I decided to continue the series on jazz standards with a less known composition (in terms of its not-so-frequent use by jazz musicians) called ‘Nancy (with the Laughing Face)’. It was composed somewhere in 1942 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Phil Silvers. Because of the song’s close affiliation with Frank Sinatra, it is commonly mistaken that the tune was written as a birthday gift for Frank’s daughter, Nancy Sinatra. Recently, a video appeared on Youtube in which the retired American broadcast executive Rick Busciglio tells the story of how the song was created. The story was told to him by the composer Van Heusen, with whom he collaborated on a TV special with Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope. The idea for the songs was brought by Silvers, who suggested it to Van Heusen as a birthday gift for Bessie, the wife of their friend and lyricist Johnny Burke with whom they worked together on music for a movie at that time. As Van Heusen told Busciglio, “at the party, they sang "Bessie... with the laughing face." It was such a hit that they used it at other female birthday events. When they sang it as "Nancy... with the laughing face" at little Nancy Sinatra's birthday party, Frank broke down and cried thinking that it was written specially for his daughter - the trio wisely didn't correct him. Jimmy assigned his royalties to Nancy after Frank recorded it for Columbia in 1944."
Although it is not that common in the repertoire of jazz musicians like some other standards, ‘Nancy (with a Laughing Face)’ was recorded by notable musicians through the history of jazz. Here are some of the most beautiful versions and performances of this wonderful tune:
