"A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is the title of a well-known romantic British popular song with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. First published in 1940, when it was performed in the show New Faces, it was most famously performed by Vera Lynn in the same year. She was not the first interpreter, being preceded by Ray Noble, and subsequently it has become a standard, being performed in a noteworthy fashion by Nat King Cole, Glenn Miller, Harry Connick Jr. and Sonny Rollins. A famous version by The Manhattan Transfer won a Grammy in 1981 for its arranger, Gene Puerling. Veteran British musician Ian Hunter, former vocalist for Mott the Hoople, regularly performs it in his concerts; his rendition appears on at least two of Hunter's live recordings. A song is a relatively short musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). ... Eric Maschwitz (1901-1969) (sometimes credited as Holt Marvell) was a British entertainer, writer and broadcaster. ... Manning Sherwin (January 4, 1902 - July 26, 1974) was an American composer. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born March 20, 1917) is a British singer whose career flourished during World War II, when she was nicknamed The Forces Sweetheart. She is best known for the popular song Well Meet Again. ... Ray Noble was a British bandleader, composer, arranger and actor. ... For other uses, see King Cole (disambiguation). ... Major Glen Miller Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American jazz musician and band leader in the Swing era. ... Harry Connick, Jr. ... An early Rollins picture graces the cover of Volume One Theodore Walter (Sonny) Rollins (born September 7, 1930 in New York City) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ... The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal group that was established in New York City in 1972. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ian Hunter (born Ian Hunter Patterson on June 3, 1939 in Oswestry, Shropshire, England) was the lead singer of the band Mott the Hoople from 1969 until the band broke up in 1974. ... Mott the Hoople were a 1970s British rock and roll band. ...

There was also a movie by this name, released in 1979 and directed by Ralph Thomas. Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

The Berkeley Square (pronounced "BARK-lee," in British form) referred to is a large leafy square in a quiet and expensive part of London, UK. Mayfair and The Ritz Hotel are also in London. Berkeley Square in 1830. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Mayfair is an area in the City of Westminster London, named after the fortnight-long May Fair that took place there from 1686 until it was banned in that location in 1764. ... The neoclassical Ritz Hotel London is one of Londons most famous landmarks. ...

Lyrics

When two lovers meet in Mayfair, so the legends tell,

Songbirds sing; winter turns to spring.

Every winding street in Mayfair falls beneath the spell.

I know such enchantment can be, 'cos it happened one evening to me:

That certain night, the night we met,

There was magic abroad in the air,

There were angels dining at the Ritz,

And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

I may be right, I may be wrong,

But I'm perfectly willing to swear

That when you turned and smiled at me

A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.

The moon that lingered over London town,

Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown.

How could he know we two were so in love?

The whole darn world seemed upside down

The streets of town were paved with stars;

It was such a romantic affair.

And, as we kissed and said 'goodnight',

A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

The first stanza above, and the additional lyrics below, were in the original song as written, but are rarely sung in recordings: In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. ... Historical records of events have been made for thousands of years in one form or another. ...

How strange it was, how sweet and strange;

There was never a dream to compare

With those hazy crazy nights we met

When a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

This heart of mine beat loud and fast,

Like a merry go round in a fair.

We were dancing cheek to cheek

And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

When dawn came stealing up all gold and blue

To interrupt our rendezvous,

I still remember how you smiled and said,

"Was that a dream or was it true?"

Our homeward step was just as light

As the tap-dancing feet of Astaire

And, like an echo far away,

A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square

I know 'cos I was there,

That night in Berkeley Square.

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987), born Frederick Austerlitz in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. ...

External link

downloadable version of song

A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square IMDB film information

First UK publication of song in UNH archives