Guy Lombardo - LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (1929)
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- "Love Me or Leave Me"
Music by Walter Donaldson
Words by Gus Kahn
Performed by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Vocal by Carmen Lombardo
Recorded March 20, 1929, New York
This song was introduced in the Broadway play, "Whoopee!," which opened in December 1928. Ruth Etting's performance of the song was so popular that she was also given the song to sing in the play "Simple Simon," which opened in February 1930.
"Love Me or Leave Me" was also a 1955 biographical film roughly based on the life of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. It stars Doris Day as Etting, James Cagney as Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder.
Although Canada's premiere dance band, the Royal Canadians, are most closely associated with Guy Lombardo, it was in fact his younger brother Carmen who was the true driving force behind the music group. Born in London, Ontario in 1903, the Lombardo brothers made their first debut together at a church function in 1914, starting what would end up to be a 55-year collaboration.
Both Carmen and Guy began taking music lessons at the same time, with Guy on violin and Carmen on flute. Over the years, Carmen would switch to saxophone while Guy would just pick up a conductor's baton. The Royal Canadians formed in 1916, with Carmen as singer, saxophone player and composer. Their first prominent performance occurred at a dance pavilion in Grand Bend, Ontario in 1919.
In 1923, The Royal Canadians moved to Cleveland, Ohio and quickly obtained a permanent gig at a nightclub called the Claremont Trent. The band was taken under the wing of club owner, Louis Bleet, and continued to play in the Cleveland area until 1927, when they moved to Chicago and began broadcasting live on the radio from the Granada Cafe. In 1928, two of Carmen's songs, Coquette and Sweethearts on Parade,became major hits for the group, attracting international attention. The Royal Canadians were known for 'the sweetest music this side of Heaven', a description coined by Ashton Stevens of the Chicago Tribune. In 1929, The Royal Canadians began their longest standing gig at the Roosevelt Grill in New York City, lasting 33 years. It was at the Roosevelt that The Royal Canadians began the annual tradition of a New Years Eve telecast on CBS. The Royal Canadians sold at least 100 million records. Between 1929 and 1952 there wasn't a single year that a Guy Lombardo record didn't chart - 21 of them at number one, and many featuring songs by Carmen Lombardo.
Although Carmen continued to be the lead singer of The Royal Canadians, he never really enjoyed the job. In 1940, he was replaced as the lead singer, allowing him to concentrate solely on songwriting. Among the hits that Carmen penned, made popular by the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, were "Jungle Drums", "Boo Hoo", "It's Never Too Late", "It's Easier Said than Done", "Seems Like Old Times", "Where Are You Gonna Be When the Moon Shines?", "Get Out Those Old Records", "How Long Has it Been?",and "Marry the One You Love." He also penned the stage scores Arabian Nights, Paradise Island and Mardi Gras!
Over the course of half a century, Carmen collaborated with such great writers as John Jacob Loeb. Other creative partners included Charles Newman, Johnny Green, Jimmy Monaco, Cliff Friend, Gus Kahn, Gene Austin, Art Kassel, Sam Coslow, Irving Caeser and Roy Turk. Carmen continued to play with the band on saxophone until 1970, when his failing health forced him to retire from the band. He continued to write until his death in 1971, and his final song was entitled What Have We Done to Our World?, a bleak tune incongruent with the rest of his work. "They (the songs) kept him from thinking about the pain those last few months of his life," Carmen's widow explained. " The songs kept him alive an extra four months."
Standing the test of time, Carmen's songs have appeared in such Woody Allen films as Annie Hall and Bullets Over Broadway and have been recorded by artists including Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Dean Martin.
Real classy rendition,years before their well documented success.
No wonder Guy and the band still had another 40 odd years still ahead of them.
Today's manufactured overnight "finds" on all these "find/make a star" TV shows would not understand what it takes to "find" success like this Guy....
An era sadly long gone.. Auld Lang Syne indeed.
I’m 26 years old, and I’ve been listening to Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians since I was a toddler thanks to PBS. Every day I’m discovering new Lombardo songs I’ve never heard before. This one is one of them. It’s a great song! We need more music like this in our society today!
I was a teen in the late 50's (rock,etc.)but these jewels are my favorite MUSIC.
