The song up for today is It Had To Be You. I learned a lot about this song when I decided to bring it forth (thank you Wikipedia). It was originally written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. That year nine different people recorded it. The song was sung in the following films: Melody In May (1936), The Roaring Twenties (1939), Casablanca (1942), Incendiary Blonde (1945), I'll See You In My Dreams (1951), Annie Hall (1977), and A League of Their Own (1992). Harry Connick, Jr. recorded it for the film When Harry Met Sally (1989). However, it has been recorded by dozens of people including, but not limited to, Doris Day, Ray Charles, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Don McLean, Kenny G, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holliday, and, most recently, Michael Buble.
In other words, there is not a shortage of choice for this song. I asked my mother who she remembered FIRST singing it and she said "Frank Sinatra." I predicted that, but wasn't certain. I suspect that the Sinatra version is what most of you are accustomed to hearing, even though it wasn't the first or last recording. So, I am not putting it in the battle. Let's listen instead to two very different recordings of this song. You will note that one of them begins completely differently than the other. For the record, I found several recordings that include this introduction.
First up for your consideration... Tony Bennett:
Next up for your consideration... Harry Connick, Jr.:
Cast your vote below in the comments along with all of the reasons why you chose who you did. Due to a guest post appearing on the 22nd of this month, I will post the winner here on the 20th (one day early). So, you have until Oct. 20 to get those votes in!!!
