| "That Old Black Magic" | |
|---|---|
 78 single | |
| Single by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Skip Nelson and The Modernaires | |
| B-side | "A Pink Cocktail For a Blue Lady" |
| Released | January 1943 |
| Recorded | July 15, 1942 |
| Genre | Swing, jazz, popular |
| Length | 3:03 |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Songwriter(s) | Harold Arlen (music), Johnny Mercer (lyrics) |
"That Old Black Magic" is a 1942 popular song written by Harold Arlen (music), with the lyrics by Johnny Mercer.[1] They wrote it for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm, when it was first sung by Johnny Johnston and danced by Vera Zorina.[2] The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1943 but lost out to "You'll Never Know".
Glenn Miller reached number one on Billboard with his recording on Victor Records in 1943 featuring Skip Nelson on vocals.
It was first recorded by Gordon Jenkins and his Orchestra on July 9, 1942. Shortly thereafter, on July 26, 1942,[3] Judy Garland recorded her own version, which was released as a single in January 1943 – just after the movie's release on December 30, 1942. Five other recordings (also made in 1942) were released as singles within the next two weeks.[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.
- ^ Motion Picture Production Encyclopedia, 1952, p. 789. Best Original Song: "Black Magic," from Star Spangled Rhythm, Paramount.
- ^ The Judy Room: Discography
- ^ Billboard, December 5, 1942; Billboard, January 23, 1943; Billboard, January 30, 1943; Billboard, February 6, 1943.