Imagination (1940 song)
Encyclopedia
"Imagination" is a popular
song
with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke
. The song was first published in 1940
. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller
and Tommy Dorsey
in 1940.
The recording by Glenn Miller was released by Bluebird Records
as catalog number
10622. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 20, 1940 and lasted 3 weeks on the chart, peaking at #3.
The recording by Tommy Dorsey was released by Victor Records as catalog number 26581. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart at #8 on July 20, 1940, its only week on the chart.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA on January 2, 1958.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke
Johnny Burke (lyricist)
Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
. The song was first published in 1940
1940 in music
-Events:*July 20 - Billboard magazine publishes its first "Music Popularity Chart".*May 27 - Quartetto Egie make their debut performance.*August - Edmundo Ros forms his own rumba band.*November 23 - Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Quintet is premièred....
. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
in 1940.
The recording by Glenn Miller was released by Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records
Bluebird Records is a sub-label of RCA Victor Records originally created in 1932 to counter the American Record Company in the "3 records for a dollar" market. Along with ARC's Perfect Records, Melotone Records and Romeo Records, and the independent US Decca label, Bluebird became one of the best...
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
10622. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 20, 1940 and lasted 3 weeks on the chart, peaking at #3.
The recording by Tommy Dorsey was released by Victor Records as catalog number 26581. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart at #8 on July 20, 1940, its only week on the chart.
Recorded versions
The song has been recorded by, among others:- Steve AllenSteve AllenSteve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
(released by Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number 39589) - Georgie AuldGeorgie AuldGeorgie Auld was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader.Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto...
and his orchestra (recorded February 1940, released by Varsity Records as catalog number 8199) - Chet BakerChet BakerChesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
- Shirley BasseyShirley BasseyDame Shirley Bassey, DBE , is a Welsh singer. She found fame in the late 1950s and was "one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century"...
- Chick BullockChick BullockChick Bullock was a popular American jazz and dance band vocalist, most active in the 1930s. He recorded some 500 tunes over the course of his career. Bullock was mostly associated with the ARC group of labels...
and his orchestra (recorded February 21, 1940, released by Vocalion RecordsVocalion RecordsVocalion Records is a record label active for many years in the United States and in the United Kingdom.-History:Vocalion was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Piano Company of New York City, which introduced a retail line of phonographs at the same time. The name was derived from one of their...
as catalog number 5434) - June ChristyJune ChristyJune Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
- Fair and Warmer!Fair and Warmer!Fair and Warmer! is a 1957 studio album by singer June Christy. The songs were all arranged by Pete Rugolo, and players on the record include the well-known jazz musicians Don Fagerquist on trumpet, trombonist Frank Rosolino, altoist Bud Shank, and tenor saxophonist Bob Cooper ; none of the notable...
(1957)
- Billy EckstineBilly EckstineWilliam Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
vith Pete RugoloPete RugoloPietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...
arr, cond) and his All Stars, including Pete Candoli (tp), Don Fagerquist (tp), Bud Shank (as, fl), Gerald Wiggins (p), Red Callender (b), Larry Bunker (ds).
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA on January 2, 1958.
- Petula ClarkPetula ClarkPetula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
(recorded 19631963 in music-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
, released by Pye RecordsPye RecordsPye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
as catalog number 7N15517) - Rosemary ClooneyRosemary ClooneyRosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
- LoveLove (Rosemary Clooney album)Love is a 1963 studio album by Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Nelson Riddle.Clooney and Riddle were having an affair at the time of the recording, and this was the second album that Riddle had arranged for Clooney. They recorded Rosie Solves the Swingin' Riddle! in 1960 for RCA Victor Records, and...
(1963) - Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr.Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
on 20 - Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and John Scott Trotter's orchestra (recorded December 24, 1947, released by Decca RecordsDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
as catalog number 24696) - Doris DayDoris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
(recorded November, 19471947 in music-Events:*August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.*October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army...
, released by Columbia Records as catalog number 38423, also as catalog number 38698) - Al Donahue and his orchestra (recorded March 18, 1940, released by Vocalion Records as catalog number 5434, also by Conqueror RecordsConqueror RecordsConqueror Records was a United States-based record label, active from about 1926 through 1942. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company.The record sleeves state that the proper playing speed for Conqueror Records is 80 rpm....
as catalog number 9453) - Jimmy DorseyJimmy DorseyJames "Jimmy" Dorsey was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD"...
- Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
(recorded February 15, 1940, released by Decca Records as catalog number 3078B) and recorded live in 1961 at the Crescendo Club in Los Angeles (released in 2009 in the album Twelve Nights In HollywoodTwelve Nights in HollywoodTwelve Nights In Hollywood is a 2009 live album by the American jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, recorded at the Crescendo Club in Hollywood, Los Angeles over ten nights in in May 1961, and a subsequent pair of performances in June 1962....
