Peggy Lee did a lot of radio performances, beginning in the late 1930s, and including her own radio program in the early 1950s. Some of that material is now being released. On Record Store Day last week, we saw the release of World Broadcast Recordings (1955) Volume 1, containing material she recorded for radio syndication. A few months earlier, a two-disc set of music she performed live on radio in 1952 was released. Titled Something Wonderful: Peggy Lee Sings The Great American Songbook, this set contains a lot of excellent music from her own radio program. The songs are presented in groups, organized by their composers rather than recording dates, which is interesting. And those composers in many cases join her on vocals for certain tracks. The liner notes include information on each of the composers, as well as biographical information on Peggy Lee herself. Incredibly, most of these tracks had not been released on CD (or vinyl, for that matter) until now.
Disc One
The fist disc begins with the radio program’s introduction, with the announcer telling us, “You’ve got a date with Peggy Lee.” That is followed by Peggy Lee’s introduction of Johnny Mercer, the first composer to be featured in this two-disc set. There is a bit of banter between them, and then they sing “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” as a duet. It’s a great rendition, so warm, so fun. Hey, let’s all try to “eliminate the negative,” perhaps a tall order in these strange days, but made easier with music like this. By the way, a different version of this song is included on the Record Store Day release. “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” is followed by “Goody Goody,” a song that is always a delight, particularly the straightforward way Peggy Lee delivers it. There is a short introduction to “Come Rain Or Come Shine,” one of my personal favorite tracks from the first disc. This version is nearly as good as Ray Charles’ take on it, and is kind of sexy. It is, however, a bit short, the ending coming rather suddenly. “(Ah, The Apple Trees) When The World Was Young” has a dreamy, nostalgic atmosphere. The past often sounds better than the present, doesn’t it? And Peggy Lee does a fantastic job taking on the role of a woman who is much older than she was at the time. “It’s any old millionaire in a storm/For I’ve got my mink to keep my heart warm.” Before the final track in the Johnny Mercer section of this disc, Peggy Lee introduces Johnny Mercer and they joke around a bit, with Peggy Lee telling him, “Please step in vocally whenever the key fits.” That last track is a medley, with perhaps the best part being when Johnny Mercer briefly sings an update about his daughter. That is adorable.
The next section features music written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and one by Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. This section begins with a couple of songs from Babes In Arms, “My Funny Valentine” and “The Lady Is A Tramp.” She dedicates “My Funny Valentine” to a little girl, adding “Her looks are not laughable, and she is photographable.” I love the way her vocal approach suddenly changes when “The Lady Is A Tramp” kicks in. “I get too hungry for dinner at eight/I like the theatre, but never come late/I never bother with people I hate.” This section also contains a pretty version of “I Could Write A Book” and a lively rendition of “Lover” with a Latin rhythm. Here we also have “Something Wonderful,” the song written by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the one that gives this collection its title. Peggy Lee delivers a rendition that is both thoughtful and dramatic.
The first disc also includes a group of songs composed by Cole Porter, beginning with a bright, lively rendition of “From This Moment On.” I love the work on drums. I do wish this set included a complete list of the musicians who perform on these tracks. “From This Moment On” is followed by “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” As with “Lover,” she adds a Latin vibe to this song, and it works really well. Then Peggy Lee’s vocal approach to “What Is This Thing Called Love?” seems to encompass the various ways we feel about love. The first disc concludes with a couple of tracks written by Matt Dennis, beginning with the bluesy and wonderful “Everything Happens To Me.” The second track is actually a medley of three of his songs, with Matt Dennis joining her on vocals for two of the three, including the first, “We Belong Together.” “Angel Eyes” is sultry and moving, and I wish Peggy Lee did the full song here. The medley wraps up with “Let’s Get Away From It All,” done as a duet with Matt. Dennis.
