Like Someone In Love, Van Heusen & Burke On the Road with Bing Crosby
The first time I came across Like Someone In Love in a Fake Book, I was immediately taken by its descending bass line, the line that the left hand plays that is created by the bottom notes of each chord (in this case: C-B-A-G-F#-F-E). The discovery of this great standard took place right after I had made the transition from being the keyboard player in my commercial group Synergy to my role as a solo jazz pianist. As a result, I probably noticed this style of arranging the chords because of its similarity to Billy Joel’s Piano Man.
Like Piano Man, many pop songs written after 1960 incorporate the descending bass line technique in as a way of connecting one chord to another. In contrast to this, the standards of the American Popular Songbook usually emphasize the ii – V and ii-V-I chord progressions as the method for relating and joining one chord to another. Certainly, the use of the handi variation aka minor line cliché is common to both styles of music. However, Like Someone In Love is more of a exception than the rule for the standards.
In any case, I got to thinking about how composers from every era often found ways to express a non-musical image by using a certain compositional technique. For example, many of my students play James Bastien’s arrangement of the theme from the 5th movement of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. In many instances, I tell these students about how amazed I am every time I listen to the section of the piece in which the composer created the effect of a chirping /singing bird by using real instruments. No computers or synthesizers necessary!
In last week’s blog that featured the Mercer-Van Heusen collaborative creation, I Thought About You, I referred to the effect of Mercer’s train trip to Chicago on his lyric writing. Not only did this inspire the words for this particular standard, but it also launched a series of train-themed songs. To me the descending bass line technique that Jimmy Van Heusen used in Like Someone In Love suggests motion and movement.
I really don’t think that this is a coincidence. Not long after the composer and lyricist Johnny Burke started working together in Hollywood, singer/actor Bing Crosby convinced Paramount Pictures to hire the Van Heusen/Burke team to create the music for Road to Zanzibar. This film was the second of the seven “Road” pictures featuring Crosby and his long-time partner Bob Hope. Meanwhile, Crosby’s influence had been responsible for putting the song-writing team in a position to create the music for several motion pictures as well as dozens of hit songs.
As was the case with Here’s That Rainy Day, which came from the unsuccessful 1953 musical Carnival in Flanders, Like Someone In Love was one of the songs written for the unsuccessful 1944 film, Belle of the Yukon. Nevertheless, Bing Crosby’s recording of this standard reached #15 on the charts during the following year. Consequently, due to its popularity as well as to its compositional quality, Like Someone In Love found its way into the performing repertoire of many jazz instrumentalists and vocalists.
In listening to Rhapsody Music’s track offerings of Like Someone In Love, I was amazed by the number of pianists and organists who contributed performances to this musical library. An extremely successful native of Andover, MA by the name of Bill Cunliffe switched from his regular keyboard (piano) to the Hammond B-3 for his swinging organ trio version. Also included was Oscar Peterson’s two-piano duet with radio host Marian McPartland from his appearance on her NPR Piano Jazz series. On the more traditional solo piano side were Dick Hyman (who did the music for several of Woody Allen’s films) and Dick Wellstood (whose live performance was recorded at the Sticky Wicket in Hopkinton, MA – the place formerly known as the home base of the New Black Eagle Jazz Band). The list of mainstream jazz pianists goes on to include Cedar Walton, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Red Garland, Mal Waldron, Hal Galper, Hank Jones and George Shearing.
Of all the songs that I have recorded and written about for this Jimmy Van Heusen blog post series, Like Someone In Love stood apart from the others in that the performances stayed with the swing style almost exclusively. And they all worked wonderfully!
Nevertheless, the fact that most of this composer’s other standards offer opportunities for a variety of interpretations speaks to the high caliber of his work. So whether you want help exploring your options for playing one of the great standards or would like to have the opportunity to personalize your performance of a particular piece, taking piano lessons at the Ed Mascari Piano Studio is the most dependable way to get the results you want.
You can find out all about both our Standard Lesson Program and our unique Flexible Schedule Lesson Program by taking just ten seconds to Contact Us. Both our centrally located Natick Piano Studio and conveniently situated Hudson Piano Studio will provide you with just the right supportive and encouraging atmosphere that will propel your piano playing progress.
As always, our patient piano instructors are delighted and excited to help you learn to play the music you love!