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In Praise of a 90-Year-Old Song That Simply Never Ages
‘The Way You Look Tonight’, written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, marks 90 years since its copyright and remains one of the most enduring songs of the 1930s. First performed by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time, it became a standard across film, jazz and popular music, demonstrating its unusual ability to remain familiar to successive generations.
The song won the Academy Award for best original song in 1937, making Fields the first woman to win the category; no other woman did so until 1969. Astaire’s recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, while later versions included hits by Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee and The Lettermen, whose 1961 rendition reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was revived again through recordings by artists including Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart and Michael Bublé.
In short
- A 1936 standard remains widely loved after 90 years.
- It earned Dorothy Fields a historic Oscar win.
- Many major artists have kept the song in circulation.
Explained simply
"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song written in 1936 by composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Dorothy Fields. It was first performed by dancer and actor Fred Astaire in the film Swing Time and quickly became one of the most popular songs of the 1930s, establishing itself as a standard that has been recorded countless times since.
The song achieved significant recognition when it won the Academy Award for best original song in 1937, a landmark moment for Dorothy Fields—she became the first woman ever to win in this category, a distinction no other woman matched until 1969. Fred Astaire's original recording was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, highlighting its cultural importance.
Over the decades, the song has been recorded by numerous major artists including Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Bryan Ferry, Rod Stewart and Michael Bublé, demonstrating its remarkable ability to appeal to successive generations of musicians and audiences. The Lettermen's 1961 version reached the top twenty on the American charts, proving the song's continued commercial viability well into the modern era.