Autumn Leaves (1945 song)

"Autumn Leaves"
Song by Yves Montand and Irène Joachim
English title	Les feuilles mortes
Written	1945
Published	1946
Composer	Joseph Kosma
Lyricist	Jacques Prévert (French) Johnny Mercer (English)
Recorded by	Jo Stafford, Dalida, Édith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, The Melachrino Strings, Roger Williams, Nat King Cole, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan

"Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally it was a 1945 French song, "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves"), with music by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert. The Hungarian title is "Hulló levelek" (Falling Leaves). Yves Montand (with Irène Joachim) introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in the film Les Portes de la nuit (1946).^[1]

Recordings and covers

1940s

• The American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947, and Jo Stafford was among the first to perform this version. "Autumn Leaves" became a pop standard and a jazz standard in both languages, both as an instrumental and with a singer. There is also a Japanese version called Kareha (枯葉) sung by Nat King Cole in his Japanese album version and 高英男 (Hideo Kou).

1950s

• The Melachrino Strings recorded an instrumental version of the song in London on August 18, 1950. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number B 9952.
• On December 24, 1950, French singer Edith Piaf sang both French and English versions of this song on the radio programme The Big Show, hosted by Tallulah Bankhead.^[2]
• In 1954 Harry James released a version on the album Trumpet After Midnight (Columbia CL-553).
• Doris Day has a version of the song on the album, Day By Day (1956).
• Andy Williams released a version of the song on his album, Lonely Street (1959).
• In 1955, pianist Roger Williams recorded "Autumn Leaves", the only piano instrumental to reach #1 on Billboard's popular music chart.[1] It sold over two million copies and was awarded a gold disc. This version was known for WIlliam's Descending scales and Arpeggios, depicting the falling leaves from the trees to the grounds below.
• On the 1950s US television series Your Hit Parade, in which the Top 7 songs of the week were performed, the song was performed in several episodes during 1955. In one episode, Thelma "Tad" Tadlock danced to an instrumental version of the song, while in another episode, Gisele MacKenzie sang the French version (though with the final line in English).
• Jimmie Rodgers did a version of the song, with his guitar accompaniment, in 1959.
• The film Autumn Leaves (1956), starring Joan Crawford, featured over the title sequence the song as sung by Nat King Cole.
• Frank Sinatra included a popular version of the song on his album Where Are You? (1956).
• Cannonball Adderley recorded the song in 1958 for his Blue Note album Somethin' Else featuring Miles Davis.
• Ahmad Jamal recorded a it in 1955 on his The Ahmad Jamal Trio (Epic Records) and 1958 on his Portfolio of Ahmad Jamal (Argo Records) with a bustling bass by Israel Crosby and Vernell Fournier on drums

1960s

• Bill Evans recorded the song on his 1960 album Portrait in Jazz and on his 1969 album What's New.
• The Coasters released a version of the song on their album One by One (1960).^[3]
• The same year Patti Page also sang the song in the album Indiscretion (1960).
• The French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg paid tribute to this song in his own song "La chanson de Prévert" (1961).^[4]
• The Temperance Seven perform a bilingual version of the song on the album The Temperance Seven 1961 (1961)
• The Everly Brothers released a version of the song on their album Instant Party! (1962)
• Miles Davis played the song as part of his live repertoire from 1960 until 1966. Except for the session with Cannonball Adderley in 1958, Davis never recorded the tune in a studio. Several concerts were recorded and released for the most part by Columbia. The earliest concert recordings of the song played by the Miles Davis Quintet are from 1960 capturing his ensemble in a transitional phase with Sonny Stitt on tenor saxophone. The following recordings featured tenorist Hank Mobley (In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, 1961), then George Coleman (Live in Antibes, Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival), and since the Berlin concert in September 1964 with Wayne Shorter, finally establishing the so-called "second great Miles Davis Quintet" (that soon would abandon completetly the standard repertoire). After a second official release, The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel 1965 (1995), the last known recording of Davis playing "Autumn Leaves" so far was a concert in 1966 at the Oriental Theatre in Portland, Oregon, a bootleg from 2010.^[5]
• On his 1966 record Dream Weaver reed player Charles Lloyd included the song into a medley called "Autumn Sequence" (featuring the 20 year old Keith Jarrett on piano).
• Al Hirt released a version on his album, They're Playing Our Song (1965).^[6]
• Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi recorded his version on the RCA Victor album I'm a Fool to Want You (1968).^[7] The British Invasion band Manfred Mann released a rock version on their 1966 album As Is.^[8]
• The 2003 Vanguard reissue of Joan Baez' album Joan (1967) contains a French interpretation of the song "Autumn Leaves".

1970s

• Ben Webster and the Georges Arvanitas Trio released a version on their album Autumn Leaves (1972).^[9][10]
• Chet Baker released a version on his album She Was Too Good to Me (1974).
• Patricia Routledge sings it on her album Presenting Patricia Routledge Singing the Classics (1975).
• Grace Jones released a version on her album Fame (1978), which was released as a single.
• Nana Mouskouri released a version on her album Roses & Sunshine (1979).

