"If You Are But a Dream" is a well-known song created in 1942 with lyrics and music written by Moe Jaffe, Jack Fulton, and Nat Bonx. The song’s melody comes from Anton Rubinstein’s "Romance in E flat, Op. 44, No. 1," which is often called "Rubinstein's Romance."
Frank Sinatra is most closely linked to this song. He first recorded it for Columbia Records on November 14, 1944, with an arrangement by Axel Stordahl. This recording was on the other side of a 78 rpm record that also included "White Christmas." Because of the popularity of "White Christmas," it reached number 7 on the Billboard charts. "If You Are But a Dream" briefly reached number 19 on the same charts.
In 1945, the song was included in the Academy Award-winning short film The House I Live In, where Sinatra appeared. Sinatra later recorded the song again for Capitol Records on December 11, 1957, with an arrangement by Nelson Riddle. This version was first released on This Is Sinatra Volume 2. The song was most prominently used in Woody Allen’s 1987 film Radio Days, which includes the 1944 recording on its soundtrack.
Other recordings
The song "If You Are But a Dream" was also recorded by many other artists. These include, among others: