Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
{{Short description|1933 song by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach}}
{{about|the song}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{en-US|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
| cover = "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - Gertrude Niendsen and Ray Sinatra (original 1933 recording).jpg
| type = single
| artist = Gertrude Niesen with Ray Sinatra and his Orchestra
| album =
| B-side = Jealousy
| released = 1933
| recorded = October 13, 1933
| studio =
| genre =
| length =
| label = Victor
| composer = Jerome Kern
| lyricist = Otto Harbach
| producer = Ray Sinatra
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical comedy Roberta. The song was sung in the Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. It was first recorded by Gertrude Niesen, with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin,{{citation|url=http://sinatrafamily.com/forum/frank-sinatra-8/ray-sinatra-franks-cousin-30362/|title=Ray Sinatra: Frank's cousin|publisher=sinatrafamily.com|access-date=July 25, 2014}} on October 13, 1933. Niesen's recording of the song was released by RCA Victor, with in the B-side "Jealousy", a song featuring Isham Jones and his Orchestra.{{citation|url=http://www.popsike.com/Victor-24454-Gertrude-Niesen-Isham-Jones-Smoke-Gets-In-Your-Eyes-Jealousy-78/230742145723.html |title=Victor 24454: Gertrude Niesen and Isham Jones – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes / Jealousy |publisher=popsike.com |access-date=July 24, 2014 }} The line "When your heart's on fire, smoke gets in your eyes" apparently comes from a Russian proverb.{{cite news|url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/smoke-gets-in-your-eyes.html|title=Smoke Gets in Your Eyes — as beautiful a tune as has ever been written|publisher=The Financial Times|author=James Ferguson|date=17 May 2021}}
By the time of Roberta in 1933, the tune had been composed for a tap dance in the 1927 musical Show Boat, but was not adopted; in 1932 it was retried as a march for a radio series theme tune.
The song was also included in the 1952 remake of Roberta, Lovely to Look At, in which it was performed by Kathryn Grayson. It also was a no. 1 chart hit in 1959 for The Platters.
Recording history
=1930s=
Paul Whiteman had the first hit recording of the song on the record charts in 1934.{{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 |pages=371–373}} Whiteman and his Orchestra performed the song with vocals by Bob Lawrence, and this version topped the charts in the same year.{{cite web|url=http://tsort.info/music/jpejrr.htm|title=Song artist 12 - Paul Whiteman|last=Tsort}} The song was reprised by Irene Dunne, who performed it in the 1935 film adaptation of the musical co-starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, and Randolph Scott. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra released their version in 1938, with in the B-side the song "Night and Day".
During the mid-to-late 1930s, Larry Adler and Henry Hall recorded live radio performances of the song on BBC Radio: Adler's rendition was a syncopated, harmonica arrangement, while Hall's was with the BBC Orchestra with vocals by Dan Donovan; Hall's version was released as a 10" single.{{citation|url=https://archive.org/details/HenryHallOrch-SmokeGetsInYourEyes|title=Henry Hall Orch - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=July 24, 2014}} Jazz pianist Art Tatum said in an introduction in 1955 that he also performed "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in the 1930s.
=1940s=
{{External media|float=right|width=260px|topic=1941 cover version of the original 1933 song|title=Andre Kostelanetz's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"|audio1=You may hear "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" performed by Andre Kostelanetz in 1941
[https://archive.org/details/78_when-your-hearts-on-fire-smoke-gets-in-your-eyes_andre-kostelanetz-and-his-orche_gbia0239065b/_78_when-your-hearts-on-fire-smoke-gets-in-your-eyes_andre-kostelanetz-and-his-orche_gbia0239065b_01_3.5_ET_EQ.flac Here on Archive.org]}}
Andre Kostelanetz recorded an easy listening arrangement of the song for Columbia Masterworks Records (4265-M) in 1941.[https://archive.org/details/78_when-your-hearts-on-fire-smoke-gets-in-your-eyes_andre-kostelanetz-and-his-orche_gbia0239065b/(When+Your+Heart's+o+-+ANDRE+KOSTELANETZ+and+his+ORCHESTRA.flac "Smoke gets In Your Eyes" performed by Andre Kostelanetz in 1941], Archive.org
In the same year, the Benny Goodman Orchestra played the song on the radio with Helen Forrest, but she left the ensemble during the early part of 1941,{{citation|url=http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/2006/11/great-encounters-24-when-peggy-lee-joined-benny-goodmans-band/ |title=Great Encounters #24: When Peggy Lee Joined Benny Goodmans Band |publisher=jerryjazzmusician.com|access-date=July 24, 2014}} so Goodman replaced her with Peggy Lee.{{citation|url=http://www.peggylee.com/vinyl/vinben.html|title=Peggy Lee official discography|publisher=peggylee.com|access-date=July 23, 2014}} Lee's recording for a Mutual broadcast was released on the collaborative album Roll 'Em by Goodman and jazz drummer Sid Catlett.
