Summertime is an aria by George Gershwin from his opera, Porgy and Bess, first performed in 1935. I saw the Houston Grand Opera’s production of Porgy and Bess in 1976/7 which revived Porgy and Bess as a complete opera. This lullaby unites the original Ukrainian folk melody with jazz and opera. Here are a few interpretations that I simply adore and that show off this song’s versatility. Do you have a favorite?
Summertime and the living is easy
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy is rich and your ma is good lookin’
So hush, little baby, don’t you cryOne of these mornings you’re going to rise up singing
You’re going to spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky
But until that day there is nothing can harm you
with mammy and daddy standing by.
Jascha Heifetz
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Janice Joplin 1969
Miles Davis 1991 (1st: 1959)
learning english with songs 🙂 englischlernen mit liedern
