Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

"Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered"
Single by Rod Stewart & Cher
from the album As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2
Released	2003
Genre	Jazz standard
Writer(s)	Richard Rodgers Lorenz Hart
Cher North American singles chronology "When the Money's Gone"/ "Love One Another" (2003) "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (2003) TBA (2010) Rod Stewart singles chronology "Time After Time" (2003) "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (2003) "What a Wonderful World" (2004)

"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is a show tune and popular song from the 1940 Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey. The song was introduced by Vivienne Segal in the 1940 Broadway production, and also sung by Miss Segal both on the 1950 hit record and in the 1952 Broadway revival. The song was performed by Carol Bruce in the 1954 London production.

The original lyrics present an unabashed celebration of feminine sexuality that has been bowdlerized in most covers to remove the song's blatant sexual allusions. One such line is "When love came and told me I shouldn't sleep," replacing the original "Until I could sleep where I shouldn't sleep"; another switch changed "And worship the trousers that cling to him" to "And long for the day I'll cling to him." The lyric "horizontally speaking, he's at his best" is often sung, "Harsh until he's speaking..." A reprise, including the line "Those ants that invaded my pants," is generally omitted entirely.^[1] The authentic allusions are preserved in Frederica von Stade's 1990 recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John McGlinn, and in the Patti Lupone recording of the 1995 City Center concert version.

Notable recordings

• Helen Forrest vocal with Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
  • Columbia 35944 (matrix: CO-29579-1)
  • Recorded: January 28, 1941

• David Rose and his Orchestra
  • MGM 30120 (matrix: 47 S3 234)
  • Recorded: c. November 1947

• Doris Day with The Mellomen and orchestra conducted by John Rarig
  • Columbia 38698 (matrix: HCO 3765-1N)
  • Recorded: May 13, 1949
  • Peak Billboard chart position: #9

• Jan August orchestra and The Harmonicats
  • Mercury 5399
  • Peak Billboard chart position: #17

• Larry Green
  • RCA Victor 20-3726
  • Peak Billboard chart position: #15

• Gordon Jenkins and orchestra
  • Decca 24983
  • Peak Billboard chart position: #6

• Bill Snyder (piano) with orchestra
  • Tower 1473
  • Released: c. March 1950
  • Peak Billboard chart position: #3

• Mel Tormé & Dave Lambert Singers with orchestra directed by Pete Rugolo
  • Capitol 1000 (matrix: 5719-Y)
  • Recorded: April 3, 1950

• Wally Carr and chorus with Bob Gibson & his Orchestra
  • Pacific 10-0046 (matrix: MX 37046)
  • Recorded: October 1950

• Evelyn Künneke und das Orchester Kurt Edelhagen
  • (German version entitled "Verliebt")
  • Recorded: c. 1952

• Oscar Peterson with Barney Kessel (guitar) and Ray Brown (bass)
  • From the album Oscar Peterson plays Richard Rodgers
  • Recorded: December 7, 1953

• Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Buddy Bregman
  • From the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook
  • Recorded: August 1956

• Frank Sinatra from the film Pal Joey (1957)

• June Christy
  • From the album Ballads For Night People
  • Capitol Records ST 1308
  • Released: 1960

• Barbra Streisand from The Third Album (1963)

• Jack Jones
  • From the album Bewitched
  • Kapp Records KS-7107
  • Released: 1964

• Carly Simon
  • From the album My Romance
  • Arista Records ARCD-8582
  • Released: 1990

• Frederica von Stade and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by John McGlinn
  • From the album My Funny Valentine -- Frederica von Stade sings Rodgers and Hart
  • EMI D173428
  • Released: 1990

• Laura Fygi
  • From the album Bewitched
  • Mercury Records
  • Released: 1993

• Sinéad O'Connor
  • From the album Am I Not Your Girl
  • Chrysalis Records
  • Released: 1993

• Linda Ronstadt
  • From the album For Sentimental Reasons
  • Asylum Records 60474
  • Released: 1996

• Patti LaBelle and Frank Sinatra
  • From the album Duets II
  • Released: 1994

• Patti LuPone
  • From the cast recording of the City Center Encores! 1995 production of Pal Joey
  • Released: 1995

• Katalina
  • From the soundtrack album to the motion picture Simply Irresistible
  • Courtesy of Restless Records
  • Released: 1999

• Silje Nergaard
  • From the album Port of Call
  • Released: 2000

• Smoking Popes
  • From the album The Party's Over
  • Double Zero Records DZ0012
  • Released: 2003

• Rod Stewart and Cher
  • From the album As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2
  • Released: 2003

• Celine Dion
  • From the soundtrack album to the motion picture Mona Lisa Smile
  • Released: 2003

• Ronnie Milsap
  • From his album Just for a Thrill
  • Released: 2004

• Samuel Barnett and Jamie Parker^[2]
  • From the soundtrack album to the motion picture The History Boys and in the original play with the same title
  • Released: 2005

• Rufus Wainwright^[2]
  • From the soundtrack album to the motion picture The History Boys
  • Released: 2006

• Kellie Pickler
  • American Idol 5 - Top 7.
  • Year: 2006

References

1. ^ http://www.lorenzhart.org/bewitchedsng.htm
2. ^ ^{a b} "IMDB - The History Boys - Soundtrack". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464049/soundtrack. Retrieved 18 August 2009.