Once Upon a Time
| PROFILE | |
| Composer | Charles Strouse |
| Lyricist | Lee Adams |
| Year Written | 1962 |
| About Once Upon a Time | |
| “Once Upon a Time” was written for the 1962 Ray Bolger musical All American, where it was introduced by Bolger and Eileen Herlie. While the musical was not a major smash hit, the song is quite lovely. In addition to Tony Bennett’s fine recording, it was also recorded by Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Howard Keel, Bobby Darrin and Mandy Patinkin. | |
Lyrics
Once upon a time a girl with moonlight in her eyes
Put her hand in mine and said she loved me so
But that was once upon a time, very long ago
Once upon a time we sat beneath a willow tree
Counting all the stars and waiting for the dawn
But that was once upon a time, now the tree is gone
How the breeze ruffled up her hair
How we always laughed as though tomorrow wasn’t there
We were young and didn’t have a care
Where did it go?
Once upon a time the world was sweeter than we knew
Everything was ours, how happy we were then
But somehow once upon a time never comes again
Session / Album Information
1962
“Once Upon a Time” was recorded January 23, 1962 and released in 1962 on the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. It was arranged by Marty Manning.
This recording released on:
- 1962: Columbia 45: 4-42332
- 1962: Columbia LP 12″: CS 8669 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco
- 1962: Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1869 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco
- 1962: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62201 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco [UK]
- 1965: Columbia LP 12″: CL 2373 — Tony’s Greatest Hits, Vol. III
- 1965: Columbia LP 12″: CS 9173 — Tony’s Greatest Hits, Vol. III
- 1967: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62821 — Tony’s Greatest Hits [UK]
- 1980: CBS LP 12″: 32732 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco [UK]
- 1990: CBS/Sony CD: CSCS-5241 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco [Japan]
- 1990: Columbia CD: CK 08669 — I Left My Heart In San Francisco
- 1991: Columbia CD: C4K 46843 — Forty Years – The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
- 1993: CBS/Sony CD: SRCS-6641 — Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
- 2002: Columbia/Legacy CD: 86634 — The Essential Tony Bennett
- 2004: Columbia/Legacy CD: C5K 92784 — Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett
- 2005: Collectables CD: CCL8053 — The Good Life
- 2006: RPM/Columbia/Legacy CD: 84779 — Tony Bennett’s Greatest Hits Of The ’60s
- 2008: Columbia/RPM/Legacy CD: 731397 — The Essential Tony Bennett [Limited Edition 3.0]
- 2011: Disc #23 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK23) I Left My Heart in San Francisco
1964
“Once Upon a Time” was recorded on April 8, 1964 and released in 2011 on Tony Bennett Live at the Sahara: From This Moment On, as part of the 2011 Complete Collection. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.
This recording released on:
- 2011: Disc #74 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK72) Tony Bennett Live at the Sahara: From This Moment On