As Time Goes By

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"As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when it was sung by the character Sam (Dooley Wilson) in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted #2 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. It was used as a fanfare for Warner Bros. Pictures since 1998.

History

Herman Hupfeld wrote "As Time Goes By" for the 1931 Broadway musical Everybody's Welcome. In the original show, it was sung by Frances Williams. It was recorded that year by several artists, including Rudy Vallee and Binnie Hale.

The song was re-introduced in 1942 in the film Casablanca, sung by Dooley Wilson accompanied by pianist Elliot Carpenter^[1] and heard throughout the film as a leitmotif.^[2] Wilson was unable to record a single of the song at the time due to a musicians' strike, leading the studio to re-issue Vallee's 1931 recording and giving Vallee a number one hit in 1942.^[3]

The famous opening line, "You must remember this...", is actually the start of the chorus as the song was originally written and performed. Wilson did not sing the preceding verse in Casablanca, however, and most subsequent recordings have followed the film's lead in omitting it, leading to its being virtually unknown to most listeners.

In addition to the American Film Institute including it as number two in their list of the 100 best songs in film,^[4] National Public Radio included it in their NPR 100, the 1999 list of the most important American musical works of the 20th century as compiled by their music editors.^[5]

Hupfeld lived his whole life in Montclair, New Jersey and spent many hours at a watering hole built in 1922 on Valley Road which was then part of Upper Montclair, now the Valley Regency. This location, previously known as the Robin Hood Inn, is the location where Hupfeld spent many hours at their piano and wrote several of his songs. A plaque located at the Valley Regency Catering Facility on Valley Road in Clifton, New Jersey commemorates the writing of the song by Hupfeld. Although the building was extensively renovated in 2000-2003, the owners, seeing the value of the plaque retained it and left it where it was, on the second floor of the facility.^{[citation needed]}

Cover versions

The song has been performed by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Engelbert Humperdinck, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Harry Nilsson, Louis Armstrong, Julio Iglesias, Johnny Nash (#43 on Billboard pop chart, 1959), Carly Simon, Tony Bennett, Arielle Dombasle, Jane Monheit, Julie London, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Durante, Chet Baker, Gal Costa, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bryan Ferry, Willie Nelson, Vera Lynn, Andy Williams, Barry White, The Duprees, Johnnie Ray, ZZ Top, Amanda Lear, Widespread Panic, Wang Leehom and Johnny Mathis. Notable versions include:

• Barbra Streisand from The Third Album
• Bob Dylan, then known as Bob Zimmerman, performed the song on January 9, 1959 at the Jacket Jamboree in Hibbing Minnesota.^[6]
• Jimmy Durante on his 1965 album, "Jimmy Durante's Way Of Life." This rendition was later included on the soundtrack of Sleepless in Seattle.

In popular culture

• It inspired the title of the first memoir of Beatles publicist Derek Taylor published by Sphere Books in 1973.[1]
• It is the source of the title of 1990s British comedy series As Time Goes By, and a recording by Joe Fagin was used as the show's theme song.^[7]
• Warner Bros., the studio that produced Casablanca, has included the chorus to the song in the opening to its films since 1998, when it celebrated its 75th anniversary. A shorter version was later added to the closing logo for productions of Warner's television unit.

References