One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)

Carl Fischer, Paul Weston & His Orchestra, Frankie Laine

About One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)

"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical The Sky's the Limit (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. It was further popularized by Frank Sinatra. Harold Arlen described the song as "another typical Arlen tapeworm" – a "tapeworm" being the trade slang for any song which went over the conventional 32 bar length. He called it "a wandering song. [Lyricist] Johnny [Mercer] took it and wrote it exactly the way it fell. Not only is it long – forty-eight bars – but it also changes key. Johnny made it work." In the opinion of Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski, the song is "musically inevitable, rhythmically insistent, and in that mood of 'metropolitan melancholic beauty' that writer John O'Hara finds in all of Arlen's music."Sinatra recorded the song several times during his career: In 1947 with Columbia Records, in 1954 for the film soundtrack album Young at Heart, in 1958 for Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, in 1962 for Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris, in 1966 for Sinatra at the Sands and finally, in 1993, for his Duets album. At a Johnny Carson-hosted Rat Pack concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis in 1965, Sammy Davis Jr., backed by Quincy Jones conducting the Count Basie Orchestra, performed the song imitating the styles of successively Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Vaughn Monroe, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Frankie Laine, Louis Armstrong, an inebriated Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. 


Year:
2001
3:39
46 
#2

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It's quarter to three, there's no one in the place
Except you and me
So set 'em' up Joe, I got a little story
I think you should know

We're drinking my friend, to the end
Of a brief episode
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

I know the routine, put another nickel
In the machine
I feel kind of bad, can't you make the music
Easy and sad

I could tell you a lot, but it's not
In a gentleman's code
Make it one for my baby
And one more for the road

You'd never know it, but buddy I'm a kind of poet
And I've got a lot of things I'd like to say
And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me
Till it's talked away

Well that's how it goes, and Joe I know your gettin'
Anxious to close
Thanks for the cheer
I hope you didn't mind

My bending your ear
But this torch that I found, It's gotta be drowned
Or it's gonna explode
Make it one for my baby

And one more for the road

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Frankie Laine

Frankie Laine (March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007), born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio, was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005. Often billed as America's Number One Song Stylist, his other nicknames include Mr. Rhythm, Old Leather Lungs, and Mr. Steel Tonsils. His hits included "That's My Desire," "That Lucky Old Sun," "Mule Train," "Cry of the Wild Goose," "Jezebel," "High Noon," "I Believe," "Hey Joe!," "The Kid's Last Fight," "Cool Water," "Moonlight Gambler," "Love is a Golden Ring," "Rawhide," and "Lord, You Gave Me a Mountain." more »

2 fans

Written by: Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


12 facts about this song

Songwriters
"One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" was written by Harold Arlen, a prolific composer of American music, and Johnny Mercer, one of America's greatest song lyricists.
Original Performer
Fred Astaire was the original performer of the song, introducing it in the musical film "The Sky's The Limit" in 1943.
Frank Sinatra's Performance
Frank Sinatra is one of the most famous performers of "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)". He considered it his top favorite, often closing his shows with this poignant torch song.
Song Content
Known as a "saloon song," it captures the late-night lament of a lonely man drowning his sorrows, as he tells his story to a bartender.
Count Basie's Version
Jazz pianist and bandleader Count Basie also recorded a version of "One for My Baby," promoting its aura of raw emotion and melancholy with his signature touch.
Tony Bennett's Performance
Renowned crooner Tony Bennett also recorded a version of the song. His version was noted for its rich, emotional resonance and masterful vocal phrasing.
Frankie Laine's Version
Pop singer Frankie Laine was also among the performers of "One for My Baby". His blues-leaning interpretation added yet another dimension to the song's diverse range of versions.
Multiple Covers
The song has been covered countless times, by artists in various genres, becoming something of a standard in American music.
Composition
Its melody, written in the blues-scale, and clever lyrics have contributed to the song's enduring popularity.
Billboard Charts
Although the original Fred Astaire version did not chart, Sinatra's version became a significant hit. Count Basie's version with Sinatra also reached the Billboard charts.
Sinatra's Legacy
Sinatra's performances of "One for My Baby" on his television specials, particularly his 1958 one directed by Sinatra and A.J. Heinz, are considered television classics.
Lyrics Feature
An interesting aspect of the song is the number of drinks the protagonist takes. In the lyrics, he takes "one for his baby" and "one more for the road," hence the song's title. The phrase "one for the road" has since become a commonly used saying.

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