All of Me

“All of Me” is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons wrote the words and music of “All of Me” in 1931.[1] It “The melody  combines the contradictory possibilities of the song. The downward thrusts of the opening phrases hint at emotional despair while the closing line, with its repeated high notes, seems almost jubilant. “All of Me” first came to public awareness when a performance by Belle Baker was broadcast over the radio in 1931.   Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 1 that year, with vocalist Mildred Bailey.  Within weeks, another two versions were in the charts, with a Louis Armstrong rendition, and Ben Selvin and His Orchestra. ] The song was used in the 1932 film Careless Lady.  In the view of critic Ted Gioia, the definitive version was sung by Billie Holiday in 1941: “she staked a claim of ownership that no one has managed to dislodge in subsequent years”. Two years later, Lynne Sherman’s recording with Count Basie and His Orchestra.  Frank Sinatra recorded several versions of “All of Me”.   He also sang it in the film Meet Danny Wilson, which may have helped Johnnie Ray’s rendition. Sinatra’s use of “All of Me” brought a non-jazz audience to the song, and so too did Willie Nelson, whose version was included in his Stardust album. “All of Me” was given the Towering Song Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame.