My Old Flame

My Old Flame is a jazz standard, composed in 1934 by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow (music) (text). The song was first sung by the American actress Mae West in the film "Belle of the Nineties", is accompanied by the Duke EllingtonOrchestra. The film was based on a story by West, titled "It Ain't No Sin", which is also the original title of the film-to the censure procedure. Mae West was known for its thinly veiled erotic allusions and the text seemed to her like a glove. Judging from rules as "my new lovers all seem so tame" she has perhaps had a share in the text itself, said Chris Tyle in his description and analysis of the composition. The line "I can't even think of his name" suggests even a one-night stand from long ago, thinks Tyle. [1]. in the same year a version took on Ellington for Victor, with Ivie Anderson accounted for the vocals.The first commercially successful version came in 1947 when it was recorded by Spike Jones and His City Slickers.

The song was already in the forties regularly covered by jazz musicians and vocalists and it always remained so. Versions of the song are sung or played by many well-known artists:

Other performers included Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Barney Kessel, Bud Powell, The Platters, Linda Ronstadt, Stan Kenton, Sarah Vaughanand Dinah Washington . As male vocalists sang the song, were some slight adjustments of the text necessary.
 * Duke Ellington, song sung by Ivie Anderson (Duke Ellington 1933 1935)
 * Peggy Lee sang with Benny Goodman 's band (The Complete Recordings 1941-1947)
 * Billie Holiday took on different versions of the song in 1944
 * According to some, Charlie Parkers interpretation from 1947 on the Very Best of the Dial Years the best instrumental version
 * Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan took it in 1953 with his pianoloze group, which includes trumpeter Chet Baker. The trumpeter has the number itself also a few times on plate (in 1954, and in 1988 with Enrico Pieranunzi).
 * Saxophonist Sonny Rollins played a version in 1993, appeared on his plate "Old Flames"