"Love Is Here to Stay" is a well-known song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the movie The Goldwyn Follies, which was released in 1938.
History
The song "Love Is Here to Stay" was first performed by Kenny Baker in The Goldwyn Follies. It became well-known when Gene Kelly sang it to Leslie Caron in the film An American in Paris (1951). However, the song was not included in the 2015 Broadway musical An American in Paris. It appeared in the movies Forget Paris (1995) and Manhattan (1979).
The song is also heard in the film When Harry Met Sally… (1989), where it is sung by Harry Connick Jr.
An instrumental version of the song is sometimes played in certain episodes of the American television sitcom The Honeymooners during scenes where Ralph Kramden apologizes to his wife, Alice.
The song is also used in the musical The 1940's Radio Hour.
Composition
"Love Is Here to Stay" was the last song George Gershwin completed before he died on July 11, 1937. Ira Gershwin wrote the lyrics after George's death as a way to honor his brother. Although George had not written a verse for the song, he had an idea for it that Ira and pianist Oscar Levant had heard before he died. When a verse was needed, Ira and Levant remembered what George had in mind. Composer Vernon Duke rewrote the music for the verse at the beginning of the song. Originally titled "It's Here to Stay" and then "Our Love Is Here to Stay," the song was finally named "Love Is Here to Stay." Ira Gershwin said that for many years he wanted to change the song's name back to "Our Love Is Here to Stay," but he thought it wouldn't be right because the song had already become a well-known song.
The Goldwyn Follies
Ira Gershwin remembered that only a small part of the song "Love Is Here to Stay" was shown in The Goldwyn Follies, which made it seem unimportant. Oscar Levant recalled that the film's producer asked Gershwin to meet with a group of people one afternoon and play his entire musical score for them. This made George very angry because he believed he had moved beyond this point in his career as a composer. S. N. Behrman visited Gershwin a few days before he died and recorded that George said, "I had to live for the moment when Sam Goldwyn would tell me, 'Why don't you write hits like Irving Berlin?'"
Other versions
- Red Norvo with Mildred Bailey – (1938)
- Nat "King" Cole – Sings For Two In Love (1953)
- Dinah Washington – In the Land of Hi-Fi (1956)
- Frank Sinatra – Songs For Swingin' Lovers (1956)
- Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Ella and Louis Again (1957)
- Doris Day – Hooray for Hollywood (1958)
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)
- Billie Holiday – All or Nothing at All (1959)
- Michael Feinstein – Pure Gershwin (1987)
- Susannah McCorkle – Hearts and Minds (2000)