- Dear Hearts and Gentle People
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"Dear Hearts and Gentle People" is a popular song published in 1949 with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Bob Hilliard. They were inspired to write the song based on a scrap of paper with the words "Dear friends and gentle hearts" written on it that was found on the body of Stephen Foster when he was discovered in a New York hotel room in January 1864.
Popular versions were recorded in 1949 by Dinah Shore, Gordon MacRae, Bing Crosby and Dennis Day.[1] In the United Kingdom the song was recorded by Doreen Lundy. Later recordings were made by Perry Como in 1959 and again in 1980. The song references the singer's hometown, and different versions allude to a range of U.S. states.
Versions
The Dinah Shore recording was recorded on September 9, 1949 and released by Columbia Records (as catalog number 38605). This version alludes to Tennessee, Shore's home state. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on November 18, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #7.[1]
The Gordon MacRae recording was recorded on October 21, 1949 and released by Capitol Records (as catalog number 777). After 2 weeks on the charts, it peaked at #19. The flip side was "Mule Train," which MacRae recorded October 1, 1949.[1]
The Bing Crosby recording was recorded on October 26, 1949 and released by Decca Records (as catalog number 24798). This version mentions Idaho, close to Crosby's home state of Washington. The flip side was "Mule Train". The recording first appeared on the Billboard magazine charts on November 25, 1949, lasting 16 weeks and peaking at position #2.[1]
The Dennis Day recording was released by RCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single (catalog number 20-3596), and as a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-3102). The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on January 13, 1950, lasting 3 weeks and peaking at position #19.[1]
The Doreen Lundy recording was recorded on February 22, 1950 and released by EMI's UK Columbia Records label (as catalog number DB 2649).
The song was performed by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in the 1950 Columbia Pictures film Beyond the Purple Hills.
The Perry Como recording of April 23, 1959 was released as a track on the album Como Swings (catalog number LSP-2010). The Como recording of July, 1980, from a live performance, was released on the album Perry Como Live On Tour in 1981 (catalog number AQL1-3826).
A recording of the song by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats was featured in the trailer for the 2008 retro-futuristic video game Fallout 3.[2]
Preceded by
I Can Dream, Can’t I?Cash Box magazine best selling record chart
#1 record
February 18, 1950Succeeded by
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine BoyReferences
- ^ a b c d e Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
- ^ E3 2008 - Fallout 3 Trailer (Video game). Bethesda Softworks. 2008-07-16. Event occurs at 1:26. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYZpR51XgW0. Retrieved 2010-07-01.
External links
Categories:- Songs with music by Sammy Fain
- Songs with lyrics by Bob Hilliard
- 1949 songs
- Dinah Shore songs
- Pop standard stubs
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