Summertime (song)

"Summertime" is the name of a 1935 song composed by George Gershwin for the opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. A popular jazz-standard, the song is in the Aeolian mode.

Related Topics:
1935 - Song - George Gershwin - Porgy and Bess - DuBose Heyward - Ira Gershwin - Jazz-standard - Aeolian mode

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Gershwin began composing the song in December 1933, attempting to create his own spiritual in the style of the African American folk music of the period. It is sung multiple times throughout Porgy and Bess, first by Clara in Act I as a lullaby, then soon after as counterpoint to the craps game scene, in Act II by Clara in a reprise, and in Act III by Bess singing to Clara's baby.

Related Topics:
Spiritual - African American - The period - Craps - Game

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"Summertime" vies with the Beatles' "Yesterday" as one of the most popular cover songs in popular music, with an estimated 2,500 different versions recorded. Billie Holiday has a version of "Summertime" and so does Frank Sinatra. Both Miles Davis and John Coltrane recorded their interpretations. One of the best known versions is Janis Joplin's recording of a blues rock version with Big Brother & The Holding Company. Billy Stewart's version became a Top 10 Pop and R&B hit in 1966 for Chess Records. Even seemingly unlikely performers such as the Zombies have made recordings of it.

Related Topics:
Beatles - Billie Holiday - Frank Sinatra - Miles Davis - John Coltrane - Janis Joplin - Big Brother & The Holding Company - Billy Stewart - Chess Records

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