“In The Wee Small Hours – 70 Years of a Masterpiece” – Chapter 7. Repertoire – “I See Your Face Before Me”
“I See Your Face Before Me”
(Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, 1937)
“I See Your Face Before Me”… This song was written for the musical Between the Devil, whose plot revolved around bigamy. The show was pulled from the stage after just ninety-three performances.
In the production, the song was performed by Evelyn Laye. In 1938, Mildred Bailey recorded an emotional jazz rendition, after which the composition faded into obscurity for more than a decade.
In the first half of the 1950s, it enjoyed a modest revival through female voices such as Bethe Douglas and Maria Cole. Throughout its history, it has mainly been performed by women.
Frank Sinatra delivered the first significant male version and, as usual, one of the most memorable renditions ever. His voice sounds silky and sincere—more than singing, he seems to be speaking in dreams, in delicate, evocative whispers or restrained laments emerging from the innermost fibers of his soul, always laying bare the emotion.
Nelson Riddle’s arrangement has the beauty of mist and crystal, with silences as lovely as the notes themselves, gently resting on our senses like drops of dew upon flowers.
The woman who visits him in dreams is more than just a thought—she is the center of his entire universe. It’s striking how naturally and undramatically Sinatra manages to convey that entire emotional landscape.
“I see your face before me
Crowding my every dream
There is your face before me
You are my only theme
It doesn’t matter where you are
I can see how fair you are
I close my eyes and there you are
Always
If you could share the magic
Yes, if you could see me too
There would be nothing tragic
In all my dreams of you
Would that my love could haunt you so
Knowing I want you so?
I can’t erase your beautiful face before me
Would that my love could haunt you so
Knowing I want you so?
I can’t erase your beautiful face before me”
Article written by Mahnuel Muñoz (Al Mal Tiempo, Frank Sinatra) https://www.facebook.com/groups/120950148274703/
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