File:BennyGoodmanandBandStageDoorCanteen.jpg and his orchestra perform with Peggy Lee.]]
Glenn Miller conducted his own rendition of the song at Abbey Road Studios in 1944, but due to his death later that year in the Second World War, his version was unreleased until 1995.{{citation|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/missing-chapters-vol-5-the-complete-abbey-road-recordings-mw0000421992|title=Missing Chapters, Vol. 5: The Complete Abbey Road Recordings|publisher=Allmusic|access-date=July 23, 2014}} On October 30, 1946, Nat "King" Cole recorded the song with his trio, consisting in himself, Oscar Moore on guitar, and Johnny Miller on double bass, during a live broadcast from New York City.{{citation|url=http://apileocole.alongthehall.com/sessions/session1946.html|title=Nat King Cole: An Informal Discography (Sessions of 1946)|publisher=alongthehall.com|access-date=July 24, 2014}} Cole performed it on television in 1957 for The Nat King Cole Show.
Harry Belafonte covered the song in 1949 with jazz saxophonist Zoot Sims, and it was one of Belafonte's first recordings. Sims' performance was parodied on December 10, 1977, on The Muppet Show by Zoot from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the character he inspired.
=1950s and later=
{{multiple image
| footer = The song was covered by Nat King Cole (left), Jo Stafford (center), and Sarah Vaughan (right).
| align = right
| image1 = The Nat King Cole Show premiere 1956.JPG
| width1 = 111
| image2 = Jo Stafford Paul Weston in studio 1952 (cropped).jpg
| width2 = 95
| image3 = Sarah Vaughan - William P. Gottlieb - No. 1.png
| width3 = 111
}}
In 1950, both Charlie Parker and Jo Stafford released their versions of the song on their own respective albums, Bird at St. Nick's and Autumn in New York. Eartha Kitt recorded the song in 1952 with the Henri René Orchestra for her 1954 album That Bad Eartha, in the same sessions which yielded her 1953 hit single "Santa Baby".
Dinah Washington released the song in 1956 on her album Dinah!, Vic Damone on his 1956 album That Towering Feeling! (1956), and Jeri Southern named her 1957 album When Your Heart's on Fire after a lyric from the song; the album also features her version of the song. Polly Bergen performed the song during the series premiere of her variety show The Polly Bergen Show, originally airing September 21, 1957, in the same year of Nat King Cole's televised performance of the song, in The Nat King Cole Show.{{cite web|url=http://ctva.biz/US/MusicVariety/PollyBergenShow.htm|title=The Polly Bergen Show|publisher=Classic Television Archives|access-date=January 9, 2011}} In 1958, Sarah Vaughan released her rendition on her album, No Count Sarah.
Coleman Hawkins played the song on his Good Old Broadway 1962 album; see the External links section below, or search online.
JD Souther covered the song for the soundtrack to director Steven Spielberg's 1989 film Always, and has a cameo appearance performing it at a dance with the main characters, played by Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter.{{Clear}}
The Platters version
{{Infobox song
| name = Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
| cover = Smoke_Gets_in_Your_Eyes_-_The_Platters.jpg
| type = single
| artist = the Platters
| album = Remember When?
