The Last Time I Saw Paris


PROFILE
Composer Jerome Kern
Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein
Year Written 1940
About The Last Time I Saw Paris
“The Last Time I Saw Paris,” unlike many songs by Jerome Kern, wasn’t written specifically for a film or Broadway musical. However, it was used in the 1941 film Lady Be Good, where it was sung by Ann Sothern; the song won the Academy Award for best song that year. the song also inspired the 1954 film of the same name, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson. Significant recordings include those by Kate Smith, Bud Powell, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, and Connie Francis.

Lyrics

The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay
I heard the laughter of her heart in every street café
The last time I saw Paris, her trees were dressed for spring
And lovers walked beneath those trees and birds found songs to sing
I dodged the same old taxicabs that I had dodged for years
The chorus of their squeaky horns was music to my ears
The last time I saw Paris, her heart was warm and gay
No matter how they change her, I’ll remember her that way

I’ll think of happy hours, and people who shared them
Old women, selling flowers, in markets at dawn
Children who applauded, Punch and Judy in the park
And those who danced at night and kept our Paris bright
Till the town went dark

Session / Album Information

2015

“The Last Time I Saw Paris” was recorded by Tony Bennett in 2015 and was released on The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. It was arranged by Bill Charlap.

The Last Time I Saw Paris

Listen to The Last Time I Saw Paris on Spotify. Tony Bennett, Bill Charlap · Song · 2015.

2015: Columbia/RPM CD: 8875 45742 — The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern

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