On The Sunny Side of the Street

Last night, I loved hearing Marcus Shelby and his Hot 7 do their take on this classic Armstrong favorite. Kenny Washington's vocals were swell... light and breezy. This cheery song was written in 1930, during the Great Depression, and perhaps what we all need during hard times is a little shot of optimism. Personally, I really love knowing that this lyric was written by a woman — Dorothy Fields, who was the first woman inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/C65?exhibitId=65

Stephen Sondheim had this to say about Fields, "What I like best about Dorothy Fields is her use of colloquialism and her effortlessness, as in Sunny Side of the Street which is just perfect as a lyric." (Sondheim's practically perfect torch song, Losing My Mind from Follies is a pastiche homage — a George Gershwin melody paired with a Dorothy Fields lyric.) Other Fields standards include, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, A Fine Romance, The Way You Look Tonight, I'm In the Mood For Love, and If My Friends Could See Me Now.

Here's the sunniest of lyrics, complete with the rarely sung verse.

On the Sunny Side of the Street
Music by Jimmy McHugh, Lyrics by Dorothy Fields,

Walked with no-one and talked with no-one,
And I had nothing but shadows.
Then one morning you passed
And I brightened at last.
Now I greet the day, and complete the day,
With the sun in my heart.
All my worry blew away
When you taught me how to say:

Grab your coat, and get your hat
Leave your worries on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street

Can't you hear the pitter pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over

If I never have a cent
I'll be as rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street