THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

216-Leslie Hutchinson-These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You.)

1936-It has never charted in the UK. There was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 0.41. The way in which the lyrics are written would become known as a ‘List Song.’ A list song is based wholly or in part on a list. Unlike songs with a narrative and a cast of characters, list songs develop by working through a series of information, sometimes humorous or comical (see also best songs 930-810-800-792-767-710-655-587 and 332.)

‘These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You’) was composed in 1934 by Jack Strachey, (1894-1972) (music) and Eric Maschwitz, (1901-1969) (lyrics) who used the pseudonym Hot Marvell. The American songwriter Harry Link (1896-1956) would later add an instrumental part to the song which many performers have used, but his name doesn’t appear on the songs writing credits. In 1939 Eric Maschwitz arguably wrote even more famous lyrics for ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,’ another song which has become a ‘standard,’ with the music written by Manning Sherwin (1902-1974.)

‘These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You’) was written in haste by Maschwitz for a BBC weekly radio revue programme that needed a piece of music. On quickly completing the lyrics Maschwitz read them out over the phone to Strachey who immediately set about composing the music. The song garnered little interest, despite also being featured in ‘Spread It About,’ a London revue of 1936.

It was the West Indian singer Leslie Hutchinson (‘Hutch’) (1900-1969) who while on a visit to Naschwitz’s office at the BBC discovered the song on top of a piano, Hutch liked it and recorded it on ‘HMV Records’ in 1936. This led to several recordings of the song being recorded for the American market the same year, including notable versions by Billie Holiday, and Benny Goodman. The song is now considered a Jazz standard but has been interpreted in many other genres, including James Brown (1933-2006) who has recorded the song on three occasions, and Bryan Ferry who covered the song for his first solo Album ‘These Foolish Things’ in 1973.

There has been speculation as to whom Eric Maschwitz had in mind when he quickly penned the songs lyrics. His wife the English actress Hermoine Gingold, (1897-1987) who Maschwitz was married to at the time speculated that it was either written about her or the actress Anna May Wong, (1905-1961) but Maschwitz eventually admitted the romantic lyrics were about the actress and singer Jean Ross (1911-1973) citing ‘Fleeting memories of a young love,’ as inspiring the song. The two of them had been romantically linked when they were younger.

A cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces, an airline ticket to romantic places. A fairgrounds painted swings, these foolish things remind me of you.’