"When I Lost You" is a song with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...

 written in 1912 after his wife of five months, the former Dorothy Goetz

Dorothy Goetz

Dorothy Goetz was the first wife of the famous songwriter, Irving Berlin.She was twenty years old when she met Berlin in New York City where her older brother singer and lyricist Ray Goetz had been collaborating on some tunes with Berlin...

, died of typhoid fever

Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...

. In it he poured out the grief of his loss, the only song that he ever admitted had such a connection to his own life. The song, a ballad

Ballad

A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...

, was unlike any of Berlin's previous songs, which were upbeat tunes written to take advantage of the dance craze. The song's melody is a slow, simple waltz

Waltz

The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...

 with bittersweet harmony and diminished seventh chords. It became Berlin's first hit ballad.

Berlin had published 130 songs by this point, none of which previously had revealed his ability to write with moving sentiment about his own personal pain.

Background

Dorothy Goetz was one of many singers who arrived at the Waterson, Berlin & Snyder offices after the success of Berlin's "Everybody's Doin' It Now".

Composition

Berlin's initial attempts to resume songwriting after his wife's death were unsuccessful. After accepting an invitation to visit Europe with Dorothy's brother Ray Goetz, Berlin composed "When I Lost You".

The birds ceased their song

Right turned to wrong

Sweetheart when I lost you

A day turned to years

The world seemed in tears

Sweetheart when I lost you.

Reception

Berlin did not make promotional appearances for the song during its first year of release, yet the circumstances of his brief and tragic marriage were common knowledge. The following year he performed the song in London.