Disc Two
The second disc opens with a section of music composed by Peggy Lee herself, starting with “It’s A Good Day,” which she co-wrote with her husband, guitarist Dave Barbour. “And it’s a good day for curing your ills/So take a deep breath and throw away the pills.” This track features some great work on drums, which pumps this version full of energy. A different version of this song was included on the recent Record Store Day release. “It’s A Good Day” is followed by “I Don’t Know Enough About You.” I love her playful introduction to this one, particularly when she says the song “applies to a lot of people who have a dearth of knowledge about a plethora of subjects.” Wonderful! This track is another highlight of this collection. She is both playful and seductive here. This was also co-written with then-husband Dave Barbour. “Mañana” is a song that I’ve always enjoyed. And yes, I suppose in these overly sensitive days someone could be offended by how she adopts a Mexican accent, but just relax, this song is a lot of fun. There is a bit of information about this song in the collection’s liner notes. “Whee Baby” is the final of the Peggy Lee-penned songs, this one co-written by Alice Larson. It is also fun, with a good bass line and some wonderful work from the horn section.
Then we get a couple of tracks written by Hoagy Carmichael, starting with a sweet, gentle, pretty rendition of “Skylark.” It’s good to hear this amount of romance in music, something that seems lacking in much of the pop material of today. Of course, this song could have been included in the Johnny Mercer section, as he co-wrote it. The second track is another medley, containing portions of such beloved songs as “Georgia On My Mind” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well,” with banter between Peggy Lee and Hoagy Carmichael as they transition from one song to another. Hoagy joins Peggy Lee on vocals for “Two Sleepy People.” We then move to material by Frank Loesser, beginning with “Hoop Dee Doo,” another lively number. Here she sings, “I hear a polka and my troubles are through.” I’m not sure anyone feels that way anymore, but this track is fun. “This kind of music is like heaven to me.” Peggy Lee introduces Frank Loesser, and that leads to another medley, with Frank joining her on vocals. This medley includes a lovely rendition of “On A Slow Boat To China” and a totally delightful duet of “A Bushel And A Peck,” and concludes with “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” one of the absolute best songs associated with the Christmas holiday, also, of course, done as a duet.
The final section contains songs by a variety of songwriters. It begins with a gorgeous version of “Somebody Loves Me” with Peggy Lee at her most sensual. She is sultry and sexy again as she sings “Unforgettable,” written by Irving Gordon. Then I love that work on piano on “Lullaby Of Broadway.” Peggy Lee introduces “Alone Together” as “one of the most beautiful ballads ever.” Certainly this rendition is beautiful. That is followed by a bright rendition of “When You’re Smiling” and then “Try A Little Tenderness.” I first heard the Otis Redding and Three Dog Night renditions of “Try A Little Tenderness” in my early teens, not guessing that the song was quite a bit older than those recordings. Peggy Lee’s take on this is as tender as the lyrics propose we be. “You know it’s not just sentimental, she has her grief and care/And a word that’s kind and gentle makes it easier to bear.” “You know how this one goes, I’ll bet,” she says at the beginning of “All Of Me,” which closes out the collection. I still can’t help but think of the Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin film whenever I hear this one. Peggy Lee gives us a really good rendition here.
CD Track List
Disc One
- Peggy Lee Introduction
- Johnny Mercer Introduction
- Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
- Goody Goody
- Come Rain Or Come Shine
- That Old Black Magic
- (Ah, The Apple Trees) When The World Was Young
- Johnny Mercer Introduction
- Medley: Jeepers Creepers/Too Marvelous For Words/Mandy Is Two/Blues In The Night
- My Funny Valentine
- The Lady Is A Tramp
- I Could Write A Book
- This Can’t Be Love
- Lover
- Something Wonderful
- Mountain Greenery
- From This Moment On
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin
- What Is This Thing Called Love?
- Just One Of Those Things
- Everything Happens To Me
- Medley: We Belong Together/Angel Eyes/Let’s Get Away From
It All
Disc Two
- It’s A Good Day
- I Don’t Know Enough About You
- Mañana
- Whee Baby
- Skylark
- Medley: Georgia On My Mind/I Get Along Without You Very Well/Old Rockin’ Chair/Little Old Lady/Small Fry/Two Sleepy People
- Hoop Dee Doo
- Frank Loesser Introduction
- Medley: Jingle, Jangle, Jingle/If I Were A Bell/On A Slow Boat To China/A Bushel And A Peck/Baby, It’s Cold Outside
- Introduction
- Somebody Loves Me
- Oh, Look At Me Now
- Unforgettable
- Lullaby Of Broadway
- Alone Together
- When You’re Smiling
- Try A Little Tenderness
- All Of Me
Something Wonderful: Peggy Lee Sings The Great American Songbook was released on April 9, 2021 through Omnivore Recordings.
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