Dear Hearts and Gentle People
Encyclopedia
"Dear Hearts and Gentle People" is a popular
song
published in 1949 with music by Sammy Fain
and lyrics
by Bob Hilliard
. They were inspired to write the song based on a scrap of paper with the words "Dear friends and gentle hearts" written on it that was found on the body of Stephen Foster
when he was discovered in a New York hotel room in January 1864.
Popular versions were recorded in 1949
by Dinah Shore
, Gordon MacRae
, Bing Crosby
and Dennis Day
. In the United Kingdom
the song was recorded by Doreen Lundy. Later recordings were made by Perry Como
in 1959
and again in 1980
. The song references the singer's hometown, and different versions allude to a range of U.S. state
s.
recording was recorded on September 9, 1949 and released by Columbia Records
(as catalog
number 38605). This version alludes to Tennessee
, Shore's home state. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on November 18, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #7.
The Gordon MacRae
recording was recorded on October 21, 1949 and released by Capitol Records
(as catalog number 777). After 2 weeks on the charts, it peaked at #19. The flip side was "Mule Train
," which MacRae recorded October 1, 1949.
The Bing Crosby
recording was recorded on October 26, 1949 and released by Decca Records
(as catalog number 24798). This version mentions Idaho
, close to Crosby's home state of Washington. The flip side was "Mule Train
". The recording first appeared on the Billboard magazine charts on November 25, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #2.
The Dennis Day
recording was released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single (catalog number 20-3596), and as a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-3102). The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on January 13, 1950, lasting 3 weeks and peaking at position #19.
The Doreen Lundy recording was recorded on February 22, 1950 and released by EMI
's UK Columbia Records
label (as catalog number DB 2649).
The song was performed by Gene Autry
and the Cass County Boys in the 1950 Columbia Pictures
film Beyond the Purple Hills.
The Perry Como
recording of April 23, 1959 was released as a track on the album Como Swings (catalog number LSP-2010). The Como recording of July, 1980
, from a live performance, was released on the album Perry Como Live On Tour in 1981 (catalog number AQL1-3826).
A recording of the song by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats
was featured in the trailer for the 2008 retro-futuristic
video game Fallout 3
.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
published in 1949 with music by Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain
Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
by Bob Hilliard
Bob Hilliard
Bob Hilliard was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs; "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", "Any Day Now", "Dear Hearts and Gentle People", "Our Day Will Come", "My Little Corner of the World", and "Seven Little Girls ".-Career:Born in New York City, New York, and after...
. They were inspired to write the song based on a scrap of paper with the words "Dear friends and gentle hearts" written on it that was found on the body of Stephen Foster
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster , known as the "father of American music", was the pre-eminent songwriter in the United States of the 19th century...
when he was discovered in a New York hotel room in January 1864.
Popular versions were recorded in 1949
1949 in music
-Events:*February 4 – Ljuba Welitsch makes her Metropolitan Opera début in Salome.*September 5 - Wagnerian tenor Walter Widdop appears at The Proms, singing "Lohengrin's Farewell", the day before his sudden death at the age of 51....
by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and Dennis Day
Dennis Day
Dennis Day born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, was an Irish-American singer and radio, television and film personality.-Early life:...
. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
the song was recorded by Doreen Lundy. Later recordings were made by 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...
in 1959
1959 in music
-Events:*January 5 – The first sessions for Ella Fitzgerald's George and Ira Gershwin Songbook are held.*January 12 – Tamla Records is founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit, Michigan....
and again in 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
. The song references the singer's hometown, and different versions allude to a range of U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s.
Versions
The Dinah ShoreDinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
recording was recorded on September 9, 1949 and released by Columbia Records
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...
(as catalog
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
number 38605). This version alludes to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Shore's home state. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on November 18, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #7.
The Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
recording was recorded on October 21, 1949 and released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
(as catalog number 777). After 2 weeks on the charts, it peaked at #19. The flip side was "Mule Train
Mule Train
"Mule Train" is a popular song written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, Doc Tommy Scott and Fred Glickman. It is a cowboy song, supposedly sung by an Old West wagon driver spurring on his team of mules as he recites the mail-order goods he is delivering to far-flung customers.-Charting versions:Charting...
," which MacRae recorded October 1, 1949.
The Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
recording was recorded on October 26, 1949 and released by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
(as catalog number 24798). This version mentions Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, close to Crosby's home state of Washington. The flip side was "Mule Train
Mule Train
"Mule Train" is a popular song written by Johnny Lange, Hy Heath, Doc Tommy Scott and Fred Glickman. It is a cowboy song, supposedly sung by an Old West wagon driver spurring on his team of mules as he recites the mail-order goods he is delivering to far-flung customers.-Charting versions:Charting...
". The recording first appeared on the Billboard magazine charts on November 25, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #2.
The Dennis Day
Dennis Day
Dennis Day born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, was an Irish-American singer and radio, television and film personality.-Early life:...
recording was released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single (catalog number 20-3596), and as a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-3102). The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on January 13, 1950, lasting 3 weeks and peaking at position #19.
The Doreen Lundy recording was recorded on February 22, 1950 and released by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's UK Columbia Records
Columbia Graphophone Company
The Columbia Graphophone Company was one of the earliest gramophone companies in the United Kingdom. Under EMI, as Columbia Records, it became a very successful label in the 1950s and 1960s...
label (as catalog number DB 2649).
The song was performed by Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
and the Cass County Boys in the 1950 Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
film Beyond the Purple Hills.
The 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...
recording of April 23, 1959 was released as a track on the album Como Swings (catalog number LSP-2010). The Como recording of July, 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
, from a live performance, was released on the album Perry Como Live On Tour in 1981 (catalog number AQL1-3826).
A recording of the song by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats
Bob Crosby
George Robert "Bob" Crosby was an American dixieland bandleader and vocalist, best known for his group the Bob-Cats.-Family:...
was featured in the trailer for the 2008 retro-futuristic
Retro-futurism
Retro-futurism is a trend in the creative arts showing the influence of depictions of the future produced prior to about 1960...
video game Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
.