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Love Is the Sweetest Thing

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"Love Is the Sweetest Thing"
Single by Ray Noble and His New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, vocal Al Bowlly
B-sideI'll Do My Best to Make You Happy[1]
PublishedNovember 9, 1932 (1932-11-09) by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd., London, UK[2]
ReleasedJune 30, 1933 (1933-06-30)[1]
RecordedSeptember 8, 1932 (1932-09-08)[3]
StudioAbbey Road Studios 2, London, UK[3]
GenrePopular Music, British dance band
Length3:18
LabelVictor 24333[1]
Songwriter(s)Ray Noble[2]
Official Audio
"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" on YouTube

"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American success.[4] It was published by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd.[2] Like most compositions published in the period (commonly called Tin Pan Alley songs), its main refrain (in thirty-two bar A-A-B-A form) is preceded with what were then called "sectional verses" or "introductory verses" which are usually omitted from early recordings and modern performances.

Notable recordings

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The following artists, among others, have made recordings :-

Film appearances

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Lyrics extracts

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First introductory verse:

Whether you're 20 and starting in life
Whether to 30 you've grown
Whether to 40, a husband or wife,
Whether you're 50, a Darby and Joan
There's one thing certain that you'll have to own...

Start of main refrain (nowadays "Verse One"):

Love is the sweetest thing
What else on earth could ever bring
Such happiness to ev'rything
As Love's old story.

End of main refrain (nowadays "Verse Three"):

Love is the greatest thing
The oldest yet, the latest thing
I only hope that fate may bring
Love's story to you.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Victor 24333 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced) - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  2. ^ a b "Gramophone matrix 0B3196. Love is the sweetest thing / New Mayfair Dance Orchestra ; Ray Noble - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  3. ^ "A Century of Song: Part One". www.m-magazine.co.uk. PRS for Music. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2018. Love is the Sweetest Thing was a massive hit for Ray on both sides of the Atlantic, earning him his first US number one. Its success brought him a few Hollywood acting roles, where he played alongside Fred Astaire and Joan Fontaine in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress.
  4. ^ "78 Record: Hal Kemp - Snowball (1933)".
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 252. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  6. ^ "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "allbutforgottenoldies.net". allbutforgottenoldies.net. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 741.
  12. ^ Peter Skellern-Love is the sweetest thing.avi on YouTube