What Will I Tell My Heart
| PROFILE | |
| ComposerPeter Tinturin | Peter Tinturin |
| Lyricist | Jack Lawrence, Irving Gordon |
| Year Written | 1938 |
| About What Will I Tell My Heart | |
| Jack Lawrence wrote the lyric based on a title suggested by his partner Peter Tinturin. What Tinturin didn’t mention was that he had gotten the title originally from Irving Gordon. So when the song became a huge hit, Gordon sued through ASCAP and got partial credit for the song. Due to Lawrence’s connections at Decca Records, the song was introduced by Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, with charts by Mary Lou Williams, before they even had a publisher signed up. Other notable recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Billy Eckstein, Fletcher Henderson, Kay Starr and Art Tatum. | |
Lyrics
I’ll try to explain to friends, dear
The reason we two are apart
I know what to tell our friends, dear
But what will I tell my heart
It’s easy to say to strangers
That we played a game from the start
It’s easy to lie to stranger
But what will I tell my heart
When I smile to hide all the tears inside
What an ache it will bring
Then I’ll wander home to a telephone
That forgot how to ring
I could say you’ll soon be back, dear
To fool the whole town may be smart
I’ll tell them you’ll soon be back, dear
But what will I tell my heart
I’ll try to explain to friends, dear
The reason we two are apart
I know what to tell our friends, dear
But what will I tell my heart
Oh, baby, what will I tell my heart
Session / Album Information
1955
“What Will I Tell My Heart” was recorded on January 4, 1955 and released that year as a single. It was arranged by Percy Faith.
This recording released on:
- 1955: Columbia 78: 40491
- 1955: Columbia 45: 4-40491
- 2011: Disc #5 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK5) The Columbia Singles, Volume 3