"Body and Soul" is a well-known song and jazz piece created in 1930. Johnny Green composed the music, and Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, and Frank Eyton wrote the lyrics. The song was also used as the main musical theme and background music in the American film noir boxing movie "Body and Soul."

Background

"Body and Soul" was written in New York City for Gertrude Lawrence, a British actress and singer who introduced the song to London audiences. It was published in England and first performed in the United States by Libby Holman in the 1930 Broadway revue Three's a Crowd. In Britain, the orchestras of Jack Hylton and Ambrose recorded the ballad in the same week of February 1930. In the United States, the song quickly became popular, and by the end of 1930, at least 11 American bands had recorded it. Louis Armstrong was the first jazz musician to record "Body and Soul" in October 1930, but it was Paul Whiteman and Jack Fulton who helped make it widely known in the United States.

"Body and Soul" is one of the most recorded jazz standards, and many different lyrics have been written for it.

Musical characteristics

"Body and Soul" is typically performed in the key of D-flat major. A verse that comes before the chorus is rarely performed, though recordings by Libby Holman and Billie Holiday include it. The main part of the song features a repeated eight-bar melody, followed by an eight-bar bridge and an eight-bar return to the melody. The 32-bar AABA structure is common in popular songs from that time. The "A" section uses standard chord progressions, including ii–V–I turnarounds in the key of D-flat. However, the bridge is unusual because it shifts between different tonal centers. It has been called "a bridge like no other." "Body and Soul" is considered difficult for musicians to play solos over, but the unique chord patterns allow for a lot of freedom in improvisation.

Notable recordings

On October 11, 1939, Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra recorded a famous version of "Body and Soul" for Bluebird, a company owned by RCA Victor. This recording is unique because the melody is only briefly heard, and most of the recording features Hawkins playing two long sections of improvised music over the song’s chord progression. Jazz critic Leonard Feather noted that this recording became Hawkins’ most famous work and helped him gain national recognition. Because of its creative use of harmony and departure from common swing styles, the recording is considered part of the "early signs of bebop." In 2004, the Library of Congress added this recording to the National Recording Registry.

On November 9, 1947, Frank Sinatra recorded "Body and Soul" with trumpet player Bobby Hackett and a large orchestra arranged by Alex Stordahl for Columbia Records. This recording was not released until June 1949, when it appeared on Sinatra’s fourth Columbia album, Frankly Sentimental. Later, Columbia released two alternate versions of the recording. One version begins with Hackett’s trumpet, while another starts with the orchestra before Hackett plays. The recordings differ in length: the first is 3 minutes and 15 seconds, the second is 3 minutes and 20 seconds, and the third is 3 minutes and 23 seconds.

Sinatra expert Charles Granada explained the importance of this recording in a note on the first CD release of the third version (listed as 3:24).

On March 23, 2011, Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse recorded "Body and Soul" as a duet. This was Winehouse’s final recording before her death on July 23, 2011, at age 27. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011, which would have been Winehouse’s 28th birthday, on platforms like iTunes, MTV, and VH1.

When the song reached number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week of October 1, 2011, Bennett, who was 85 years old at the time, became the oldest living artist to chart on the Hot 100. This achievement also made Bennett the artist with the longest time span between his first and most recent appearances on the Hot 100. His version of "Young and Warm and Wonderful" was on the first Hot 100 chart, published for the week of August 4, 1958. The song won a Grammy Award in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category at the 54th Grammy Awards on February 12, 2012. Revenue from the song supports The Amy Winehouse Foundation, an organization that helps young people struggling with addiction.