| B-side = No Matter What You Are
| released = November {{Start date|1958}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Doo-wop
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=40}}
| label = Mercury
| composer = Jerome Kern
| lyricist = Otto Harbach
| producer = Buck Ram{{Pop Chronicles|14| 4|Buck Ram}}
| prev_title = I Wish
| prev_year = 1958
| next_title = Enchanted
| next_year = 1959
}}
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" was recorded in 1958 by the Platters for their album Remember When? The group's version became a number 1 hit in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart, and was their highest hit on that chart. In 1959 it peaked at number 3 on the Rhythm and Blues chart.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=463}} The song spent 20 weeks on the UK charts, peaking at Number 1 for one week on March 20 of that same year.{{cite book |title=Rock File 4|last1=Frith |first1=Simon |last2=Gillett |first2=Charlie |year=1976 |publisher=Panther Books Ltd |page=388}} Buck Ram, the producer, said that Harbach praised them "for reviving his song with taste." The widow of composer Jerome Kern disliked the recording so much, she began legal action to prevent its distribution.Fred Bronson, The Billboard Book of Number One Hits, Billboard Publications, 1985, p. 48. However, after she was informed that the record was a huge seller and she was going to receive large royalties from its sales, she dropped her lawsuit.{{cite news|url=https://www.steynonline.com/9137/smoke-gets-in-your-eyes|title=Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Steyn's Song of the Week|publisher=The Mark Steyn Club|date=13 January 2019}}
In 2019, the song by The Platters was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#s|title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists|website=Grammy.com|access-date=September 2, 2024}}
=Chart history=
{{col-begin|width=60%}}
{{col-2}}
==Weekly charts==
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| align="left"|Chart (1958–59)
!align="left"|Peak |
|---|
| Australia
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade){{cite web |url=http://chumtribute.com/59-01-12-chart.jpg |title=CHUM Chart Archives – January 12, 1959 |access-date=July 5, 2022 |publisher=CHUM}}
| align="center"|1 |
| {{single chart|Belgium (Flanders)|5|artist=The Platters |song= Smoke Gets in Your Eyes|access-date=June 14, 2018}} |
| {{single chart|Belgium (Wallonia)|8|artist=The Platters |song= Smoke Gets in Your Eyes|access-date=June 14, 2018}} |
| Italy
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|4|artist=The Platters|song= Smoke Gets in Your Eyes |access-date=June 14, 2018}} |
| South Africa (Springbok)
|align="center"|1 |
| UK New Musical Express[https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3882/platters/ Platters - Full Official Chart History], Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=The Platters |access-date=June 14, 2018}} |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Sides[https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-platters/chart-history/bsi/ Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes The Platters Chart History], Billboard.com. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
| style="text-align:center;"|3 |
{{col-2}}
==Year-end charts==
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Chart (1959)
! style="text-align:center;"|Rank |
|---|
| South Africa {{cite web|title=Top 20 Hit Singles of 1959|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/sahits_1959.html|website=Rock.co.za|access-date=26 March 2020}}
|align="center"|3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1959.htm|title=Top 100 Songs of 1959 - the top-performing singles in the US in 1959.|website=Musicoutfitters.com|access-date=September 2, 2024}}
| style="text-align:center;"|16 |
| US Cash Box {{Cite web|url=https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/50s_files/1959YESP.html|title=Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1959|website=Tropicalglen.com|access-date=September 2, 2024}}
| style="text-align:center;"|14 |
==All-time charts==
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (1958–2018)
! Position |
|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=December 10, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200616143403/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|url-status=live|archive-date=2020-06-16}}
| style="text-align:center;"|211 |
{{col-end}}
Blue Haze version
{{Infobox song
| name = Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
| cover =
| type = single
| artist = Blue Haze
| album = Blue Haze
| B-side = Anna Rosanna
| released = 1972
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Doo-wop
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=15}}
| label = A&M
| composer = Jerome Kern
| lyricist = Otto Harbach
| producer = Johnny Arthey & Phil Swern
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = You'll Never Walk Alone
| next_year = 1973
}}
Johnny Arthey's studio group Blue Haze released a version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" as a single in 1972, and on the album Blue Haze the following year. Their version was an international hit, reaching the top 10 in Belgium, the Netherlands, and on Billboard{{'}}s Easy Listening chart.
=Chart performance=
See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{YouTube|KJGBjVwisSI|Tamara;Orchestra conducted by Leo Reisman - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes}}
- {{YouTube|Mof3W3o1p58|Gertrude Niesen - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes}}
- {{YouTube|vfBboBz3yoc|The Platters - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes}}
- {{YouTube|MIAxA2lWCGA|Coleman Hawkins - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes}}
{{Narvel Felts|state=collapsed}}
{{The Platters|state=collapsed}}
{{Penny McLean|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smoke Gets In Your Eyes}}
Category:Barbra Streisand songs
Category:Songs with music by Jerome Kern
Category:Songs with lyrics by Otto Harbach
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in South Africa
Category:UK singles chart number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in Australia
Category:Number-one singles in Canada
Category:Number-one singles in Italy
Category:Mercury Records singles