Word Association Wednesday: Telling Something

For today’s WAW spin‑off from Something to Live For, the logical landing point — at least for me — is the 1938 Johnny Mercer–Harry Warren tune Something Tells Me.

It had a surprisingly busy little year, popping up across labels, bands, and even an animated operating room.

Fats Starts the Conversation

The first version out of the gate was Fats Waller’s Victor recording:

Fats gives it that patented sly, side‑eye delivery — but he’s not mocking the song. He’s just letting it wink.

Bluebird Brightness: Jan Savitt & Bon Bon

Recorded just after Fats but released a bit earlier was the Bluebird entry by Jan Savitt and his Top Hatters, featuring George “Bon Bon” Tunnell:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bon Bon was one of the best band vocalists of the era!

Kay’s “Sassy” Sully Session

Kay Kyser brought the tune to Brunswick with Sully Mason on the vocal:

Maybe it’s my imagination, but it always sounds like Kay introduces him as “Sassy” Sully Mason.” Sully is a prime example of one of my favorite side characters — the sax‑section guy with a fun nickname who steps up to the mic for a novelty vocal!

Sweet Bands and Bell Music

Even more gimmicky than Kyser’s late‑’30s outfit were Bert Block and his Bell Music, who cut the tune for Vocalion with Bill Johnson singing:

These late‑1930s sweet bands have a charm all their own — a kind of earnest, slightly sugary optimism.

Decca Doubles: Will Osborne & Louis Armstrong

Decca issued two versions. First up: Will Osborne with canary Janice Todd:

Those wonderfully slurpy trombones are pure period flavor too!

And then, the heavy hitter: Louis Armstrong:

Satch gives the song a little grit and credibility after all that sweetness while still keeping it fun.

Across the Pond: Silvester Steps In

For one more spin, let's hop over to England for Victor Silvester and his Ballroom Orchestra:

Silvester made mountains of dance‑oriented records, and you can practically see a couple quick‑stepping across a parquet floor to this one.

A 1938 Time Capsule

The song didn’t travel far beyond its debut year, but it remains a delightful artifact — a snapshot of how a mid‑tier pop tune could ripple across labels, bands, and styles in the late ’30s.

Warehouse Whispers

You’d think a Johnny Mercer–Harry Warren song published by Warner Bros. would’ve come from a movie. Something tells me it was probably part of a stack of tunes written by the pair — some destined for films, some left to float around the publishing department.

But all was not lost: The tune did find a second life in several Warner Bros. cartoons, most notably 1938’s The Daffy Doc:

Recognizing popular songs in Carl Stalling’s scores for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies never stops being a thrill — like catching a familiar face in a crowd of animated chaos!

Word Association Wednesday: Sweet Voices

For today’s Word Association Wednesday spinning off from I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, the last two words nudged me toward “My Heart…” — which, in my universe, leads straight to My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice, the famous aria from Camille Saint‑Saëns’s Samson and Delilah.

Clinton’s Classical Conjuring

And more specifically, it leads to Larry Clinton’s adaptation, recorded for Victor in 1938 with the ever‑radiant Bea Wain:

Larry had a real knack for turning classical themes into swing‑era charmers, and hearing my favorite canary float over that arrangement never gets old.

Savitt’s Showcase

From there, the melody takes a stylish detour to Jan Savitt, who recorded an instrumental version for Decca in 1940:

A beautifully tailored arrangement by Billy Moore, and what a terrific trombone solo from Al Leopold — warm, confident, and right in the pocket.

D’Artega’s Delicate Detour

Jumping ahead to 1947, we find a more classically oriented take by D’Artega and his Orchestra on the Sonora label:

The label helpfully notes that one‑time bandleader Will Bradley handles the wonderful trombone solo, with Charlie Margulis stepping forward on trumpet. A nice bit of personnel transparency you don’t always get on mid‑’40s releases on small labels.

Bostic’s Bold Breakout

To show just how versatile a great tune can be, here’s Earl Bostic’s 1954 recording for King:

Always a pleasure to hear Earl's alto — that unmistakable, laser‑bright tone cutting right through the arrangement.

Jackie’s Journey

When I first heard the Larry Clinton record back in the day, the melody felt familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Then it hit me: Night, the Jackie Wilson song! Sure enough, Night is based on the same Saint‑Saëns aria.

So let’s spin Jackie’s 1960 Brunswick record:

A deservedly huge hit. Jackie gets to show off his own sweet voice — soaring, operatic, and absolutely electrifying.

Conniff’s Choral Counterpoint Coda

We’ll close out with another track from 1960. This one is titled An Improvisation on My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice and it appears on Ray Conniff’s Columbia album Concert in Rhythm, Volume II:

I’ve always preferred the Conniff tracks where the male and female choruses provide wordless counterpoint rather than singing actual lyrics — those floating syllables give the arrangement a kind of shimmering, weightless lift.

And I do wonder how many people in 1960 dropped the needle on this LP and thought, “Hey, Ray Conniff is covering Jackie Wilson… but why is he using a different title?” A perfectly reasonable conclusion if your reference point was the Brunswick hit rather than Saint‑Saëns.

Aria’s Amazing Afterlife

A fascinating journey for a 19th‑century aria, winding its way through swing bands, classical pops, R&B sax showcases, easy listening improvisations and ultimately into the hands of one of the great voices of the 20th century.

Which treatment is your favorite?

"720 in the Books" (1939)

I recently said that I thought Jan Savitt was underrated and I stand by that, although I'm thinking he's not really rated at all these days!

In any event, let's listen to Jan's most famous number, "720 in the Books," recorded for Decca Records in 1939 with the great "Bon Bon" (George Tunnell) on the vocal:

I absolutely love that record! It's got the Savitt band shuffle rhythm going all the way through.

I think George Tunnell was a great vocalist, one of the best band singers!

I can't imagine it was easy for him to be basically the only Black band member touring with an otherwise White band, but he and Jan Savitt made it work and left some terrific records behind!

"Lovelight in the Starlight" (1938)

Here's a nice sheet music for the song "Lovelight in the Starlight" from the Paramount picture "Her Jungle Love" from 1938, featuring Dorothy Lamour (then-wife of bandleader Herbie Kay for our our purposes)!

Let's listen to a nice recording of the song by another underrated band, Jan Savitt and his Top Hatters on Bluebird Records:

Nice vocal by also underrated Carlotta Dale!