Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, "It's Magic" (arr. Craig Terry)
Katherine DeYoung, mezzo-soprano; David Weigel, bass-baritone; Craig Terry, piano
In 1948 a popular young big-band singer was about to make the most eagerly anticipated film debut of the year. A soundtrack was needed that would do full justice to her warmly inviting sound and unfettered, confiding style. The singer was Doris Day, and of the four songs she introduced in Romance on the High Seas, one of them, "It's Magic," became especially closely identified with her. The song's creators, composer Jule Styne (1905-1994) and lyricist Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), would become particularly notable contributors to the "American songbook."
Styne and Cahn both enjoyed long, triumphant careers. Cahn's Broadway credits included only one hit show (written with Styne)—High Button Shoes in 1947—but he was the king of Hollywood, with a staggering 31 Academy Award nominations. Four of his songs won between 1944 and 1972. The "Sammy" Film Music Awards were established in Cahn's honor in 1988. Styne's Broadway shows without Cahn included three of the most captivating musicals ever written: Bells Are Ringing, Gypsy, and Funny Girl. Like Cahn, Styne was hugely experienced in Hollywood, receiving ten Oscar nominations and winning for one of his collaborations with Cahn, the title song for Three Coins in the Fountain (1954).
