Sunday with Duke #23: A Song from the Heart

Moving into 1938 with Duke Ellington, we land on another of his classic compositions that became a standard in the Great American Songbook: I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.

Duke's First Word

Ellington first recorded the tune as an instrumental on March 3, 1938 for Brunswick, and it quickly became a major hit - one of those three‑minute gems where the band’s personality shines through every bar.

Let’s spin it:

That’s just a tremendous record. The interplay between Johnny Hodges on alto sax and Harry Carney on baritone is pure Ellington magic - two voices that know exactly how to lean into and away from each other. Lawrence Brown (trombone) and Barney Bigard (clarinet) also turn in beautifully shaped solos.

The song was written for The 4th Cotton Club Parade, and lyrics by Henry Nemo followed almost immediately.

Johnny Floats It In

Later that same month - March 28, 1938 - Duke participated in a vocal recording of the tune with a Johnny Hodges–fronted small group featuring vocalist Mary McHugh, issued on Vocalion.

Let’s hear that one:

This little unit is a delight: Otto Hardwick and Harry Carney join Johnny in the sax section, with Lawrence Brown and Cootie Williams rounding out the brass. The rhythm section is classic Ellington - Duke on piano, Fred Guy on guitar, Billy Taylor on bass, and Sonny Greer on drums.

I don’t know much about Mary McHugh beyond her handful of appearances with the Hodges small groups, but I like her! She brings a light, unaffected charm to the lyric.

And as for Johnny himself - these 1938 sides show him at his most effortless. There’s something about his playing that just floats: ethereal, singing, and yet delivered with that famously dour, deadpan expression. Truly one of a kind!

Joya "Crushes" It

As with many of Duke’s popular songs, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart became a staple of his repertoire, though he didn’t revisit it often in the studio - perhaps because it leans more toward the pop side of his songbook than the jazz side.

He did return to it in 1945, when he recorded new versions of earlier hits for Victor. This one features a vocal by my retro‑crush Joya Sherrill:

It’s great to have this full band vocal version alongside the original instrumental - a reminder of how adaptable the tune is.

Rosie in Full Bloom

Jumping ahead to 1956, Duke recorded a backing track for Rosemary Clooney, who overdubbed her vocal for the Blue Rose album on Columbia.

We previously heard Rosie’s take on Sophisticated Lady from the same album, and this one has that same mix of poise and warmth.

Taking it to the Pops

And speaking of Sophisticated Lady, we also heard Duke revisit it on his 1966 RCA album The Duke at Tanglewood with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. That album includes a lovely instrumental version of I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, so let’s spin that too:

A graceful, late‑career reading - polished, affectionate, and unmistakably Duke!

So there you have it: a handful of wonderful versions of the song Duke let out of his heart.