Easy Living (song)
| "Easy Living" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin | |
| Published | 1937 |
| Genre | Jazz • swing |
| Composer | Ralph Rainger |
| Lyricist | Leo Robin |
"Easy Living" is a jazz standard written by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin for the 1937 film Easy Living.[1][2]
A popular recording of the song was released in 1937 by Teddy Wilson for Brunswick Records,[1] featuring Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and Lester Young.[3]
Composition
"Easy Living" was written in 4
4 time in the key of F major. It follows a 32-bar AABA form.[4]
Other recordings
As a jazz standard, "Easy Living" has been re-recorded many times. Notable releases include:[5]
- Clifford Brown – Memorial Album (1953)[6]
- Bill Evans – New Jazz Conceptions (1956)[7]
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Third Dimension (1956)
- Paul Desmond (with Jim Hall) – Easy Living (1964)[8]
- Lou Bennett with René Thomas – Pentacostal Feeling (1966)[9]
- Nancy Wilson – But Beautiful (1969)[10]
- Sarah Vaughan (with Oscar Peterson) – How Long Has This Been Going On? (1978)[11]
- Frank Morgan (with Cedar Walton) – Easy Living (1985)[12]
- Ann Hampton Callaway (with Wynton Marsalis) – Easy Living (1999)[13]
See also
References
- 1 2 Gioia 2012, p. 94.
- ↑ Wilson 1987.
- ↑ Whitburn 1986, p. 215.
- ↑ Hal Leonard 2006, p. 127.
- ↑ Gioia 2012, p. 95.
- ↑ "Memorial Album | Clifford Brown". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 10, 2025.
- ↑ "New Jazz Conceptions | Bill Evans". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Easy Living | Paul Desmond". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
- ↑ "Pentacostal Feeling | Lou Bennett". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ↑ "But Beautiful | Nancy Wilson". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ↑ "How Long Has This Been Going On? | Sarah Vaughan". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Easy Living | Frank Morgan". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Easy Living | Ann Hampton Callaway". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 28, 2025.
Bibliography
- Gioia, Ted (2012). "Easy Living". The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 94-95. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- "Easy Living". The Real Book (Lead sheet). Vol. 1 (6th ed.). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Hal Leonard. 2006. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-634-06038-0.
- Wilson, John S. (April 30, 1987). "Cabaret: Rainger Revue". The New York Times. p. C14. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
[...] a couple of movie songs now remembered for Billie Holiday's recordings, 'Easy Living,' and 'I Wished on the Moon'; ...
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-083-0. LCCN 86225626.