Stories of Standards: “Secret Love”

Tune in weekday mornings for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of “Secret Love.” Rodney Franks presents Stories of Standards Monday through Friday at 7:50 and 8:50am starting Monday, April 29!

Stories of Standards is sponsored by ListenUp – If you love music, you’ll love ListenUp.

Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster wrote “Secret Love” in 1953 for the movie “Calamity Jane”, where it was introduced by Doris Day In the title role. It won an Academy Award that year for Best Original Song. Released as a single, it became a number one hit on Billboard and Cash Box, as well as in the UK. In addition to the popular lists, the song has been a hit on the Country and Western charts (first for Slim Whitman, then for Freddy Fender) as well as the R&B charts (for Billy Stewart). In the UK, Kathy Kirby’s 1963 remake of the song became her career record.

Sammy Fain (17 Jun 1902-6 Dec 1989), the son of a cantor, was a prolific writer for theater and movies from the 1920s through the 1970s, won three Academy Awards and sixteen nominations and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. His songs include “I’ll Be Seeing You” in 1938 with Irving Kahal,     “Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella” in 1927 , “You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me” with Pierre Norman, “Dear Hearts and Gentle People” 1949 with Bob Hilliard, “I’m Late” and “Very Good Advice” with Bob Hilliard for “Alice in Wonderland” 1951, “Love Is  a Many-Splendored Thing” with Paul Francis Webster 1955 title tune and “April Love” with Paul Francis Webster in 1957.

Paul Francis Webster (20 Dec 1907-18 Mar 1984) attended Cornell University and New York University and spent time as a sailor and as a dance instructor (for the Arthur Murray Studios) before concentrating on songwriting. His first hit, with Duke Ellington, was “I’ve Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good)” in 1941. In the 1950s he worked primarily with Sammy Fain and the pair won two Academy Awards. Webster won a third Academy Award (and a Grammy) for his work on “The Sandpiper” (“The Shadow of Your Smile”). In 1966 he wrote the lyrics to Maurice Jara’s theme for Lara in “Doctor Zhivago”: “Somewhere My Love”. Webster was nominated for sixteen Academy Awards. In 1967 he wrote the lyrics for the theme song for the television cartoon “Spider-Man”.