I've Heard That Song Before

This article is about the musical standard. For the Patti Page album, see I've Heard That Song Before (album). For the Mary Higgins Clark novel, see I Heard That Song Before.
"I've Heard That Song Before"
Single by Harry James Orchestra, vocal Helen Forrest
B-side"Moonlight Becomes You"[1]
PublishedSeptember 14, 1942 (1942-09-14) by Edwin H. Morris & Co., Inc.[2]
ReleasedDecember 4, 1942 (1942-12-04)
RecordedJuly 31, 1942 (1942-07-31)[1]
StudioLos Angeles, CA[1]
Genreswing
Length2:58
LabelColumbia 36668[1]
Composer(s)Jule Styne[2]
Lyricist(s)Sammy Cahn[2]
Harry James Orchestra, vocal Helen Forrest singles chronology
"I Had The Craziest Dream"
(1942) 		"I've Heard That Song Before"
(1942) 		"All or Nothing at All"
(1943)

"I've Heard That Song Before" is a 1942 American popular song about nostalgia[3] with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Sammy Cahn.[4] It was introduced by Martha O'Driscoll (dubbed by Margaret Whiting) in the 1942 film Youth on Parade. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1942, but lost out to "White Christmas".

The most notable version of the song was recorded by Harry James and his Orchestra with Helen Forrest on vocals on July 31, 1942.[5] This was the last day of recording before the Musician Union's ban. The recording was issued on Columbia 36668 and became a number one hit on both the pop charts and the Harlem Hit Parade in the US in early 1943.[6] This version of the song can be heard in Woody Allen's 1986 movie Hannah and Her Sisters.

  1. ^ a b c d "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 36500 - 37000". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  2. ^ a b c Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1942). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1942 2 Music New Series Vol 37 Pt 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
  3. ^ Browne, Ray Broadus; Ambrosetti, Ronald J. (1993). Continuities in Popular Culture: The Present in the Past & the Past in the Present and Future. ISBN 9780879725938.
  4. ^ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 1, side A.
  5. ^ "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 36500 - 37000". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 291.