State Fair - film

"It Might as Well Be Spring" is a song from the 1945 film State Fair. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year. State Fair was the only original film score by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In the film the song was sung by Jeanne Crain, who played Margy Frake. Dick Haymes, the original Wayne Frake, made the first hit recording of the song, followed by another hit recording by Frank Sinatra on his 1961 album Sinatra & Strings. The recording by Dick Haymes was released by Decca Records as catalog number 18706. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on November 8, 1945 and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5. ^[1] It was the flip side of "That's for Me," another top-10 best seller.

Other contemporary recordings were made by the Sammy Kaye orchestra and the Paul Weston orchestra (with vocals by Margaret Whiting). Ella Fitzgerald recorded this on her live 1961 Verve release Ella in Hollywood.

The recording by Sammy Kaye was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1738. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on December 20, 1945 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #8. ^[1]

The recording by Paul Weston/Margaret Whiting was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 214. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on November 22, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6. ^[1]

The recording by Paul Fenoulhet with The Skyrockets Dance Orchestra with refrain song was made in London on February 2, 1946. It was released by EMI on the HMV Records label as catalogue number BD 5928.

Singer and pianist Nina Simone sang "It Might As Well Be Spring" on her first album for Colpix Records, titled The Amazing Nina Simone (1959). It was also featured by Blossom Dearie (in French) on her Blossom Dearie (album).

The version by Ray Conniff and his orchestra & chorus can be found on his album "Hollywood In Rhythm" (1958)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research.