Why this tune?
I’ve been thinking about creating a workshop on lyric writing for jazz musicians, and was looking for a song to use as an example of of creative lyrics to serve as a model and inspiration. “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” is what songwriter Mark Winkler calls a “laundry list” song, and what a list! The creativity and sound of the lyrics are imaginative and beautifully crafted. Almost everything reminds the singer of their former lover, from “a cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces” to “the smile of Garbo and the scent of roses.” The complete song includes three choruses and a short verse. Most performers skip the verse and many drop a chorus or two. Ella Fitzgerald recorded the whole thing in 1957.
This song is an English contribution to what we call the Great American Songbook, written in 1935 by Eric Maschwitz (under the pseudonym Holt Marvell) and Jack Strachey for a 1936 British musical. It quickly became a jazz standard and a hit record, with five recordings in 1936 alone, including versions from Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson (with Billie Holiday). It’s number 28 on the jazzstandards.com list of standards, with well over 600 recordings to date.
For my recording this week I play the song once through including the intro. If I ever hold the workshop, I plan to ask the participants to add their own chorus to the song, perhaps drawing on contemporary references. (“The fleeting fragrance of a bagel toasting / A heart emoji on a random posting”)
Tunes On Tuesday Reel
Check it out!
Ella Fitzgerald