I Didn't Know What Time It Was
1939 song by Richard Kollmar
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"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1939 musical Too Many Girls.
Introduced by Richard Kollmar and Marcy Westcott in the stage musical,[1] early hit versions were recorded by Benny Goodman (vocal by Louise Tobin) and by Jimmy Dorsey (vocal by Bob Eberly).[2]
It was then performed by Trudy Erwin (dubbing for Lucille Ball) and Richard Carlson in the 1940 film adaptation produced by RKO.[3] The song was later interpolated into the score of the 1957 film Pal Joey, sung by Frank Sinatra, and has become a jazz standard. In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.[4]
| "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Richard Kollmar | |
| Released | 1939 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Composer | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyricist | Lorenz Hart |
Recordings
- Artie Shaw - Shadows / I Didn't Know What Time It Was (1939)[5]
- Charlie Parker – Charlie Parker with Strings (1949)[5]
- Peggy Lee – Black Coffee (1953)[5]
- Louis Jordan (1954)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook (1956)
- Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan – Gerry Mulligan Meets Stan Getz (1957)[5]
- Billie Holiday – Songs for Distingué Lovers (1957)
- Sonny Clark - Sonny Clark Trio (1957)[6]
- Bobby Darin - Love Swings (1958)
- Benny Golson with Curtis Fuller – Groovin' with Golson (1959)[5]
- Barry Harris – Listen to Barry Harris (1961)[5]
- Art Blakey with Wayne Shorter – Ugetsu (1963)[5]
- Timi Yuro - The Amazing Timi Yuro (1964)
- The Crampton Sisters - their 1964 revival for the DCP label was a Hot 100 entry, peaking at #92.[7]
- McCoy Tyner with Bobby Hutcherson – Time for Tyner (1968)[5]
- Ray Charles - #74 in Canada, March 17, 1969[8]
- Betty Carter – Betty Carter at the Village Vanguard (1970)[5]
- David "Fathead" Newman – Captain Buckles (1971)
- Shirley Horn – All of Me (1987)
- Cassandra Wilson – Blue Skies (1988)[5]
- Chick Corea – Expressions (1994)[5]
- Brad Mehldau – The Art of the Trio Vol. 1 (1997)[5]
- Richard Wyands Trio - Lady of the Lavender Mist (1998)
- Cécile McLorin Salvant – WomanChild (2013)
- Sue Raney - Late in Life (2015)
- Barbra Streisand – The Music...The Mem'ries...The Magic! (2017)
Apart from those listed, there are hundreds more versions of the song.[9]