To Each His Own (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans song)

1946 song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

"To Each His Own (Jay Livingston and Ray Evans song)"

Single by Eddy Howard and His Orchestra
B-side	"Cynthia's In Love"
Published	February 28, 1946 (1946-02-28) by Paramount Music Corporation
Released	June 1946 (1946-06)
Recorded	April 16, 1946 (1946-04-16)
Genre	Popular music, Pop standard
Length	2:29
Label	Majestic 7188
Composer(s)	Jay Livingston
Lyricist(s)	Ray Evans

"To Each His Own" is a popular song with music written by Jay Livingston and lyrics by Ray Evans. It is the title song of the movie of the same name and was published in 1946 by Paramount Music. The duo were assigned to write this song after film composer Victor Young turned it down.

Original 1946 recordings

In 1946, three different versions hit number one on the Billboard charts in the United States. Two other versions reached number three and number four.

On the Billboard "Most Played" chart for August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, all five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten. While many popular songs of the pre-rock period had multiple hit versions – for example, "Dinah" had nine top ten covers over the years, and fifteen versions of "St. Louis Blues" charted between 1916 and 1953 – according to its co-composer Ray Evans, "To Each His Own" is the only song to take up half the slots on the Top Ten at the same time.
Eddy Howard reached number one after debuting on the Most Played On the Air chart with his version of the song on July 6, 1946. Released by Majestic Records as catalog number 7188 and 1070, the single lasted 24 weeks on the chart, reaching the top spot on August 3 for eight weeks, and scoring number 1 single of 1946 The two Howard releases had different B sides – "Cynthia's in Love" on Majestic 7188 and "Careless" on Majestic 1070.
Freddy Martin & his Orchestra, featuring vocals by Stuart Wade, and Tony Martin both had their versions debut on the chart on August 8, 1946, with each remaining on the chart for twelve weeks. While Freddy Martin, whose version was released by RCA Victor Records, was able to top the chart for two weeks, Tony Martin's version, released by Mercury Records, peaked at number four.
The next version to reach the Billboard charts was performed by The Modernaires with Paula Kelly. Released by Columbia Records, together they debuted on the chart on August 15, 1946, lasting fourteen weeks on the chart and peaking at number three.
The third recording to reach number one was by The Ink Spots, which was released by Decca Records. Reaching the charts on August 29, 1946, it remained on the chart for fourteen weeks, and topped it on September 21. This version also reached number three on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart.

1946 was the first full year where Billboard ran its three main popular charts, "Best Selling", "Most Played Jukebox", and "Most Air Play". Each week in each section, 15 points were awarded for No. 1, 9 points for No. 2, 8 points for No. 3, and so on. There were no ties. The totals of all 3 categories were combined, and the highest numbers won. "For Each His Own" by Eddy Howard was the no. 1 record of the year, leading the runner-up by over 100 points.

Other recordings

Margie Rayburn released a version of the song as a single in 1958, but it did not chart.
Johnny Hartman included a version on his 1959 And I Thought About You album.
The Platters covered "To Each His Own" in 1960, their version reaching number 21 (US).
Marty Robbins covered the song on his 1961 album Just a Little Sentimental.
Sam Cooke recorded the song for his 1965 LP Try a Little Love.
Jerry Vale recorded it for his 1968 LP You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.
Frankie Laine's 1968 version reached No. 82 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It also spent four weeks at number two on the Easy Listening chart.
Keely Smith recorded it for her 1962 Dot LP, Cherokeely Swings.
Ronnie Dove recorded the song for his Right or Wrong album in 1964.
The song was also performed in the 1990 film The Godfather Part III by Al Martino's character, Johnny Fontane.

References

Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1946). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1946 Published Musical Compositions New Series Vol 41 Pt 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
"MAJESTIC 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
^ Gilliland, John (197X). "Show 16" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
^ "Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. October 5, 1946. p. 24. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
"Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. September 14, 1946. p. 26. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
"Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. September 7, 1946. p. 28 and 116. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
"Records Most Played on the Air". Billboard. August 24, 1946. p. 27 and 112. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
"BILLBOARD MAGAZINE: American music magazine 1894 to Today July 6, 1946 pg 29". books.google.com. 6 July 1946. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research.
Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 275.
"Margie Rayburn, "To Each His Own" Single Release". Retrieved December 16, 2016.
Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 134.

v t e The Ink Spots
Bill Kenny Charlie Fuqua Deek Watson Hoppy Jones Jerry Daniels Bernie Mackey Cliff Givens Billy Bowen Huey Long Herb Kenny
Singles	"If I Didn't Care" "My Prayer" "Memories of You" "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You" "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" "Maybe" "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" "Java Jive" "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" "I Can't Stand Losing You" "Cow Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" "I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" "I'm Making Believe" "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" "I'm Beginning to See the Light" "The Gypsy" "Prisoner of Love" "To Each His Own" "The Best Things in Life Are Free" "You're Breaking My Heart" "Echoes" "If" "It Is No Secret" (Bill Kenny solo) "Trying" "Address Unknown"
Albums	If I Didn't Care (1979)
Related topics	The Great American Broadcast Pardon My Sarong The Brown Dots The Four Tunes The Bill Kenny Show

v t e Frankie Laine
Studio albums	Frankie Laine (three albums, 1950) One for My Baby A Musical Portrait of New Orleans (with Jo Stafford) Mr. Rhythm Jazz Spectacular Frankie Laine and the Four Lads Rockin' Foreign Affair Torchin' Reunion in Rhythm (with Michel Legrand) You Are My Love Frankie Laine, Balladeer Hell Bent for Leather! Deuces Wild Call of the Wild Wanderlust I'll Take Care of Your Cares I Wanted Someone to Love To Each His Own You Gave Me a Mountain
Compilations	With All My Heart Singing the Blues Frankie Laine's Greatest Hits Frankie Laine's Golden Hits
Singles	"The 3:10 to Yuma" "Answer Me" "The Ballad of High Noon" "Cool Water" "The Cry of the Wild Goose" "Dream a Little Dream of Me" "Granada" "Hey Joe" "Hey, Good Lookin'" "Hummingbird" "I Believe" "Tell Me a Story" "Dammit Isn't God's Last Name" "Don't Make My Baby Blue" "I'll Take Care of Your Cares" "I'm Gonna Be Strong" "In the Beginning" "Jezebel" "The Kid's Last Fight" "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" "Mam'selle" "Moonlight Gambler" "Mule Train" "Rawhide" "Rose, Rose, I Love You" "Shine" "Sixteen Tons" "Some Day" "Sugar Bush" "That Lucky Old Sun" "That's Good, That's Bad" "That's My Desire" "To Each His Own" "Up Above My Head" "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" "A Woman in Love" "Making Memories" "You Gave Me a Mountain" "You Wanted Someone to Play With (I Wanted Someone to Love)" "You, No One but You" "Your Cheatin' Heart"
Related	Discography

This 1940s song-related article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: