Lullaby of the Leaves explained

"Lullaby of the Leaves" is a musical composition by composer Bernice Petkere and lyricist Joe Young. A Tin Pan Alley song first performed in 1932, the jazz standard is considered the biggest critical and commercial success of Petkere's composing career.^{[1] [2]}

The song was a hit for George Olsen and his Music in 1932.^[3] By January 1933, more than 50,000 copies had been sold in the U.S.—ten times more than the usual hit song of the era.^[4]

It has since been recorded numerous times in its lyrical version and as an instrumental, including hot jazz sextet version by Benny Goodman in 1951,^[5] a haunting bop-accented rendition by Anita O'Day in 1952, a cool jazz version by Cal Tjader on vibraphone in 1952,^[6] a rousing surf rock version by the Ventures in 1961, a lively piano version by Mary Lou Williams in the 1950s, and a widely heard version by Ella Fitzgerald on her 1964 album Hello, Dolly!.^{[7] [8]} Since 2002, jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has been performing his unique arrangement of the song, especially as part of the Jeff Hamilton Trio.^{[9] [10]}

In 2017, British artist The Caretaker (James Leyland Kirby) would sample George Olsen's and Layton & Johnstone's covers of the songs in his album Everywhere at the End of Time Stage 2 and Stage 3 in "C2 Misplaced in time" and "F2 Drifting time misplaced" respectively.

From 2019 to 2020, Italian ice dancers Jasmine Tessari and Francesco Fioretti skated to Beth Hart's rendition of the song in competitions.^{[11] [12]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Burlingame . Sandra . Lullaby of the Leaves (1932) . jazzstandards.com.
2. Pessen . Edward . Summer 1985 . The Great Songwriters of Tin Pan Alley's Golden Age: A Social, Occupational, and Aesthetic Inquiry . American Music . 3 . 2 . 180–197 . 10.2307/3051635 . 3051635 . 25 March 2022.
3. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 343. registration.
4. News: Associated Press . 9 January 1933 . 25-Year-Old Housewife Is Latest Addition To Tin Pan Alley Colony . El Paso Times . El Paso, Texas . 25 March 2022.
5. Around Town . . 123 . 127 . Staff . 1951.
6. Book: Bang, Derrick . Vince Guaraldi at the Piano . 2014 . McFarland . 332 . 9780786490745.
7. Porter . Lewis . October 1984 . "You Can't Get up There Timidly": Jazzwomen: Part II . Music Educators Journal . 71 . 2 . 42–51 . 10.2307/3396356 . 3396356 . 143894110 . 25 March 2022.
8. News: Buchanan . William . 16 August 1964 . Ella a Rare Success--Arrived on Talent Alone . Boston Globe . Boston, Massachusetts . 25 March 2022.
9. News: Hamilton trio gets it together nicely . October 22, 2002 . Howard . Rebecca Cline . . December 30, 2023.
10. Web site: Lullaby of the Leaves by Anita O'Day on Apple Music .
11. Web site: Jasmine TESSARI / Francesco FIORETTI . 27 February 2020 . . ISUResults.com . International Skating Union . 25 March 2022.
12. News: . 16 February 2020 . Photo-stories from Graz (Part Three): the ice dancing event . Inside Skating . Cluj-Napoca, Romania . 25 March 2022.