the title track to his 1959 album. In the song, Darin can't give anything but a lifetime of devotion and he asks his lover to do the same. He sings:

    Say it's me that you'll adore
    For now and ever more,
    That's all, that's all
  • This quickly became a jazz and pop standard with covers by Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Mathis, Judy Garland, Connie Francis, and Edie Adams, among others. Rod Stewart also recorded it for his 2002 album, It Had To Be You: The Great American Songbook. The following year, Michael Buble covered it for his major-label debut, Michael Buble.
  • Bob Haymes, the song's composer, was the younger brother of actor/singer Dick Haymes. Bob was also an all-around entertainer, acting in movies and writing and performing songs. Aside from "That's All," he co-wrote the 1952 song "My Love, My Love," which was a hit for Joni James. In 1984, he released the album That's All: Bob Haymes Sings & Plays Bob Haymes. The song was also lyricist Alan Brandt's biggest hit. He went on to become a playwright with Off-Broadway production 2 1/2 Jews.
  • Edie Adams sang this on the final episode of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, which was a continuation of the sitcom I Love Lucy. On the 1960 episode ("Lucy Meets The Mustache"), Adams and her real-life husband, comedian Ernie Kovacs, move next door to the Ricardos, and chaos ensues. Adams was unaware that the series' stars, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, were having marital problems when she chose the love song for her appearance on the show. Things were tense on set, as the couple wasn't speaking to each other. When Adams started singing about everlasting love during rehearsal, she noticed everyone was crying. "I had just inadvertently picked maybe the most inappropriate song for that day," she recalled on the PBS documentary Finding Lucy. The day after filming the episode, Lucy filed for divorce.
  • Kevin Spacey sang this when he portrayed Bobby Darin in the 2004 biopic Beyond The Sea. It was also performed by Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer (1998) and Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982).
  • A version by Peggy Lee was used in the 1988 movie Monkey Shines. Michael Buble's rendition was featured on the TV series Everwood in the 2004 episode "Forget Me Not."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent

Ben Kowalewicz of Billy TalentSongwriter Interviews

The frontman for one of Canada's most well-known punk rock bands talks about his Eddie Vedder encounter, Billy Talent's new album, and the importance of rock and roll.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?