Guilty (1931 song)

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"Guilty" is a popular song published in 1931. The music was written by Richard A. Whiting and Harry Akst. The lyrics were written by Gus Kahn.

The song was popularized by Margaret Whiting (Richard Whiting's daughter) and by Johnny Desmond in 1946. The Whiting recording was made on October 9, 1946, and released by Capitol Records (catalog number 324). It reached #4 on the Billboard chart. The Desmond recording was made on December 6, 1946, and released by RCA Victor (catalog number 20-2109). It reached #12 on the Billboard chart.

An early version was featured on the soundtrack of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 film, Amélie. A Decca recording made on December 2, 1931 by Al Bowlly, a popular British singer of the thirties, accompanied by Roy Fox and his Orchestra.^[1][2] Al Bowlly also recorded the song on several other occasions.

Other recordings were made by:

• Ruth Etting in 1931, originally issued on Columbia 2529 D (Matrix 151761). Charted at #4.^[3]
• Mel Tormé and the Mel-Tones on September 10, 1946, released by Musicraft Records (catalog number 428)
• Ella Fitzgerald on January 24, 1947, released by US Decca Records (catalog number 23844)
• Eve Lombard on April 17, 1947, released by UK Decca Records (catalog number F 8773)
• The Blues Brothers with some changed lyrics. Released on the album "Made in America" in 1980.
• Doreen Lundy on July 3, 1947, released by HMV (catalog number BD-5984)
• Billie Holiday in the late 1940s, for Decca Records.^[4]

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