In 1947, Oscar,Tony and Grammy award-winning songwriter Frank Loesser, wrote “What are you doing New Years Eve?”’
"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" is a popular song written in 1947 by Frank Loesser as an independent song—not written for a particular movie or musical. It first charted for The Orioles, peaking at No. 9 on Billboard's Best-Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues chart in December 1949. Other charted versions include Danté & The Evergreens (No. 107 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles in December 1960) and Nancy Wilson (No. 17 on Billboard's Christmas Singles chart in December 1965 and No. 24 on the same chart in December 1967).
It has been recorded by many other artists, including Margaret Whiting in 1947, Dick Haymes & the Les Paul Trio in 1947, Spike Jones in 1956, Ella Fitzgerald in 1960, Ramsey Lewis in 1961, Lena Horne in 1966, King Curtis in 1968, Johnny Mathis in 1969, The Carpenters in 1978 (released in 1984), Gary Valenciano in 1986, Keno in 1988, Patti LaBelle in 1990, Andy Williams in 1990, The Stylistics in 1992, Harry Connick, Jr. in 1993, Carol Sloane in 1994, The Whispers in 1994, The Persuasions in 1997,[2] Donny Osmond in 1999, Barbra Streisand in 2001, Barry Manilow and Lee Ann Womack in 2002, Clay Aiken in 2004 for his album Merry Christmas with Love, Diana Krall in 2005, Bette Midler in 2006, Mindy Smith in 2007, Ledisi in 2008, Chicago, Katharine McPhee in 2010 and Deana Martin in 2011. In 2012, Rod Stewart recorded the song as a "virtual duet" with Ella Fitzgerald for his first holiday album, Merry Christmas, Baby. The Head and the Heart recorded the song for Starbucks' Holidays Rule compilation album in 2012. Seth MacFarlane recorded the song for his 2014 Christmas album Holiday for Swing. That same year, Idina Menzel recorded a version for her album Holiday Wishes. In 2016, Kacey Musgraves recorded a version of the song for her album A Very Kacey Christmas.
Hard to make a choice from such a long list, but my pick is the R&B doo-wop by The Orioles.
The Orioles
The Orioles, a pioneering doo-wop group from Baltimore, Maryland, were the first to have a hit recording with Frank Loesser's 1947 love song, landing at #9 on the R&B chart. Loesser was a Broadway legend known for writing and composing music for shows like Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. He also penned the wintry classic "Baby It's Cold Outside." It was the second holiday hit for the Orioles, who charted in 1948 (#8) and 1949 (#5) with "(It's Gonna Be a) Lonely Christmas" on the Juke Box charts.
I was born in 1947 and grew up during the doo-wop era, collecting 45 records and learning all the dances that accompanied them. Sonny Til and the Orioles were one of my favorite groups.
The Orioles were Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
Formed in 1947 as the Vibranaires in their hometown of Baltimore, they changed their name to the Orioles (the Maryland state bird) a year later. These five street-corner harmony pioneers imparted a skilled, soulful edge to the standard pop-crooning style of the day, and their appearance marked a shift in popular taste from big bands to small vocal groups. The Orioles established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound: wordless, melismatic harmonies surrounding the tenor vocals of Sonny Til (born Earlington Carl Tilghman) and George Nelson’s baritone. Their string of hits included three #1 R&B singles in the late Forties and early Fifties: “It’s Too Soon to Know,” “Tell Me So” and “Crying in the Chapel.”
Just in case you don’t know what doo-wop is:
During the years around World War II, hit records by African-American vocal groups such as The Delta Rhythm Boys, The Cats and the Fiddle, the Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, along with Negro spiritual groups, set important precedents for the genre. The Ink Spots had a string of record successes in 1939 and 1940, both in the United States and in Britain, with "My Prayer", "Bless You", "If I Didn't Care", "Address Unknown", "Memories Of You", "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You" and "Whispering Grass" and The Mills Brothers followed suit in 1943 and 1944 with "Paper Doll", "You Always Hurt The One You Love" and "Till Then". [...]
From the outset, singers gathered on street corners, and in subways, generally in groups of three to six. They sang a cappella arrangements, and used wordless onomatopeia to mimic instruments since instruments were little used: the bass singing "bom-bom-bom", a guitar rendered as "shang-a-lang" and brass riffs as "dooooo -wop-wop". For instance, "Count Every Star" by The Ravens (1950), includes vocalizations imitating the "doomph, doomph" plucking of a double bass. This art dates to The Mills Brothers, who first came to fame in the 1930s with their mimicking of instrumental music. Radio, gramophone, and cinema inspired imitation in many U.S. cities.
The late 1940s and early 1950s brought the so-called "bird groups"; The Swallows, the Ravens, The Orioles, The Penguins, The Crows, The Flamingos, The Blue Jays and The Larks. A number of band names are also drawn from cars (The Edsels, The Cadillacs, The Fleetwoods, The Impalas, and Little Anthony and the Imperials). The Orioles helped develop the doo-wop sound with their hits "It's Too Soon to Know" (1948) and "Crying in the Chapel" (1953). Doo-wop scored 1951 R&B chart hits such as "Sixty Minute Man" by Billy Ward and His Dominoes, "Where Are You?" by The Mello-Moods, "The Glory of Love" by The Five Keys, "Shouldn't I Know" by The Cardinals, "I Will Wait" by the Four Buddies, and "Will You Be Mine", by The Swallows.
If my mom was alive she’d select the version by her all time favorite vocalist Ella Fitzgerald.
Mom and Dad also had, and enjoyed, the original version by Margaret Whiting.
There’s been an upsurge in interest in the tune, due to a YouTube video posted to HelloGiggles by actress and singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel, performing a duet with actor filmmaker Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
What’s your favorite version, and what are you doing for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day?