I love this type of music, I'm 42 and I think I was born in the wrong era! Roaring 20s!
Roberto Lopez I'm just 16 but I feel it the same. :)
Fully agree!
I'm 80 and feel the same way
As a young boy in the 1950's my father took me to the Waldorf Astoria where Guy Lombardo was playing. A great experience. People dressed up. A totally different time.
These are timeless classics....
I absolutely love this song. I'm twenty but I love these kind of oldies.
Andre Rosa I'm only 16 but I cannot be without that music! ❤️
Fantastic sound quality from 1929! Amazing!
Best version I ever heard.
He has the best of charmaine as well
Very good music and it does not matter if it is from before my own time as this music and song is timeless really. Very good to hear and enjoy. And I like the video too.
I'll cheer you up Noel. I live in a little town called Freeport on Long Island-home of one Guy Lombardo. There is a street named after him (formerly Grove Ave) and he used to race his boat all over the south bay near here until his death in 1977. His house on the canal is no longer there. I have a lovely 8x10 shot of Guy with my parents from around 1972 when he staged some show at the Jones Beach Theater. Real classy gentleman.
Amazing story,what a piece of history
Wow. Thanks for sharing this. Nostalgic
Super excellent with very good interesting photos
Ouvindo durante a quarentena Yeah 🤙😎
What a Guy ❣
Nice video and great rendition! I also enjoy Bing's work form the early thirties with Guy Lombardo on Brunswick.
@NoelGuyALfan You are so right Noel- what passes for "talent" these days just makes me want to cry- and there is so little "class" that the Lombardo's and others personified. I had the chance to dance to Guy in the 60's (can't remember the girls name!) and Carmen even sang a vocal then while Kenny took a break.
All sadly missed. Thanks goodness for sites like this.
-Bill
¡Qué rica orquesta! Estoy encantado.
Thank you NYVoice,sure did cheer me up :-)
Your message was so gratefully received! Thank you for taking the time to share your fond memory from 1972.
I cannot believe i have found a Freeporter,who still lives there!! End Pt 1
Final Pt 4
Like the Museum in his old hometown London Ont CA,also gone,sign of the times.
Even the Appreciation Society in Richmond VA,hardly looks "alive" at all,a great disappointment.
Sincerely
Noel
Melbourne.Victoria.
Australia.
PS.. I hope the photo made your Mom and Dad really happy to have met him,and gave them both a cherished memory !!
Ctd Pt 2
I have just collected in the past month,one of the Jones Beach Marine Theater programs (nearly have them all) from around 1970,and in it was an advertisement for the proposed opening in 1971 for the "Harbour Light Manor" (Carl Hoppl & Rene W Schuhmacher- Owner &Operator?) at the foot of South Grove Street,which started out as Ray Liotta's "East Point House",and rebuilt by Guy on the same site as GL's "EPHouse".
¡Qué lindo video! ¡Esas fotografías con el tren, dicen tanto!...
Ahhh muy bonito video...mmmm , muy bien hecho bsgs98 * u *.
¿Puedo verlo de nuevo? Me encantó.
@NoelGuyALfan Sorry to hear the museum is gone. I last visited it in 1991. Auld lang syne.
Fifty years ago, I kinda didn't like the Lombardo music style.
Now, 50 years later, and after all the horrible music of the 1960's thru 2010, the Lombardo brothers music is "the sweetest music this side of heaven." I miss them.
@JCJasion Not sure you refer to Guy Lombardo as this group. He is an American (and Canadian!) institution.
Ctd Pt 3
I have never been able to find out what replaced Guy's EPH after the fire in 1968 (?) and cannot locate it today on any google map search.
It is sad to hear,from a lifelong fan's point of view,that the original home is now gone, which his wife owned until 1982,when Lilliebell herself died.
I think the number was 250 (?)
EVERYBODY - be sure to read all of bsgs98's 'liner notes' above. They explain much, and especially about Carm.
. : .
bsgs98 Te agradeceria subir si lo tienes el tema Anastasia con Guy Lombardo.
Gracias.
Hopefully I can find "Anastasia" by The Royal Canadians. Thanks for watching!
Es algo que siempre te voy a agradecer.
Gracias por tu atencion.
Olá casadas