Born in Utah, Nichols studied music under his father, a college music professor, and mastered a variety of instruments. After working in a number of pit orchestras, he joined a Midwestern band called The Syncopating Seven.
In 1923 Nichols moved to New York and soon teamed up with trombonist Miff Mole. Nichols most famously recorded under the name Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, but the same group of musicians also recorded under many different pseudonyms, including the Louisiana Rhythm Kings, the Charleston Seven, the Arkansas Travelers, Miff Mole and His Molers, the Hottentots, and the Red Heads. These sessions at first featured trombonist Miff Mole with Jimmy Dorsey on alto and clarinet, and later in the decade featured a virtual who's who of great white jazz musicians including Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Adrian Rollini and Gene Krupa.
Nichols survived the Depression by working in Broadway shows, even leading the pit orchestra for two of George Gershwin's shows; "Girl Crazy" and "Strike Up the Band". In 1934 Red fronted a band for a radio show sponsored by Kellogg's Cereal and led many studio orchestras, including one for the Bob Hope Show.
Around 1940 Nichols took advantage of the swing craze and tried updating his sound. The orchestra soon floundered and Nichols sold the band in 1942.
Nichols briefly found work as a member of the Casa Loma Orchestra before retiring to Hollywood, where he led several small groups throughout the rest of the 1940s and into the 1950s. The highly-fictionalized 1959 film, The Five Pennies, starring Danny Kaye, prompted Nichols to put together a new Five Pennies. Nichols died suddenly from a heart attack while on tour in Las Vegas in 1965.
It Had To Be You
Red Nichols Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wandered around and finally found the somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me feel blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.
With all your faults, I love you still,
It had to be you, wonderful you,
It had to be you.
It had to be you, it had to be you.
I wandered around and finally found somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me be blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.
For nobody else gave me a thrill.
With all your faults, I love you still.
It had to be you, wonderful you
It had to be you.
The lyrics to "It Had To Be You" by Red Nichols are a love letter to a special someone who has captured the singer's heart. The song opens with the declaration that this person was the only one who could make the singer be true and even make them feel sad while thinking of them. The lyrics go on to compare this person to others the singer has seen who might never be mean, cross or try to be boss, but ultimately they wouldn't do. For the singer, nobody else gave them the thrill that this person does, faults and all. The singer proclaims that this person is wonderful and that it had to be them, expressing a deep love and appreciation for this special someone.
The song is a classic love song that has been covered by numerous artists over the years, from the Andrews Sisters to Harry Connick Jr. It was originally written by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn in 1924 for the musical "Make It Snappy". Nichols' version was recorded in 1933 and became one of the most popular recordings of the song. The lyrics are a reflection of the time period in which they were written, with a focus on courtly love and devotion to one's partner.
Line by Line Meaning
It had to be you, it had to be you.
Out of all the people in this world, it had to be you that I fell in love with.
I wandered around and finally found the somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me feel blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
After searching for a long time, I finally found you. You bring out the best in me but also make me feel sad when I miss you.
Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.
There were others who could have been nice to me, but they could never replace you.
For nobody else gave me a thrill.
With all your faults, I love you still,
Nobody else makes me feel the way you do. Despite your flaws, I still love you.
It had to be you, wonderful you,
It had to be you.
You, with all your wonderful qualities, are the only one for me. It had to be you.
Lyrics Β© Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Isham Jones, Gus Kahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tadeo de Wiesent
Β‘Tanta belleza, por Dios!
ππππππππππππππππππππππππππ·π·π·π·π·π·π·π·π·
Spencer Smith
Superb.
Eric Huffstutler
FYI, this is a late 1930s design label for the reissue. The scroll label would be for the shorter 1929 version.
The78Prof
Not sure which 'shorter version' you mean, Eric. As noted in the description, this was transferred from the later (updated label) re-pressing of Brunswick 20092 (XE 29994), same track as recorded June 7, 1929, and originally released on scroll 20092.
Trombonology Erstwhile
I godda tell you -- Scrappy's "hadda" is hard to take ... and it contrasts ludicrously with all other elements of this pretentious arrangement.
Bryan Rendleman
I agree.
The rest of his vocals and enunciation are beautiful but I guessa the lyricist just hadda take away from a moving performance.
Jim Jasion
The last time the title phrase comes in the performance, Scrappy gets it right.
Bill Brydon
And what's crazy is that his diction is so solid for the rest of it.
George Dabrowski
Yeah, but for dis song, sweet dame, it just hadda' be Scraps. π