All or Nothing at All

Infobox Standard
title = All or Nothing at All
english_title =
comment =


image_size =
caption =
writer =
composer = Arthur Altman
lyricist = Jack Lawrence
published = 1939
written =
language = English
form =
original_artist =
recorded_by = Frank Sinatra (several times)
Chet Baker and Johnny Pace
John Coltrane
Freddie Hubbard
Diana Krall
Barry Manilow
Jimmy Scott
Ian Shaw
Sarah Vaughan
many other artists
performed_by = "All or Nothing at All" is a song composed in 1939 by Arthur Altman, with lyrics by Jack Lawrence.

Frank Sinatra's 1939 recording of the song became a huge hit in 1943, during the 1942-43 musicians' strike. The record peaked in the Billboard top two.

In a 1944 interview, Sinatra said of the delayed success of the song, "That was the song, a few days after Harry James and myself recorded it, that gave us our walking papers out of the old Victor Hugo Cafe (a major entertainment venue of the 1930s) on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The manager came up and waved his hands for us to stop. He said Harry's trumpet playing was too loud for the joint and my singing was just plain lousy and fired Harry, me and the entire band on the spot. He said the two of us couldn't draw flies as an attraction, and I guess he was right - the room was as empty as a barn. It's a funny thing about that song. The recording we made of it 5 years ago is now one of the top spots among the best sellers. But it's the same old recording. It's also the song I auditioned with for Tommy Dorsey, who signed me on the strength of it. And now it's my first big record."

Notable recordings

*Frank Sinatra - with Harry James (1939), "Sinatra and Strings" (1962), "Strangers in the Night" (1966), disco version in 1977 with Joe Beck, live 1982 performance on "" (2006).
*Jimmy Scott - "If You Only Knew" (1955)
*Chet Baker and Johnny Pace - "Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace" (1958)
*Freddie Hubbard - "Open Sesame" (1960)
*John Coltrane - "Ballads" (1962)
*Sarah Vaughan - "Sarah + 2" (1962)
*Betty Carter, with Dave Holland - "Feed the Fire" (1993)
*Barry Manilow - "Singin' with the Big Bands" (1994)
*Diana Krall - "Love Scenes" (1997)
*Ian Shaw - "In a New York Minute" (1999)

References

External links

* [http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3238 Entry on songfacts.com]