Why Was I Born? - Misplaced Pages

1929 song by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II

"Why Was I Born?"

Single by Helen Morgan
B-side	"Don't Ever Leave Me"
Written	1929
Published	1929 T.B. Harms, Inc., Universal Polygram International Publishing, Inc.
Released	January 20, 1930
Recorded	October 16, 1929 take 2
Studio	New York City
Venue	Sweet Adeline (1929 Broadway musical)
Genre	Show tune, Popular Music
Length	3.22
Label	Victor 22199
Composer(s)	Jerome Kern
Lyricist(s)	Oscar Hammerstein II

"Why Was I Born?" is a 1929 song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II.

It was written for the show Sweet Adeline (1929) and introduced by Helen Morgan. Popular recordings in 1930 were by Helen Morgan and by Libby Holman.

Notable recordings

Billie Holiday - recorded the song for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 7859) on January 25, 1937 with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra.
Lena Horne in the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946)
Frank Sinatra recorded the song for Columbia Records on December 28, 1947.
Vic Damone reached No. 20 in the Billboard charts in 1949 with the song.
Dorothy Lamour - The Road to Romance...For Bing, Bob and You! (1957).
Judy Garland - The London Sessions (1960)
Margaret Whiting - Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960)
Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane (1963)
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1963)
Dinah Washington - for her album Dinah '63 (1963).
Georgia Brown - Georgia Brown (The Sensational New Singing Star of Oliver!) (1963).
Cher - Bittersweet White Light (1973)
Sonny Rollins - Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert (2005)
Bob Dylan - Triplicate (2017)

References

"ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
"Victor 27682 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
"Victor matrix BVE-56191. Why was I born? / Helen Morgan - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
^ "Ella Fitzgerald – Sings The Jerome Kern Songbook (1963, Reel-To-Reel)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Sweet Adeline – Broadway Musical – Original". IBDd.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 612. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
"The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
"Frank Sinatra Discography". Jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 120. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
"Dorothy Lamour - The Road To Romance...For Bing, Bob And You!". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"thejudyroom.com". thejudyroom.com. Retrieved October 8, 2021.
"Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book, Vols. 1-2 - Margaret Whiting | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell, John Coltrane | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Dinah Washington - Dinah '63". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Georgia Brown - Georgia Brown (The Sensational New Singing Star Of Oliver!)". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Vinyl Album: Cher - Bittersweet White Light (1973)". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Without a Song: The 9/11 Concert - Sonny Rollins | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
"Triplicate - Bob Dylan | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 31, 2021.

v t e Libby Holman
Singles	"Am I Blue?" "Moanin' Low" "Why Was I Born?" "Body and Soul" "Love for Sale" "You and the Night and the Music"
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v t e Billie Holiday
Discography Awards and nominations
Studio Albums	Billie Holiday Sings/Solitude An Evening with Billie Holiday Billie Holiday Stay with Me Music for Torching Velvet Mood Lady Sings the Blues Body and Soul Songs for Distingué Lovers All or Nothing at All Lady in Satin Last Recording
Live Albums	Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport The Essential Billie Holiday: Carnegie Hall Concert Recorded Live
Compliations	Lady in Autumn: The Best of the Verve Years Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944 Lady Day Swings Remixed and Reimagined The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters
Songs	"Ain't Nobody's Business" "As Time Goes By" "Billie's Blues" "Blue Moon" "Body and Soul" "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" "Don't Explain" "Easy Living" "Embraceable You" "Everything Happens for the Best" "Everything Happens to Me" "Fine and Mellow" "Gloomy Sunday" "God Bless the Child" "Good Morning Heartache" "I Cover the Waterfront" "I Loves You, Porgy" "If You Were Mine" "I Thought About You" "I'll Be Seeing You" "I'll Get By" "I'll Never Be the Same" "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" "Just One of Those Things" "Lady Sings the Blues" "Left Alone" "Love for Sale" "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" "Me, Myself, and I" "Miss Brown to You" "My Man" "Moonlight in Vermont" "Night and Day" "No More" "Now or Never" "Our Love Is Different" "P.S. I Love You" "Pennies from Heaven" "Please Don't Do It Here" "Preacher Boy" "Sophisticated Lady" "Stormy Blues" "Stormy Weather" "Strange Fruit" "Sugar" "Summertime" "That Ole Devil Called Love" "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" "Too Marvelous for Words" "Trav'lin' Light" "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" "What Is This Thing Called Love?" "Why Was I Born?" "Willow Weep for Me" "You Go to My Head" "Your Mother's Son-In-Law"
Related articles	"Angel of Harlem" Lady Sings the Blues book film soundtrack Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill Statue The United States vs. Billie Holiday soundtrack
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