All the Things You Are | Stories of Standards

Tune in to First Take with Lando and Chavis – weekdays from 6-9 am MT – for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song all week long!

“All The Things You Are”, by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, made its debut in Kern’s last Broadway musical, “Very Warm for May” on November 17, 1939. While the musical closed after just 59 performances, many regard “All the Things You Are” as Kern’s finest composition; it later appeared in “Broadway Rhythm” (1944), “A Letter for Evie” (1945) and “Mrs. Henderson Presents” (2005). The song’s romantic lyrics and fractal-like intricacies of melody have been widely popular ever since, as is indicated by an initial 13-week stay on the pop charts (starting in 1939) of Tommy Dorsey’s recording and the many releases since then, most recently in 2015.

Jerome Kern (1885 – 1945), grew up in Manhattan, where his mother taught him piano and organ. He dropped out of high school, worked briefly in his father’s store, then studied music first at the New York College of Music, then in Heidelberg, Germany. Back in New York, he began writing for musicals, with occasional trips to England, where he worked with P. G. Wodehouse and in 1909 met Eva Leale, whom he married in 1910. His first partnership was with Guy Bolton and Wodehouse. In 1925 Kern met Oscar Hammerstein II, with whom he would work for the rest of his life. Kern first went to Hollywood in 1929. In 1945 he returned to New York City, where he worked on a revival of “Show Boat” and the score for what would become “Annie Get Your Gun” Kern suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. His failure to respond to Hammerstein humming “I’ve Told Ev’ry Little Star” confirmed his death. Jerome Kern had written an estimated 700 songs in his lifetime, won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and was on a postage stamp in 1985.

Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 – 1960) came from a prominent theatrical family to attend Columbia Law School, then went on to become one of the most prolific authors of lyrics and librettos ever known. In the course of his lengthly career he won numerous awards and contributed enormously to the increased complexity and sophistication of musical comedy. His first success came with “Rose Marie” in 1924, written with Otto Harbach and composers Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart. He adapted Edna Ferber’s bestselling book “Showboat” for the stage, with Jerome Kern composing the music. Again with Kern he wrote the lyrics to “The Last Time I Saw Paris” in 1940 as the Nazis were occupying Paris.  His partnership with Richard Rodgers produced “Oklahoma!”, “State Fair” (1945), “South Pacific” (1949), “The King and I” (1951), “Carousel” (1945), “Flower Drum Song” (1958) and “The Sound of Music” (1959). At his death the lights of Broadway and London’s West End were dimmed in honor of his many contributions to the musical.