Till Then (1944 song)
Encyclopedia
"Till Then" is a popular
song
written by Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, and Guy Wood
and published in 1944
.
The song was a plea (presumably by a soldier off to fight the war) to his sweetheart to wait for him until he could get back home. Like many war-themed songs, it enjoyed great popularity when it came out in 1944
, and versions by The Mills Brothers and the Les Brown
orchestra dominated the charts. The recording by The Mills Brothers was released by Decca Records
as catalog number
18599. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on September 21, 1944 and lasted three weeks on the chart, peaking at number eight (a two-sided hit, backed by "You Always Hurt the One You Love
"). It also topped the R&B charts.
Ten years later
, the song once more became quite popular. Both a doo wop version by Sonny Til
& The Orioles
and a traditional pop
version by The Hilltoppers
charted that year. The recording by The Hilltoppers
was released by Dot Records
as catalog number 15132. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 23, 1954 and spent eleven weeks on the chart, peaking at ten.
The song has continued to be popular, with versions recorded in later years by such as Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown
, and Al Martino. A 1963
version by The Classics reached twenty on the chart.
"Till Then", The Mills Brothers version, was featured on an episode of the TV show, "The Others
, titled "Till Then (April 29, 2000, Season 1 - Episode 10)
The song can be heard in Lance Henriksens, "Millennium
" episode: "Matryoshka" which was first aired on 19 Feb 1999.
The song has recently been covered by the Missouri band The Cotton Mollies.
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...
written by Eddie Seiler, Sol Marcus, and Guy Wood
Guy Wood
Guy B Wood was a musician and composer of songs. He was born in Manchester, England and moved to the United States in the 1930s...
and published in 1944
1944 in music
-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
.
The song was a plea (presumably by a soldier off to fight the war) to his sweetheart to wait for him until he could get back home. Like many war-themed songs, it enjoyed great popularity when it came out in 1944
1944 in music
-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
, and versions by The Mills Brothers and the Les Brown
Les Brown (bandleader)
Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
orchestra dominated the charts. The recording by The Mills Brothers was released by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca 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
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
18599. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on September 21, 1944 and lasted three weeks on the chart, peaking at number eight (a two-sided hit, backed by "You Always Hurt the One You Love
You Always Hurt the One You Love
"You Always Hurt the One You Love" is a pop standard, words by Allan Roberts and music by Doris Fisher. It has been performed by many artists over the years, such as The Mills Brothers, Connie Francis , Fats Domino, The Impressions,Frankie Laine, Richard Chamberlain , Peggy Lee, Maureen Evans,...
"). It also topped the R&B charts.
Ten years later
1954 in music
-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
, the song once more became quite popular. Both a doo wop version by Sonny Til
Sonny Til
Sonny Til was the stage name of Earlington Carl Tilghman , lead singer of The Orioles, a vocal group from Baltimore, Maryland....
& The Orioles
The Orioles
The Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound....
and a traditional pop
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
version by The Hilltoppers
The Hilltoppers
The Hilltoppers were an American popular music singing group.-Career:Originally the group was a trio formed at Western Kentucky State College , Bowling Green, Kentucky...
charted that year. The recording by The Hilltoppers
The Hilltoppers
The Hilltoppers were an American popular music singing group.-Career:Originally the group was a trio formed at Western Kentucky State College , Bowling Green, Kentucky...
was released by Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
as catalog number 15132. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 23, 1954 and spent eleven weeks on the chart, peaking at ten.
The song has continued to be popular, with versions recorded in later years by such as Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, and Al Martino. A 1963
1963 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....
version by The Classics reached twenty on the chart.
"Till Then", The Mills Brothers version, was featured on an episode of the TV show, "The Others
The Others (TV series)
The Others is an American TV series created by John Brancato and Michael Ferris, and produced by Delusional Films, NBC and DreamWorks Television. It ran for 13 40-minute episodes from February 5, 2000 to June 10, 2000, airing on NBC in the US, Five in the UK and Nine in Australia...
, titled "Till Then (April 29, 2000, Season 1 - Episode 10)
The song can be heard in Lance Henriksens, "Millennium
Millennium (TV series)
Millennium is an American television series created by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. Millennium aired on the Fox Network from 1996 to 1999. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, though most episodes were ostensibly set in or around Seattle, Washington...
" episode: "Matryoshka" which was first aired on 19 Feb 1999.
The song has recently been covered by the Missouri band The Cotton Mollies.
Recorded versions
- Laurindo AlmeidaLaurindo AlmeidaLaurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...
- James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
(19641964 in music-Events:*January 1 – Top of the Pops is broadcast for the first time, on BBC television.*January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show....
) - Les BrownLes Brown (bandleader)Les Brown, Sr. and the Band of Renown are a big band that began in the late 1930s, initially as the group Les Brown and His Blue Devils that Brown led while a student at Duke University. He was the first president of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences...
and his Orchestra (19441944 in music-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
) - The Classics (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....
) - Sammy Davis Jr. (19601960 in music-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
) - Geraldo and his Orchestra (19441944 in music-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
) - The HilltoppersThe HilltoppersThe Hilltoppers were an American popular music singing group.-Career:Originally the group was a trio formed at Western Kentucky State College , Bowling Green, Kentucky...
(19541954 in music-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
) - Leslie HutchinsonLeslie HutchinsonLeslie Arthur Julien Hutchinson, known as "Hutch" was one of the biggest cabaret stars in the world during the 1920s and 1930s.-Career:...
(19441944 in music-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
) - Norman Luboff Choir
- The Mills Brothers (19441944 in music-Events:*January 18 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City for the first time hosts a jazz concert; the performers are Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden....
) - Tom Morrell & The Time-Warp Tophands
- The OriolesThe OriolesThe Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound....
(19541954 in music-Events:*January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York...
) - Ray PetersonRay PetersonRay Peterson was an American pop music singer who was best remembered for singing "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corrine, Corrina" in the 1960s.-Career:...
(19601960 in music-Events:*January 14 – Elvis Presley is promoted to Sergeant in the U.S. Army*February 6 – Songwriter Jesse Belvin dies in an automobile accident in Los Angeles...
) - Ruby & The RomanticsRuby & the RomanticsRuby & the Romantics was an American R&B group in the 1960s. They had several pop and R&B hit records, but are sometimes considered as a one-hit wonder for topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963 with their first recording, "Our Day Will Come", written by Mort Garson and Bob Hilliard...
- Hank ThompsonHank Thompson (music)Henry William Thompson , known professionally as Hank Thompson, was an American country music entertainer whose career spanned seven decades...
- Chester ZardisChester ZardisChester Zardis was an American jazz double-bassist.Zardis played bass from a young age, and studied under Billy Marrero of the Superior Orchestra. In his teens he was involved in a fistfight at a New Orleans theater, which resulted in his being sent to the Jones Waif Home...
- Michael BubléMichael BubléMichael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
- 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?"...
- The Cotton Mollies