Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed song)
1933 popular music song
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"Temptation" is a popular song published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed.
| "Temptation" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Bing Crosby | |
| Published | 1933 |
| Composer | Nacio Herb Brown[1] |
| Lyricist | Arthur Freed[1] |
| Producer | Wesley Rose[1] |
Bing Crosby recording
The song was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1933 film Going Hollywood. Crosby recorded the song with Lennie Hayton's orchestra on October 22, 1933,[2] and it reached the No. 3 spot in the charts of the day during a 12-week stay.[3] He recorded it again with John Scott Trotter's Orchestra on March 3, 1945[4] and also for his 1954 album Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
Other notable recordings
- Other popular versions of the song have been recorded by Ferde Grofé & His Orchestra with vocal refrain by Al Dary on November 21, 1933, Artie Shaw and his orchestra on September 7, 1940, Perry Como in 1945,[5] and by Mario Lanza on 29 November 1951 at Radio Recorders and subsequently released by RCA in January 1952. A British cover version by Steve Conway was released in 1946.[6]
- A parody version, entitled "Tim-tay-shun", was recorded in a country music style by Red Ingle with a vocal by "Cinderella G. Stump" (actually a pseudonym for Jo Stafford) in 1947 and this topped the US charts.[7][8]
- African-American crooner Billy Eckstine recorded his version December 30, 1947. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart.[9]
- The Everly Brothers' version (b/w "Stick With Me Baby", Warner Bros. Records WB5220), released in May 1961, reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. This version also peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10]
Use in films
- The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain (1952) and later in the 1983 musical based on the film.
- The song is also prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini's Violent Summer (1959).
Bibliography
- Who Wrote that Song Dick Jacobs & Harriet Jacobs, published by Writer's Digest Books, 1993