The Way You Look Tonight

Album: Swing Time (1936)
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Songfacts®:

  • This standard was written for the 1936 film Swing Time starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire sings it to Rogers in the film during a scene where he's at a piano and she's in another room washing her hair.
  • The music was written by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Kern was a very successful composer for films who also wrote "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "Ol' Man River." Fields was one of the first prolific female composers on Tin Pan Alley, and also collaborated with Kern to write the music for the movie Roberta.
  • This won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
  • The Letterman scored a hit with their 1961 version of the song, which went to #13 in the US and #36 in the UK. Other famous versions were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Rod Stewart, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Donovan Berry - El Dorado, AR
  • Frank Sinatra recorded this for the 1964 album Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners. He revisited it in 1988 when he appeared in a TV commercial for Michelob's "The Night Belongs to Michelob" campaign.
  • Tony Bennett's version was used on the 2000 Friends episode "The One With Unagi." When Chandler forgets to buy Monica a Valentine's Day gift, he gives her a mixtape his ex-girlfriend made for him, which includes the song. (Fun fact: when Friends star Jennifer Aniston married Brad Pitt that year, their first dance was to the Sinatra version of "The Way You Look Tonight.")

    It was also featured in these TV series:

    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ("Let's Face The Music And Dance" - 2018), performed by the cast
    Agent Carter ("Valediction" - 2015), by Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee
    The Simpsons ("Dangers On A Train" - 2013), by Seth MacFarlane
    Glee ("Makeover" - 2012), by Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Colfer, and Lea Michele
    Parks and Recreation ("Galentine's Day" - 2010), by Chris Pratt
    The King Of Queens ("Sold-y Locks" - 2006), by guest star Robert Goulet
    Six Feet Under ("The Liar And The Whore" - 2002), by the French group Air
    Gilmore Girls "Presenting Lorelai Gilmore" - 2001), by Frank Sinatra
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ("What You Leave Behind" - 1999), by James Darren

    And in these movies:

    Valentine's Day (2010), by Maroon 5
    New York, I Love You (2008), by The Michael Rose Orchestra
    What A Girl Wants (2003), by Oliver James
    Catch Me If You Can (2002), by The Lettermen
    My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), by Dermot Mulroney
    Father Of The Bride (1999), by Steve Tyrell
    Hannah And Her Sisters (1986), by Carrie Fisher

Comments: 2

  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 18, 1961, the Lettermen performed "The Way You Look Tonight" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV weekday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time the song was at #44 on Bllboard's Top 100 chart, five weeks later it would peak at #13 {for 1 week} and it also spent 13 weeks on the Top 100...
    As noted above, in 1936 the song won the Academy Award for 'Best Original Song', it was featured in the movie 'Swing Time'...
    And on October 24th, 1936 Fred Astaire's original version of the song peaked at #1 {for 6 weeks} on the Your Hit Parade Singles chart...
    Between 1961 and 1971 the Lettermen had twenty records on the Top 100 chart; their two biggest hits both peaked at #7, "When I Fall In Love" for 1 week in 1962 and "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" for 2 weeks in 1968...
    According wikipedia.com, since 1961 there have been sixteen different members of The Lettermen...
  • Jasmine from Allentown, Pai actually heard a garage band do a cover of it they turned it into a matal ballod it was so amazing but i think the frankk sinatra version is my absoulute favorite it is amazing
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