Easy Living (song)
| "Easy Living" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin | |
| Published | 1937 |
| Genre | Jazz • swing |
| Composer(s) | Ralph Rainger |
| Lyricist(s) | 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)
- Bill Evans - New Jazz Conceptions (1956)
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Third Dimension (1956)
- Lee Morgan - Expoobident (1960)
- Paul Desmond (with Jim Hall) - Easy Living (1964)
- Sarah Vaughan (with Oscar Peterson) - How Long Has This Been Going On? (1978)
- Frank Morgan (with Cedar Walton) - Easy Living (1985)
- Ann Hampton Callaway (with Wynton Marsalis) - Easy Living (1999)
- Steve Coleman - Resistance Is Futile, live at Le Jam Club (2001)
- Marc Copland and Greg Osby, from Round and Round (2002)
- Enrico Rava (with Stefano Bollani) - Easy Living (2003)
See also
Sources
- 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.
References
- ^ a b Gioia 2012, p. 94.
- ^ Wilson 1987.
- ^ Whitburn 1986, p. 215.
- ^ Hal Leonard 2006, p. 127.
- ^ Gioia 2012, p. 95.
External links
- Billie Holiday - Easy Living, from The Essential Billie Holiday (The Columbia Years) on YouTube
