A Fellow Needs a Girl
Encyclopedia
"A Fellow Needs a Girl" is a show tune
written by Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II
for their 1947
musical Allegro
. It has since become a standard, with recordings by many vocalists including Perry Como
, Doris Day
, Frank Sinatra
and Bryn Terfel
.
Como's recordings were made in 1947
and 1961
. The 1947 recording, made on July 28, with Russ Case and his orchestra, was released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single, catalog number
20-2402-B, with the flip side "So Far
," and reached #25 on the charts. It has also been included on several LP album
s. The 1961 recording, made on May 17, with Mitchell Ayres
and his orchestra, was recorded as part of a medley
with "Thank Heaven for Little Girls
" and "You Were Meant for Me
". It was never issued as a single but was included on some albums of Como's.
Doris Day recorded the song on December 11, 1959 for her Columbia
album What Every Girl Should Know, with Harry Zimmerman's Orchestra.
Bryn Terfel
's rendition of the song was included on his 1996 CD of Rodgers and Hammerstein
songs, Something Wonderful, named after the song of the same title in The King and I
.
Show tune
A show tune is a popular song originally written as part of the score of a "show" , especially if the piece in question has become a "standard", more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context...
written by Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Hammerstein II
Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American librettist, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song". Many of his songs are standard repertoire for...
for their 1947
1947 in music
-Events:*August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.*October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army...
musical Allegro
Allegro (musical)
Allegro is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II , their third collaboration for the stage. Opening on Broadway on October 10, 1947, the musical centers on the life of Joseph Taylor, Jr.—Joe follows in the footsteps of his father as a doctor, but is tempted by fortune and fame at...
. It has since become a standard, with recordings by many vocalists including Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
.
Como's recordings were made in 1947
1947 in music
-Events:*August 7 – Carlo Bergonzi makes his professional debut as Schaunard in La Bohème at the Arena Argentina in Catania.*October – Enrico De Angelis leaves Quartetto Cetra to join the army...
and 1961
1961 in music
-Events:*January 15 – Motown Records signs The Supremes.*January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA.*February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single....
. The 1947 recording, made on July 28, with Russ Case and his orchestra, was released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single, catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
20-2402-B, with the flip side "So Far
So Far (song)
"So Far" is a show tune from the 1947 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Allegro.On July 28, 1947 , the song was recorded by Perry Como, and released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single, catalog number 20-2402-A, with the flip side "A Fellow Needs a Girl". The song reached #11 on the Billboard...
," and reached #25 on the charts. It has also been included on several LP album
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s. The 1961 recording, made on May 17, with Mitchell Ayres
Mitchell Ayres
Mitchell Ayres was an orchestra leader, music arranger, composer and performer. He is best known for his many years of work with Perry Como on radio, records, and television and as the musical conductor for The Hollywood Palace.-Early years:Born Mitchell Agress in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he...
and his orchestra, was recorded as part of a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
with "Thank Heaven for Little Girls
Thank Heaven for Little Girls
"Thank Heaven for Little Girls" is a 1957 song written by Lerner and Loewe and performed by Maurice Chevalier. It opened and closed the 1958 film Gigi. Alfred Drake performed the song in the 1973 Broadway production of Gigi....
" and "You Were Meant for Me
You Were Meant for Me (1929 song)
"You Were Meant for Me" is a popular song with music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed, published in 1929.It was introduced by Charles King in the 1929 musical film The Broadway Melody. It was also sung by King dubbing for Conrad Nagel in the feature film The Hollywood Revue of 1929...
". It was never issued as a single but was included on some albums of Como's.
Doris Day recorded the song on December 11, 1959 for her Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
album What Every Girl Should Know, with Harry Zimmerman's Orchestra.
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
's rendition of the song was included on his 1996 CD of Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were a well-known American songwriting duo, usually referred to as Rodgers and Hammerstein. They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium...
songs, Something Wonderful, named after the song of the same title in The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
.