Greatest Love Songs Ever: #5 “The Way You Look Tonight”
By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates
Jerome Kern (“All the Things You Are”) sat down at the piano and played his latest melody for Dorothy Fields. Ms. Fields had the assignment to write the lyrics for his song-in-progress. She describe how she reacted:
“The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.”
She knew she had a lot to work with, and she made the most of it. “The Way You Look Tonight” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936 in the movie, “Swing Time,” sung by Fred Astaire (above).
It’s not just the insanely wonderful melody line either, it’s the words. Great love songs are always the perfect union of words and music. Fields expresses the invigorating power of romantic love with these timeless words:
“Some day, when I’m awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you,
And the way you look tonight.”
As we count down our list of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever, it’s interesting to note that the first recording of a great song is not necessarily its signature version.
Great vocal performers flock to great songs, and as often happens, Frank Sinatra is often the singer singing it best. Especially when it’s been arranged by Nelson Riddle, as is this 1964 recording.
Sinatra sings “The Way You Look Tonight”
This is what love does to you: when you’re down … or worried … or fearful, a single word from your lover can dash all of it, as Dorothy Fields expresses it with such poetic concision:
“With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart,
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.”
Fields wrote the lyrics from a male perspective, as the Swing Time movie script called for Fred Astaire to sing it. But Tony Bennett collaborated with Faith Hill in an especially nice duet worth sharing.
Faith Hill and Tony Bennet sing “The Way You Look Tonight”
I’m not sure Dorothy Fields gets her due these days. She co-wrote the hit musicals “Sweet Charity” (with Cy Coleman) and “Annie Get Your Gun” (with Irving Berlin). In addition to “The Way You Look Tonight,” she wrote a bevy of timeless songs, including “Big Spender,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and “I’m in the Mood for Love.”
Fields and Kern’s teamed up to write one of the all-time great love songs with “The Way You Look Tonight.” She is a big deal in the annals of American musical theater, as is Mr. Kern.
When it comes to the annals of the Iowa pro-life movement, Pulse Life Advocates believes we’re making a difference legislatively and culturally. This series on the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever represents our belief that love is the antidote to abortion. A simple love song can melt a heart and reconnect us with our humanity. If you agree, we humbly ask for you to support our educational outreach with your gift today. Thank-you.
