Misty (song)
Encyclopedia
"Misty" is a jazz standard
written in 1954 by the pianist Erroll Garner
.
Originally composed as an instrumental following the traditional 32-bar format, the tune later had lyrics by Johnny Burke
and became the signature song
of Johnny Mathis
, reaching #12 on the U.S. Pop Singles
chart in 1959. It has been covered
numerous times, perhaps most notably by Ella Fitzgerald
, Sarah Vaughan
(1959
), Billy Eckstine
(1960), Frank Sinatra
and Earl Grant
(1961
), Lloyd Price
(1963
), and also by Ray Stevens
(1975
) as a country
song. Lesley Gore
included a version of the song on her debut album, I'll Cry If I Want To
. A version was also recorded by Julie London
and an instrumental version by The Shadows
.
Erroll Garner
's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1991, and Johnny Mathis
version of the song was inducted in 2002. The 1975 country version by Ray Stevens
won a Grammy
in the category of Music Arrangement of the Year.
The song plays a key role in the plot of the movie Play Misty for Me
(1971). Clint Eastwood and Universal paid $25,000 to use the song in the film.
In an infamous scene from the twentieth episode of the fifth season of Magnum, P.I.
, Tom Selleck
, as Magnum, is forced to sing the first few lines of the song (before being mercifully interrupted by gunfire) in a karaoke
bar, in what has become notorious as one of the worst renditions of the song ever committed to film.
In 1993, guitarist Larry Coryell
covered the song from his album "Fallen Angel."
That same year, alto saxophonist Dave Koz
covered the song from his album "Lucky Man."
Clay Aiken
recorded the song on his 2010 album Tried and True
.
|-
!Country
!Provider
!Certification
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|United Kingdom
|BPI
|Silver
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
written in 1954 by the pianist Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
.
Originally composed as an instrumental following the traditional 32-bar format, the tune later had lyrics by Johnny Burke
Johnny Burke (lyricist)
Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
and became the signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
of Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, reaching #12 on the U.S. Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in 1959. It has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
numerous times, perhaps most notably by Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
(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....
), Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
(1960), 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 Earl Grant
Earl Grant
Earl Grant was an American easy listening pianist, Hammond organist, and vocalist popular in the 1950s and 1960s.-Career:...
(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....
), Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...
(1963
1963 in music
-Events:*January 1 – The Beatles start a 5-day tour in Scotland to support the release of their new single, "Love Me Do".*January 4 – At Cortina d'Ampezzo in Italy, Dalida receives a Juke Box Global Oscar for the year's most-played artist on juke boxes....
), and also by Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
(1975
1975 in music
-January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....
) as a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song. Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore
Lesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
included a version of the song on her debut album, I'll Cry If I Want To
I'll Cry If I Want To
I'll Cry If I Want to was the debut album of Lesley Gore. The album included her hit singles "It's My Party" and its follow up, "Judy's Turn to Cry"...
. A version was also recorded by Julie London
Julie London
Julie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
and an instrumental version by The Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
.
Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1991, and Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
version of the song was inducted in 2002. The 1975 country version by Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
won a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in the category of Music Arrangement of the Year.
The song plays a key role in the plot of the movie Play Misty for Me
Play Misty for Me
Play Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, in his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The original music score was composed by Dee Barton.-Plot:...
(1971). Clint Eastwood and Universal paid $25,000 to use the song in the film.
In an infamous scene from the twentieth episode of the fifth season of Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
, Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
, as Magnum, is forced to sing the first few lines of the song (before being mercifully interrupted by gunfire) in a karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
bar, in what has become notorious as one of the worst renditions of the song ever committed to film.
In 1993, guitarist Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell
Larry Coryell is an American jazz fusion guitarist.-Biography:Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He graduated from Richland High School, in Richland, Washington, where he played in local bands The Jailers, The Rumblers, The Royals, and The Flames. He also played with The Checkers from nearby...
covered the song from his album "Fallen Angel."
That same year, alto saxophonist Dave Koz
Dave Koz
Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
covered the song from his album "Lucky Man."
Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
recorded the song on his 2010 album Tried and True
Tried and True
Tried and True is the fifth full length studio album released by Clay Aiken on June 1, 2010. This album is Aiken's first release on the Decca label. The deluxe edition includes two additional tracks plus a second disk with behind the scenes video and a live performance.-Background:The songs on...
.
Johnny Burke
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
Ray Stevens
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 18 |
| Canadian RPM Hot Country Singles | 2 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 15 |
| Canadian RPM Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 2 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 5 |
| South African Singles Chart | 5 |
| Euro Hit 50 | 9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 11 |
Certifications
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"|-
!Country
!Provider
!Certification
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|United Kingdom
|BPI
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
|Silver