The song of the day for Saturday, November 18, 2023, is “I Thought About You.”

About Today

We are celebrating the anniversary of the birth of one of America’s finest lyricist: Johnny Mercer. John Herdon Mercer was born on November 18, 1909, in Savannah, Georgia. He was a prolific lyricist, with credits from 1933 until 1973. He also composed, including “I Wanna Be Around.” He was a fine singer and released several albums as a vocalist.

Happy Birthday to Johnny Mercer.

About This Song

“I Thought About You” was written in 1939 by Jimmy Van Huesen and Johnny Mercer. In the biography Portrait of Johnny: The Life of John Herndon Mercer, author Gene Lees quotes Mercer about this song:

I can remember the afternoon that we wrote it. He [Van Heusen] played me the melody. I didn’t have any idea, but I had to go to Chicago that night. I think I was on the Benny Goodman program. And I got to thinking about it on the train. I was awake, I couldn’t sleep. The tune was running through my mind, and that’s when I wrote the song. On the train, really going to Chicago.

“I Thought About You” proved quite popular and has been recorded many times by jazz performers including Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Dinah Washington, and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Thought About You” in June 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement. The Ralph Sharon Trio backed Tony for this album with Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

“I Remember You,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.