Satin Doll
{{Short description|1953 song composed by Duke Ellington}}
{{about|the Duke Ellington composition|the album by Red Garland|Satin Doll (Red Garland album)|the album by Shirley Scott|Satin Doll (Shirley Scott album)|the album by Bobbi Humphrey|Satin Doll (Bobbi Humphrey album)}}
{{Refimprove|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox song
| title = Satin Doll
| composer = Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
| lyricist = Johnny Mercer
| name = Satin Doll
| published = 1953
| genre = Jazz standard
}}
"Satin Doll" is a jazz standard written by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.{{cite web|last=Micucci|first=Matt|title=A short history of … "Satin Doll"|url=https://www.jazziz.com/short-history-satin-doll-duke-ellington-billy-strayhorn-1953/|website=Jazziz.com|date=May 2, 2017|access-date=December 2, 2020}} Written in 1953, the song has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Billy Eckstine, Nancy Wilson, Bobby Short, and many other vocalists. As an instrumental, it has been recorded by hundreds of jazz artists. Its chord progression is well known for its unusual use of chords and opening with a ii-V-I turnaround.{{Citation | url = http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-0/satindoll.htm | title = Compositions | contribution = Satin Doll | publisher = Jazz Standards}}.
Background
File:Billy Strayhorn, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 (William P. Gottlieb 08211).jpg]]
According to Strayhorn biographer David Hajdu, Ellington wrote the main melodic themes for "Satin Doll", then asked Strayhorn to harmonize and orchestrate the tune and write an original lyric.({{cite book | last=Hajdu | first=David | author-link=David Hajdu | title=Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn | url=https://archive.org/details/lushlifebiograph00hajd | url-access=registration | location=New York | publisher=Farrar Straus & Giroux | year=1996 | isbn=0-374-19438-6}} Hajdu wrote that Strayhorn did pen a lyric for the song that was a tribute to Strayhorn's mother (whom Strayhorn called "Satin Doll"), but that Strayhorn's lyric was not performed and is now lost. The Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded the piece as an instrumental in 1953, and the song charted that same year and remained popular through the 1950s.
Around 1959, Johnny Mercer was asked to write a new lyric for the song. An instrumental version by guitarist Johnny Smith released in 1959 lists Mercer as a composer, though the copyright registration for the version of the song with Mercer's lyric was not filed until 1960.{{cite book | last=Van de Leur | first=Walter | title=Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn | location=New York | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=2002 | isbn=0-19-512448-0}}
Commercial recordings
- Duke Ellington – Capitol Sessions 1953–1955 (1953, instrumental)
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957, with scat vocal); Ella in Hollywood (1961, with Mercer lyric); Ella and Basie! (1963, with Mercer lyric)
- The Gaylords – 1958{{cite web |title=The Best of the Gaylords: The Mercury Years |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-gaylords-the-mercury-years-mw0000190264 |website=AllMusic |access-date=27 October 2018}} (vocal, features uncredited lyric that differs from the Mercer lyric)
- Bill Doggett – Salute to Duke Ellington (King, 1959)
- George Shearing (instrumental) – Beauty And The Beat! (Capitol Records, 1959, with Peggy Lee on other songs)
- The Coasters – One by One (1960){{Cite web| url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-by-one-r4191 | title = The Coasters : One by One | website=AllMusic | access-date = February 18, 2012}}.
- Harry James – Harry James...Today (MGM, 1960)
- McCoy Tyner – Nights of Ballads & Blues (1963)
- Bud Powell – Bud Powell in Paris/Writin' for Duke (1963, produced and arranged by Ellington){{Cite web |title=Bud Powell Discography |url=https://jazzdisco.org/bud-powell/discography/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=jazzdisco.org}}
- The Impressions – The Never Ending Impressions (1964)
- Blossom Dearie – Blossom Time at Ronnie's (1966){{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-19-993739-4 |page=360}}
- Kimiko Kasai – Satin Doll (CBS/Sony, 1972) - with Gil Evans Orchestra{{cite web|title= Kimiko Kasai With Gil Evans Orchestra – Satin Doll |url=https://www.discogs.com/ja/Kimiko-Kasai-With-Gil-Evans-Orchestra-Satin-Doll/release/14865149 |website=Discogs |year=1972 |access-date =April 1, 2020}}
- Bobbi Humphrey - Satin Doll (1974)
- Chicago – Chicago VIII (1974)
- Terry Callier – I Just Can't Help Myself (1974)
- Oscar Peterson and Clark Terry – Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry (1975)
- Anita O'Day - My Ship (1975){{cite web|title=www.allmusic.com|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-ship-mw0000693338|website=allmusic.com|accessdate=April 1, 2025}}
- Joe Sample – The Three (1975)
- Dewey Redman – African Venus (1992)
- Dave Grusin – Homage to Duke (1993)
- Buddy Emmons & Ray Pennington with the Swing Shift Band - It's All In The Swing (1994)
- Dr. John – Duke Elegant (1999)
- Hank Jones – Someday My Prince Will Come (2002)
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Citation | url = http://www.bluesforpeace.com/lyrics/satin-doll.htm | title = Song lyrics | contribution = Satin Doll | publisher = Blues for peace}}
- [https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/easy-satin-doll-chord-melody-for-guitar/ "Satin Doll"] Chord melody arrangement for guitar
{{Duke Ellington}}
{{The Stylistics}}
{{The Coasters}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Category:Songs with music by Duke Ellington
Category:Songs with music by Billy Strayhorn
Category:Ella Fitzgerald songs