1980s

• "Autumn Leaves" is the corps song of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps,and it is listed on their 1987 program.^[11]
• 20 years after playing the song with Charles Lloyd in the 1960s Keith Jarrett rerecorded it 1986 for the first time with his "Standart Trio" on their Still Live for ECM Records.

1990s

• The Electronic duo Coldcut recorded a cover of the song for their album Philosophy (1993), featuring guest vocalist Janis Alexander.
• The cult British band The Tiger Lillies covered the song on their debut album Births, Marriages and Deaths (1994).
• An epic 26 minute version was recorded by the Keith Jarrett Trio at the Blue Note Jazz Club in 1994 and was released on a 6-CD box set in 1995. Another interpretation followed on Tokyo '96 in 1998.
• Rickie Lee Jones recorded the song for her album, Naked Songs – Live and Acoustic (1995).
• A version by Eva Cassidy is one of the highlights of her seminal live album Live at Blues Alley (1996).
• Greek-Cypriot recording artist Alexia Vassiliou recorded the song for her first album, In a Jazz Mood (1996).

2000s

• Raquel Bitton recorded a version on her album Raquel Bitton sings Edith Piaf (2000).
• Jerry Lee Lewis released a version on the album The Jerry Lee Lewis Show (2000).^[12]
• Progressive house duo Way Out West used the main chord progression and final line of the second verse for their single "The Fall"; it reached #61 on the UK Singles chart in 2000.
• Ledisi released a version on her album Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue (2002).
• Patricia Kaas released a version on her concept album Piano Bar (2002).
• 2003 followed another version by Jarrett's "Standard Trio" on Up for It which was recorded the previous year and combined with the title track.
• Andrea Bocelli released a version of "Les Feuilles Mortes" on his album Amore (2006).
• Diamanda Galás released a version on her album Guilty Guilty Guilty (2002).
• The song also appears on Iggy Pop's album Préliminaires (2009).

2010s

• British blues/rock guitarist Eric Clapton recorded a cover of "Autumn Leaves" for his album, Clapton (2010).
• The song is the opening track on Jason Kouchak's album Comme d'Habitude (2010).
• Jermaine Jackson recorded a version with French baritone David Serero. This version arranged and produced by David Serero was released on both Jermaine Jackson album I Wish You Love and Serero's album All I Care About is Love (2012).
• Mark Lanegan recorded a version of the song in his album Imitations (2013).
• Emmy Rossum released a cover of the song on her album Sentimental Journey (2013).
• Bob Dylan recorded a version for his Frank Sinatra covers album Shadows in the Night (2015).

Chart appearances

In 1955, Roger Williams made the song a number-one hit in the United States, with the only piano instrumental to reach number one.^[13] Billboard ranked this version as the No. 4 song of 1955.^[14]

Structure and chord progression

	"Autumn Leaves" Sample of a recording of "Autumn Leaves" by Eva Cassidy from the album Live at Blues Alley (1996)
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The song is in AABC form.^[15] "Autumn Leaves" offers a popular way for beginning jazz musicians to become acquainted with jazz harmony as the chord progression consists almost solely of ii-V-I and ii-V sequences which are typical of jazz. It was originally, and is most commonly, performed in the key of G minor, but is also played in E minor and other keys. Eva Cassidy's version (clip on the right) is played in B-flat minor.

Its iv7 – VII7 – IIImaj7 – VImaj7 – ii7(b5) – V7 – i chord progression is an example of the circle-of-fifths progression.^[16]

References

1. Massin B. (1999). Les Joachim – Une famille de musiciens. Paris: Fayard.
2. The Big Show. "BigShow-02". BigShow. Archived from the original on 26 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-25. As carried on Internet radio at
3. The Coasters, One by One Retrieved February 8, 2012.
4. François, Corinne (2000). Jacques Prévert, Paroles. Editions Bréal. p. 109. ISBN 978-2-84291-702-9.
5. Cf. Miles Davis discography by Peter Losin.
6. Al Hirt, They're Playing Our Song Retrieved April 13, 2013.
7. "Sergio Franchi". Gemm.com.
8. "As Is". AllMusic.com.
9. http://www.jazzmessengers.com/en/7154/ben-webster/autumn-leaves-digipak
10. http://www.worldcat.org/title/autumn-leaves-ben-webster-et-le-trio-georges-arvanitas/oclc/476668093
11. Anonymous. "1987 Programs & Ticket Stubs". The Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. Retrieved 2006-11-07. As listed in 1987 program.
12. Jerry Lee Lewis, The Jerry Lee Lewis Show Retrieved April 6, 2012.
13. Anonymous. "Roger Williams". Nebraska Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2006-11-07. In 1965, Williams added a chorus and charted it again at no. 10 Billboard Easy Listening as "Autumn Leaves - 1965."
14. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1955
15. Spitzer, Peter (2001). Jazz Theory Handbook, p.81. ISBN 0-7866-5328-0.
16. Kostka, Stefan; Payne, Dorothy; Almén, Byron (2013). Tonal harmony with an introduction to twentieth-century music (seventh ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 46, 238. ISBN 978-0-07-131828-0.

External links

• "Autumn Leaves" at jazzstandards.com
• "Autumn Leaves" - Lead sheet at wikifonia.org
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics