How About Me - Irving Berlin

[Keith88]

"How About Me" is a great old tune composed by Irving Berlin in 1928. It is the quintessential expression of sorrow over a love affair that is over. Classic performances can be found on YouTube by Ella Fitzgerald (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0tzchp-AzM) and by Judy Garland (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I69a4GRx7qQ), who was a favorite of the composer. I first learned the tune many years ago from an emotional performance by Eydie Gormé (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqZ7WQqERaw) that I still like very much.

The song has a standard 32-bar AABA form. The following chord chart uses the standard changes (more or less).

How About Me - Irving Berlin

While preparing this posting, I came across a wonderful performance by Rosemary Clooney backed by a great jazz ensemble featuring Scott Hamilton on tenor sax (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb04PnPCDIM). It's a performance that must not be missed. The ensemble uses an alternate set of changes that I really like. I've incorporated them in the following chord chart.

How About Me (rc changes) - Irving Berlin

I can't point you to a lead sheet of this song. However, the melody is simple enough for anyone to transcribe it from the vocal performances I've noted above.

This leads to the question: which chord chart should I play? The original changes at the beginning of the A sections, starting with the tonic major going to tonic minor to dominant minor have a great poignancy to them, paralleling a lost romance. The changes that were used in the Clooney recording, using a descending chromatic line with modern chords, make great musical sense. It is known that Berlin spent much effort getting the exact chord changes that he wanted for his songs. It's a decision each of us will have to make for himself when he plays the song.

I hope you like the song. It is one of my very favorites in the American Songbook.

[pdxdjazz]

Here's another take on it.
How About Me? 1 - Irving Berlin
)BOB