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"If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)" is a popular song written by Nat D. Ayer with lyrics by Clifford Grey. The song was published in 1916 in London; it was republished in 1946. It was introduced on 19 April 1916 at the premiere of the musical/revue The Bing Boys Are Here at The Alhambra, Leicester Square, sung as a duet between the original stars, George Robey as Lucius Bing and Violet Loraine as Emma. The song has become a standard, recorded by many artists since.
Lyrics
Verse 1:
- Sometimes when I feel bad
- and things look blue
- I wish a pal I had... say one like you.
- Someone within my heart to build a throne
- Someone who'd never part, to call my own
Refrain:
- If you were the only girl in the world
- and I were the only boy
- Nothing else would matter in the world today
- We could go on loving in the same old way
Verse 2:
- A garden of Eden just made for two
- With nothing to mar our joy
- I would say such wonderful things to you
- There would be such wonderful things to do
- If you were the only girl in the world
- and I were the only boy.
Recordings
The song was first recorded by the original stars George Robey and Violet Loraine in 1916. Among other early recordings were those by Ernest Pike (as Herbert Payne) with Louie Brooks (Zonophone no. 1645) in 1916, and Stanley Kirkby with Jessie Broughton (Scala No. 862) in c. 1916.
A well-known version was recorded by Perry Como on March 21, 1946 and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1857-B, the flip side of "They Say It's Wonderful". This version reached no. 14 on the Billboard magazine charts. Doris Day recorded the song for her album By the Light of the Silvery Moon and sang the song with Gordon MacRae in the 1953 film By the Light of the Silvery Moon.[citation needed] Donald Peers with two pianos recorded it at Royal Albert Hall, London, on June 13, 1949 as the first song of a medley along with "Blue Skies" and "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" – this was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9792.
Barbra Streisand recorded this song under the title "If You Were the Only Boy in the World", with a Peter Matz arrangement for her album My Name Is Barbra in 1965.[1] Anton Szandor LaVey, founder of The Church of Satan, performed the song on his 1990 album Satan Takes a Holiday.[citation needed]
Film and television performances
The song was performed in the following films and shows:
- In the 1929 film The Vagabond Lover by Actor-singer Rudy Vallee, with the beat changed from a foxtrot to a waltz.[2]
- At the entertainment evening in the 1957 film The Bridge on the River Kwai set during World War II.[3]
- In the 1999 episode "Pardon My Past" of the American television show Charmed.[4]
- In Series 2, Episode 4 of the British period drama television series Downton Abbey (set in 1918) – sung (as a waltz) for wounded British soldiers by Lady Mary.[5]
- In the BBC Scotland soap opera River City (broadcast July 3, 2012) – played as a solo piano instrumental by the character Malcolm Hamilton.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Barbra Streisand Archives: Records/My Name is Barbra album.. Accessed 26 Jun 2013
- ^ Internet Movie Database – Rudy Vallee. Accessed 26 Jun 2013
- ^ Internet Movie Database – Bridge on the River Kwai. Accessed 26 Jun 2013
- ^ Scripts for Charmed. Accessed 26 Jun 2013
- ^ Daily Telegraph Online 4 Nov 2011. Accessed 26 Jun 2013
External links
- "If You Were the Only Girl (in the World)" sung by Loraine and Robey, 1916 (mp3)