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If I Were a Bell

"If I Were a Bell" is a song composed by Frank Loesser for his 1950 musical Guys and Dolls.[1]

Guys and Dolls[edit]

In the show Guys and Dolls, it is sung by the character Sister Sarah, originally performed by Isabel Bigley on Broadway, and memorialized on the original cast album.[2] On a bet, Sky Masterson takes Sarah Brown to Havana to have dinner and gets her drunk. Sarah's stiff social barriers fall away and she realizes she is in love with Sky, and he with her. She sings this after they have an eventful dinner, but Sky refuses to take advantage of her drunkenness. It was also recorded by Lizbeth Webb who created the part in the original London production in 1953 at the London Coliseum.

on her album, Shirley (1961)[3]

Shirley Bassey

recorded a version for her 1966 My Love album.

Petula Clark

recorded it on her debut album Blame it on my Youth (1991).

Holly Cole

recorded the song with Patty Andrews on September 7, 1950[4] and it appeared on the album Bing Crosby Sings the Song Hits from...

Bing Crosby

had a top-20 hit with her version recorded on September 28, 1950.

Doris Day

did a version of this song on Once Upon a Summertime, with one of the classic Oscar Peterson rhythm sections of Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown along with Mundell Lowe on guitar.

Blossom Dearie

recorded it for Ella Swings Lightly (1958).[5]

Ella Fitzgerald

recorded a version of this tune outside of Miles Davis' quintet for his album, Red Garland's Piano (1957).

Red Garland

recorded this song for her album, Sings Songs of Victor Young and Frank Loesser (1956).[6]

Joni James

covered it on her The Lyric album.

Stacey Kent

Chelsea Krombach sings it on her debut album, Profile (2004).

[7]

covered this song on her May 2007 jazz standards album, Lovely Standards.

Amel Larrieux

In 2002, guitarist covered the song from his album, My Shining Hour.[8]

Chuck Loeb

recorded a version for his 2022 Blue Skies album.

Seth MacFarlane

- Recorded Live at Bubba's (1981)

Carmen McRae

covered the tune on the 1963 Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre album of Guys and Dolls

Dinah Shore

sang the song as a duet with Joe Williams, backed by the Count Basie Orchestra, on Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan.

Sarah Vaughan

covered it for her album In the Land of Hi-Fi (1956).[9]

Dinah Washington

A different song with the same title was recorded in 1990 by R&B singer Teena Marie.