Mon Homme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Mon Homme" is a popular song known by its English translation, My Man. The song was originally composed by Jacques Charles, Channing Pollack, Albert Willemetz, and Maurice Yvain.
[edit] History
Although the song originated in France -- where it was a hit for Mistinguett in 1916 -- it was popularized in the English speaking world in the 1920s with the 1921 recording by Ziegfield Follies singer Fanny Brice. The song was a hit, and the record eventually earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for Brice in 1999.
The ballad version recorded by Brice was modified by Billie Holliday, who introduced a jazz/blues recording of "My Man." Holliday's version was also successful, although the song continued to be associated with Brice. Over the years, other artists from both the United States and abroad covered the song, though none of the artists achieved as much success as Brice and Holliday. One notable version was a 1940s recording by Edith Piaf, the most notable recording of "Mon Homme" in its original language.
In 1965, the song was covered by Barbra Streisand, the then-rising star of the hit Broadway musical, Funny Girl, a semi-biographical account of Fanny Brice's life. Streisand's cover became a minor commercial success, and was also included in the film adaptation of Funny Girl. Her emotional rendition of "My Man" as the film's finale drew additional critical praise to an already lauded performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1968.
Following in Streisand's footsteps, Motown superstar Diana Ross and the Supremes sung the song in their final joint venture, the 1970 live Farewell album. Ross and the Supremes adopted the jazz and blues version of Billie Holliday, as opposed to the ballad version of Brice or the powerful version of Streisand. Although the Supremes had recorded the soundtrack of Funny Girl, Diana Ross would claim "My Man" for herself, as it became one of the first songs in her new solo career. One of Ross's most critically hailed performances in her four-decade career was her rendition of "My Man" in 1979 at Caesars Palace.