). - The FleetwoodsThe FleetwoodsThe Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for eleven hit songs, beginning with "Come Softly to Me"...
- Miki HowardMiki HowardAlicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
- Come Share My LoveCome Share My LoveCome Share My Love is the debut album by American R&B singer, Miki Howard. Released in 1986 under Atlantic Records, the album peaked at #171 on the Billboard 200 and #19 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart...
(1986) - Lionel HamptonLionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
- Dick HaymesDick HaymesRichard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
- The Complete Capitol Collection (2006) - Dean MartinDean MartinDean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
(released October 1960 on his album This Time I'm Swingin'!This Time I'm Swingin'!This Time I'm Swingin'! is an album recorded by Dean Martin for Capitol Records. The sessions yielding this album's songs were recorded in May 1960. While thirteen tracks were recorded during the three sessions, only twelve of them made it onto the album when it was released October 3, 1960...
) - Art PepperArt PepperArt Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
on his 1957 album Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm SectionArt Pepper Meets the Rhythm SectionArt Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section is a 1957 jazz album by saxophonist Art Pepper playing with Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, who at the time were the rhythm section for Miles Davis's quintet.... - Andy RussellAndy Russell (singer)Andy Russell was an American popular vocalist, specializing in traditional pop and Latin music.He was born Andrés Rabago Pérez in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles. He was one of ten children born to parents who were Mexican immigrants of Spanish descent...
(released by Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
as catalog number 20034) - Jan SavittJan SavittJan Savitt was an American bandleader, musical arranger, and violinist....
and his orchestra (recorded January 24, 1940, released by Decca Records as catalog number 2990B) - Little Jimmy Scott (released by Savoy RecordsSavoy RecordsSavoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
as catalog number 1174) - Dinah ShoreDinah ShoreDinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
(recorded February 21, 1940, released by Bluebird Records as catalog number 10668) - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- Kate SmithKate SmithKathryn Elizabeth "Kate" Smith was an American Popular singer, best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America". Smith had a radio, television, and recording career spanning five decades, which reached its pinnacle in the 1940s.Smith was born in Greenville, Virginia...
(recorded May 1, 1940, released by Columbia Records as catalog number 35486) - Keely SmithKeely SmithKeely Smith is an American jazz and popular music singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
- The Keely Smith Collection (HMV Jazz Series, 1999) - Jeri SouthernJeri SouthernGenevieve Lillian Hering, known by her stage name Jeri Southern, was an American jazz pianist and singer.-Biography:...
- Bygone Days (2009) - Jess StacyJess StacyJess Stacy was an American jazz pianist who gained prominence during the Swing era.-Early life:Stacy was born Jesse Alexandria Stacy in Bird's Point, Missouri, a small town across the Mississippi River from Cairo, Illinois. In 1918 Stacy moved to Cape Girardeau, Missouri...
(released by Capitol Records as catalog number 1136) - Jo StaffordJo StaffordJo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
on her album Jo + JazzJo + JazzJo + Jazz is a 1960 album recorded by Jo Stafford on Columbia Records. The album was also re-released in 1993 by Corinthian Records.For this album, Stafford is backed by a line-up of noted jazz musicians including Conte Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Russ Freeman, Johnny Hodges, Mel Lewis, Ray Nance,...
(1960) - Sonny StittSonny StittEdward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
- Ted Straeter and his orchestra (recorded February 21, 1940, released by Columbia Records as catalog number 35402)
- Fred WaringFred WaringFredrick Malcolm Waring was a popular musician, bandleader and radio-television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing." He was also a promoter, financial backer and namesake of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric...
and his orchestra (recorded June 28, 1944, released by Decca Records as catalog number 29219) - Fran WarrenFran WarrenFrances Wolfe , known by her stage name, Fran Warren, is an American popular singer.She was born as to a Jewish family in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City...
on her album Hey There! Here's Fran Warren released in 1957 By PickwickPickwickPickwick may refer to:*The Pickwick Papers, a novel by Charles Dickens, or its main character, Mr Pickwick**The Pickwick Papers , a british 1952-film**The Pickwick Papers .... - Joe WilliamsJoe Williams (jazz singer)Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
- Florence Wright (recorded February 11, 1950, released by National RecordsNational RecordsNational Records was a record label that was started in New York by Albert Green in 1945 and lasted till early 1951.Big Joe Turner was signed at the outset and remained until 1947. Billy Eckstine was also a big seller for the label as were The Ravens...
as catalog number 9105) - Victor YoungVictor YoungVictor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. He was born in Chicago.-Biography:...
and orchestra (released by Decca Records as catalog number 28570) - The Quotations recorded a doo-wop version in 1961 on Verve Records(VK10245)