You're Just in Love
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"You're Just in Love" is a popular song by Irving Berlin. It was published in 1950 and was first performed by Ethel Merman and Russell Nype in Call Me Madam, a musical comedy that debuted at the Imperial Theatre in New York City on October 12 that year. The show ran for 644 performances. Ethel Merman also later starred in the 1953 film version. Theatre lore has it that Berlin wrote the song one night after Call Me Madam was not doing well in tryouts. The second act of the show was lacking. "What I'd like to do is a song with the kid (Russell Nype)," Merman said. So, Berlin went to his room and later produced the counterpoint song. When Berlin played the song for Merman, she said "We'll never get off the stage." According to Berlin's biographer though, Berlin played the song for Russell Nype first, but admonished him not to admit he did so because it would infuriate Merman.
Several recorded versions made the charts in 1950-51: by Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters, by Rosemary Clooney and Guy Mitchell, and by Ethel Merman and Dick Haymes.
The Perry Como/Fontane Sisters version was recorded on September 26, 1950 and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-3945. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on December 22, 1950 and lasted 17 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5.
The Rosemary Clooney/Guy Mitchell version was recorded on October 21, 1950 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39052. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on February 23, 1951 and lasted 2 weeks on the chart, peaking at #29.
The Ethel Merman/Dick Haymes version was recorded on October 17, 1950 and released by Decca Records as catalog number 27317. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on March 30, 1951 and lasted 1 week on the chart, at #30. Although the lowest charting of the three, it got a considerable amount of airplay in subsequent years.
Musically, the song is one of Irving Berlin's three well-known songs that use true counterpoint—a main melody with a secondary melody running at the same time, both with independent lyrics - two others counterpoint songs are Play a Simple Melody as well as "An Old-Fashioned Wedding" (see the 1966 revival of Annie Get Your Gun), also by Irving Berlin. Below is a segment of the music and text of "You're Just in Love," demonstrating the use of polyphony and double lyric.
