Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)

This article is about the song sung by Billie Holiday. For the Jimi Hendrix song, see Lover Man (Jimi Hendrix song). For other uses, see Lover Man (disambiguation).

"Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (often called simply "Lover Man") is a 1941 popular song written by Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989.^[1]

"Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)"
Single by Billie Holiday
B-side	"That Ole Devil Called Love"
Released	1945 (1945)
Recorded	October 4, 1944 and November 8, 1944
Genre	Jazz pop
Label	Decca
Songwriter(s)	Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman
Billie Holiday singles chronology
"Trav'lin' Light" (1942) "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (1945) "Don't Explain" (1946)

Holiday's version reached No. 5 on the R&B chart and No. 16 on pop in 1945.^[2] In July 1946, Charlie Parker recorded a rendition of "Lover Man" while he was intoxicated. Dial Records producer Ross Russell had to hold him up to the microphone during the recording.^[3][4] Sonny Stitt played the song many times on alto saxophone in a virtuoso way, in the original key of D flat. Most jazz musicians, nevertheless, play the song in the key of F. Barbra Streisand recorded a version for her album Simply Streisand in 1967, and her version peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.^[5]

Cover versions

• Sarah Vaughan recorded the song for the Guild label in 1945, with backing by an instrumental ensemble that included trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Charlie Parker. Other singers that have covered the song have included June Christy, Rosemary Clooney, Chris Connor, Shirley Horn, Lena Horne, Etta James, Patti LaBelle, Julie London, Carmen McRae, Maria Muldaur, Della Reese, Linda Ronstadt, Diana Ross, The Communards, Kay Starr, Janet Blair and Dinah Washington. After dominating the 1992 Billboard Music Awards with four nominations, Whitney Houston sang a medley starting with "Lover Man".

• Charlie Parker recorded an instrumental version of the song himself in 1946 but he was intoxicated with alcohol during the session, and he was angry when he learned his producer, Ross Russell, released the song despite its flaws. Other saxophone jazzmen who have covered the song include Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods, Cannonball Adderley, Don Byas, Art Pepper, Charles McPherson, Grover Washington Jr., Wardell Gray, and an extended duet between Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins. Jazz critic Ted Gioia named a version by alto player Lee Konitz backed by Stan Kenton as the best interpretation, balancing the song's emotional aspects with the intellectual quest of jazz.^[6]

Charts

Chart (1945)	Peak position
US Rhythm & Blues Records	5
US Cash Box Top 100	16
Chart (1967)	Peak position
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	29

References

1. "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". GRAMMY.org. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
2. "Billie Holiday", Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived May 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Fordham, John (24 September 2009). "50 great moments in jazz: Charlie Parker teams up with Ross Russell". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
4. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 245–247. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
5. "Barbra Streisand Chart History: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
6. Gioia, Ted (2021). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN 9780190087173.

External links

• "Lover Man..." at jazzstandards.com