"Let's Fall in Love"

Word & Song by Anthony Esolen

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Today we are circling back to a composer whose work, I feel certain, is known to every reader of Sometimes a Song, if only for a single song, one of many that composer Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg collaborated on for the 1939 classic film, The Wizard of Oz. And that song is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” selected by The American Film Institute’s number one spot on their list of 100 Top Songs from Film. Arlen hit the peak of his career in his work on that film, but he enjoyed a long prelude not only a composer but also as a singer and popular pianist, accompanist, and arranger in his work for the famed Cotton Club in Harlem, on Broadway, and in Hollywood.
Today’s song Arlen composed with lyricist Ted Koehler, his frequent collaborator, with whom he produced his first big hit, a little number called “Get Happy” (in 1930), and a range of what are now considered American standards, including “Stormy Weather” (big hit for Ethel Waters in 1933) and “I’ve Got the World on a String” (recorded by a string of great singers as long as your arm, but done to perfection by Frank Sinatra in 1953, with an unbeatable Nelson Riddle arrangement). In 1934, Arlen and Koehler had gone to Hollywood to compose the songs for a rather forgettable film with the title, “Let’s Fall in Love.” Of this film it’s been said that the STAR was the song of the same title, not the actors.

Harold Arlen was recently married when he wrote the music for this sweet little song, having himself fallen in love with his wife over ten years earlier when he was in his twenties and she was working as a Broadway show girl (still in her mid-teens). Arlen had patiently waited for his Anya to grow up to ask her hand in marriage. I am very fond of the lyrics of this song, because it’s just sweet and straightforward and unsophisticated enough to ask, “Why shouldn’t we fall in love?” Why not, indeed! Here’s a song with a message which resounded with audiences almost 100 years ago and which we need more than ever now to combat a crisis of loneliness the world over.

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I didn’t mention above that Harold Arlen didn’t really intend to have a career as a composer and arranger and film scorer. His father was a professional cantor, and he grew up in a house full of music. He wanted to sing! Not surprisingly then, he recorded “Let’s Fall in Love” himself, accompanied by the Ray Sinatra Orchestra, and I’ve included that recording below to give you the composer’s own idea of how the song should be sung. But the tune I think does best with a bit more swing than Arlen’s version gave it, and so I have also included a sweet recording by the OTHER Sinatra (Ray’s younger cousin, Frank!) for a point of comparison. It seems that Harold Arlen’s singing gift was outweighed by his gift for composition, melody, and arrangement.
Enjoy!

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Word & Song by Anthony Esolen is an online magazine devoted to reclaiming the good, the beautiful, and the true. We publish six essays each week, on words, classic hymns, poems, films, and popular songs, as well a weekly podcast for paid subscribers, alternately Poetry Aloud or Anthony Esolen Speaks. Paid subscribers also receive audio-enhanced posts and on-demand access to our full archive, and may add their comments to our posts and discussions. To support this project, please join us as a free or paid subscriber. We value all of our subscribers, and we thank you for reading Word and Song!

Word & Song by Anthony Esolen

reclaiming the good, the beautiful, and the true

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