Ya gotta have Hart

Today, May 2nd, is the birthday of the man who wrote the lyrics to the above. His name was Lorenz Hart. With his songwriting partner, Richard Rodgers, he co-wrote some of the great standards of the American Songbook.



This personal fave is also beloved of someone who has gone missing from my life, Miss Magnolia Thunderpusy. Mags, honey, do show up soon, please.


Hart's lyrics often 'get' me. Or maybe I should say that I 'get' them.




I think my favorite of Hart's work just might be the following song. I couldn't find a version on You Tube that I really wanted to post. This is, or should be, a memory, a wisp of hope, a moment of longing, an admittance of loneliness. Sinatra comes closest to nailing it in this version, but is betrayed by one of those wow socko finishes that Nelson Riddle would arrange. Even still, it is the kind of song you know in your heart. It's for people who have been there. Maybe that's all of us?



Happy Birthday, Larry. We miss you.