Ray Noble, the same English songwriter and bandleader who gave us Cherokee, The Touch of Your Lips and The Very Thought of You, among others, wrote By the Fireside with lyricists Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly. Composed in London in 1931, the song was published in the U.S. that same year by Robbins Music. Noble was first to record the song in London with his New Mayfair Dance Orchestra on January 8, 1932, with Al Bowlly singing the vocal. American bands quickly followed, recording the song in February and March and beyond. That year, By the Fireside reached acclaim on American college campuses just before the bank crashes and the onset of the Depression. [Photo above of Ray Noble]
In the early 1940s, the song was something of a period tune, reminding listeners of a simpler, gentler time before the chaos of economic collapse and onset of another world war. The song resurfaced again in the 1950s for the same reason—only this time listeners were yearning for a time before the Cold War, rock 'n' roll and juvenile delinquency. [Photo above of Jo Stafford relaxing at home in 1948 by Allan Grant for Life magazine]
Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S. today, a day that many people traditionally spend overeating and settling old scores at the family dinner table before sulking in front of the fireplace. To help repair any rift, I've chosen a handful of recordings of By the Fireside to remind you of an earlier time:
Here's the Leo Mathisen Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1942...
Here's pianist Paul Smith in 1950 (by the way, that's one sweet RCA transcription turntable)...
Here's Jo Stafford in 1956 backed by an orchestra arranged by husband Paul Weston, with the Starlighters arranged by Norman Luboff...
Here's Matt Dennis in 1958 backed by a band arranged by Sy Oliver...
And here's the wonderful Diana Panton on her 2017 album Solstice/Equinox...
