"Among My Souvenirs" is a 1927 song with words by Edgar Leslie and music by Horatio Nicholls (a pseudonym for British composer Frederick Lawrence Wright).
Original version
The earliest known version of "Among My Souvenirs" was recorded by The Kit-Cat Band on September 19, 1927. It was first a number one chart hit for Paul Whiteman in 1928. Whiteman's recording was recorded November 22, 1927, and released by Victor Records as catalog number 35877A.[5]
In Lullaby of Broadway, by Patricia Dubin McGuire (Secaucus NJ: Citadel Press, 1983) it is stated that Al Dubin sold the song to Edgar Leslie for $25 (page 94).[6]
Other charting versions
In 1959, Connie Francis recorded the song peaking at number seven on the Hot 100.[7] The Connie Francis version also peaked at number ten on the R&B charts.[8] In the United Kingdom, the song reached #11.[9] Her version was arranged by Ray Ellis.[10]
In 1976, Marty Robbins had his 16th and last number one on the country charts with his version of the song.[11]
Additional versions
Over the years, the song has been covered by many artists including:
Louis Armstrong (Decca catalog number 4327A, recorded April 17, 1942, with the flip side "Coquette"[12])
Bing Crosby and Russ Morgan's Orchestra (Decca catalog number 23745A, recorded August 22, 1946,[13] with the flip side "Does Your Heart Beat for Me?"[14])
Ray Price on his posthumous farewell album Beauty Is... Ray Price: The Final Sessions (Amerimonte, 2014)
In popular culture
The song is referenced by the character Al Stephenson (Frederic March) in the film The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). He requests the song and he and his wife Milly (Myrna Loy) dance to it as played by Hoagy Carmichael on the piano, at Butch's Bar. The music is developed in the movie's orchestral score by Hugo Friedhofer.
The song is referenced in the 2021 play Among My Souvenirs by Alex Margo Arden and Caspar Heinemann. It first premiered in Malmö on 22 August 2021 for World Pride and was performed at Barnens Scen, Malmö Folkets Park.[22]
