Composer/arranger Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra are featured in today’s Song of the Day, singing a composition by Johnny Mercer.
Composer and lyricist Johnny Mercer, a stalwart author of the Great American Songbook, was born on this day (November 18), in Savanah, Georgia, in 1909. In 1950, Mercer took a song by French composers Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prévert called “Les Feuilles Mortes,” contributed his own lyrics and rebranded the tune under another name. Its title: “Autumn Leaves.” Over the years, the song has become a certified jazz classic, recorded by countless jazz and pop artists, from Nat King Cole to Willie Nelson. Our favorite version happens to come from Frank Sinatra, who recorded it for his 1957 album Where Are You? It’s the perfect choice for today’s Song of the Day.