"By Myself" is a song by composer Arthur Schwartz and lyricist Howard Dietz. The song's lyrics communicate both the sadness of being alone and a satisfaction found in self-reliance and achievement. The song employs an unusual musical form for a popular song: following the incomplete repetition form AABC. It also vacillates between the keys of g minor and F major making for a more harmonically complex tune.
Considered a jazz standard, "By Myself" was originally created for the 1937 Broadway musical Between the Devil. Jack Buchanan introduced the ballad in this musical and it remained a relatively unknown song until it was performed by Fred Astaire in the 1953 musical comedy film The Band Wagon. Astaire's performance catapulted the song from obscurity to popularity; debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard chart on August 29, 1953. It was later sung by Judy Garland in the 1963 film I Could Go On Singing, and by Vivian Reed in the 1972 Broadway revue That's Entertainment.
Notable recordings
Mabel Mercer – Songs by Mabel Mercer, Vol. 2 (1953) Barbara Carroll Trio – Lullabies in Rhythm (1954) Lee Wiley and Ellis Larkins – Duologue: Lee Wiley Sings Rogers & Hart; Ellis Larkins Plays Piano Solos (1954) Art Farmer – Farmer's Market (1956) Patty McGovern – Wednesday's Child (1956), arranged by Thomas Talbert Helen Merrill – Dream of You (1956), arranged by Gil Evans Sammy Davis Jr. – Sammy Swings (1957) Judy Garland – Alone (1957), arranged by Gordon Jenkins; I Could Go On Singing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1963) Gogi Grant – Granted It's Gogi (1957), arranged by Johnny Mandel Jerry Lewis – Jerry Lewis Just Sings (1957), arranged by Buddy Bregman Johnny Mathis – Warm (1957), arranged by Percy Faith Ruth Price – The Party's Over (1957) Freddie Redd – San Francisco Suite (1957) Mal Waldron – Mal/3: Sounds (1958) Tony Bennett – Hometown, My Town (1959), arranged by Ralph Burns; Steppin' Out (1993) Carmen McRae – Book of Ballads (1959), arranged by Frank Hunter Teresa Brewer – Ridin' High (1960), arranged by Jerry Fielding Shirley Scott – Hip Soul (1961) Fred Astaire – Three Evenings with Fred Astaire (1962), arranged by David Rose Shelley Manne and Jack Marshall – Sounds Unheard Of (1962) Lena Horne – Lena Like Latin (1963), arranged by Shorty Rogers Doc Severinsen – Torch Songs for Trumpet (1963) Jack Jones – Where Love Has Gone (1964) Julie London – In Person at the Americana (1964), arranged by Don Bagley Esther Ofarim - Is it really me? (1965), arranged and produced by Bobby Scott Don Shirley – Water Boy (1965) Ann-Margret - Songs from The Swinger (And Other Swingin' Songs) (1966) Cher – Bittersweet White Light (1973) Dave McKenna – By Myself (1976), "Dancing in the Dark" and Other Music of Arthur Schwartz (1986), and Fresh Air in Concert (1990) Shirley Horn – A Lazy Afternoon (1978) Roger Kellaway – Say That Again (1978) James Williams – Flying Colors (1978) Cal Collins – By Myself (1980) Johnny Hartman – Once in Every Life (1981) Maxine Sullivan – Maxine Sullivan With the Ike Isaacs Quintet (1981); On Tour With the Allegheny Jazz Quartet: Starring Maxine Sullivan (1984); Uptown (1985, with the Scott Hamilton Quintet) Buddy De Franco and Oscar Peterson – Hark: Buddy De Franco Meets the Oscar Peterson Quartet (1985), with Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass – Easy Living (1986) Barney Kessel – Red, Hot and Blues (1988) Junior Cook – On a Misty Night (1990) Trudy Desmond – Tailor Made (1992), arranged by Roger Kellaway Stephanie Nakasian – Bitter Sweet (1992) Lou Levy – By Myself (1995)
See also List of jazz standards
References