Jo Stafford again

[Larry Kart]

Known to be among the most scrupulously accurate, by the book singers, what's with the different ways she sings the melody of 'Embraceable You" in 1941 and 1952?

 

[JSngry]

10 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

Known to be among the most scrupulously accurate, by the book singers,..

 

...when she wanted to be...

[Larry Kart]

Yeah, that accounts for the '52 version, but in '41 at some points the melody Jo sings is different from any version I've ever heard before and not, lovely though it is, in a way that suggests an influx of personal expression on Stafford's part, as the '52 version does. Could it be that this is the way the song originally went? Also, I don't think Dorsey was the kind of bandleader who would let a newly featured singer alter "Embraceable You" that way. After all, what Jo changes -- the four notes that go with "...braceable you" -- is (or has become?)  virtually the signature of the song as we know it.

[JSngry]

Whoever wrote that Pied Pipers chart was already taking liberties with the rhythm (and a few notes) of the original lead sheet. so...nothing she sings is out of character with the arrangement. Hell. maybe that IS the arrangement. Was Paul Weston doing this then?

[Teasing the Korean]

My parents joined what was left of the Pied Pipers - namely, Chuck Lowry - and briefly sang as members of the Pied Pipers on a tour. This would have been very early 1950s. Chuck liked to hit the sauce a little too hard, and as a result, they had to replace Chuck during the tour. Because there were no original members left, they decided to change the name of the group for the rest of the tour, even though they were singing Pied Pipers songs and arrangements. Some version of the Pied Pipers was reestablished after this time, but my parents had gone onto other projects by then.

My Mom idolized Jo Stafford.  

By the way, that 1952 version is from a Columbia LP called Jo Stafford Sings Broadway's Best.  I absolutely adore this album.  I don't think it was ever reissued on CD, at least not in its original form.  For some reason, every Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, while I'm preparing dinner, I play this album, along with Mingus Oh Yeah.  Not sure how I started that tradition.  

As for the melody in the 1952 version, I just think Jo is taking tasteful liberties with the melody.  There are a lot of repeated notes in that melody as written, so the song seems to lend itself to those kinds of changes.  

Edited August 27, 2021 by Teasing the Korean

[Teasing the Korean]

Each of the songs on Jo Stafford Sings Broadway's Best is by a different songwriter or songwriting team, and the composer/lyricist provides brief liner notes for each of the songs.  After discussing the background of the song and his approach to the lyric, Ira Gershwin writes, "Whimsy aside, I can honestly say I've been a fan of Miss Stafford and her renditions for a long time, and I'm delighted this song is included in her record."