"The Lamp Is Low" is a popular

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...

 of the 1930s. The music was written by Peter de Rose and Bert Shefter

Bert Shefter

Bert Shefter was a Russian film composer who worked primarily in America.His first work in film was as musical director for the production One Too Many in 1950....

, adapted from Pavane pour une infante défunte

Pavane pour une infante défunte

Pavane pour une infante défunte is a well-known piece written for solo piano by the French composer Maurice Ravel in 1899 when he was studying composition at the Conservatoire de Paris under Gabriel Fauré. Ravel also published an orchestrated version of the Pavane in 1910...

, a piece by Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel

Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...

. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish

Mitchell Parish

Mitchell Parish was an American lyricist.-Early life:Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old...

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Mildred Bailey

Mildred Bailey

Mildred Bailey was a popular and influential American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing"...

 made the first notable recording of the "The Lamp is Low" in 1939. Covers by other musicians quickly followed, including ones by 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...

 and by the Harry James Orchestra with vocals by a very young Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis 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...

. The song was on the Hit Parade in 1939 for nine weeks and continues to be a favorite of jazz musicians, with recent recordings by Kate McGarry and Robin McKelle. In 1968, Ella Fitzgerald recorded this song on her Columbia album, "30 By Ella".

Some samples of the Laurindo Almeida

Laurindo Almeida

Laurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...

 version were used by Nujabes

Nujabes

was a Japanese hip hop producer and DJ who recorded under the name , the reverse spelling of his name in Japanese order. Nujabes was also owner of the Shibuya record stores, T Records and Guinness Records and founder of the independent label Hydeout Productions....

 to record Aruarian Dance in the 2004 Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure

Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure

Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure is a soundtrack album released on June 23, 2004 for the anime series Samurai Champloo, and is the second of four soundtrack albums released for the show. The album was produced by Japanese DJ/producer Nujabes and American MC/producer Fat Jon.-Track...

 album, one of the soundtrack albums from the anime Samurai Champloo

Samurai Champloo

is a Japanese anime series created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004 through March 19, 2005 on Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo has earned Watanabe a renowned title in the anime and Japanese television communities...

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