It Had To Be You
Red Nichols Lyrics


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It had to be you, it had to be you.
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.
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.

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.

Overall Meaning

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
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Comments from YouTube:

Tadeo de Wiesent

Β‘Tanta belleza, por Dios!
πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘ŒπŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·πŸŒ·

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. 😁

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