ALICE BLUE GOWN
From the Broadway Musical "Irene" (1919)
(Music: Harry Tierney / Words: Joseph McCarthy)

Edith Day (Broadway Production) - 1919
Miss Jessie Broughton - 1919
Dale Winter (Broadway Revival) - 1923
Nat Shilkret's Troubadours (Instr.) - 1929
Red Nichols & His Five Pennies - 1929
Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang - 1936
Benny Goodman & His Orch. - 1937
Anna Neagle (feat. in the film "Irene") - 1940
Martha Tilton (feat. in the film "Irene") - 1940
Harry James & His Orch. - 1940
Artie Shaw & His Orch. - 1940
Tommy Dorsey & His Orch. (vocal: Frank Sinatra) - 1940
Jo Stafford - 1950
Joni James - 1955
The Chordettes - 1957
Maj Lindström (feat. in the film "Jazzgossen" -
Swedish lyrics: Anita Halldén ) - 1958
Debbie Reynolds (Broadway Revival) - 1973

Also recorded by:
Howard Alden, Alexander's Accordions, Ray Anthony, Chet Atkins,
Kenny Baker, Chris Barber, Sweet Emma Barrett & her Bell Boys,
Al Bowlly, Milton Brown, Ray Brown, Butterfield, Freddy Cannon,
June Christy, Eddie Condon, Graham Dalby & the Gramaphones,
Damita Jo, Johnny Downing, Deanna Durbin, Duke Ellington,
Irving Fazola, Pete Fountain, Jackie Gleason, Benny Goodman,
Earl Hines, Roger Kellaway, The Light Crust Doughboys,
Joe Loss & His Orch. (vocal: Chick Henderson), Mantovani,
Frankie Masters, Robert Maxwell, Kate & Anna McGarrigle,
Glenn Miller, Liza Minnelli, Moms & Dads, Arthur Murray Orch.'
Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Ed Polcer's All Stars, Ben Pollack, Edmundo Ros,
Bob Scobey, Soulful Strings, Mugsy Spanier, Tiny Tim, Dick Wellstood, Ian
Whitcomb, Teddy Wilson.........and others.



I once had a gown, it was almost new
Oh, the daintiest thing, it was sweet Alice blue
With little forget-me-nots placed here and there
When I had it on, I walked on the air
And it wore, and it wore, and it wore
'Til it went, and it wasn't no more

In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
'Til it wilted, I wore it, I'll always adore it
My sweet little Alice blue gown

The little silk worms that made silk for that gown
Just made that much silk and then crawled in the ground
For there never was anything like it before
And I don't dare to hope there will be any more
But it's gone, 'cause it just had to be
Still it wears in my memory

In my sweet little Alice blue gown
When I first wandered down into town
I was both proud and so shy, as I felt every eye
And in every shop window I primped passing by
Then in manner of fashion, I'd frown
And the world seemed to smile all around
So it wouldn't be proper if made of silk were another
My sweet little Alice blue gown


******


As performed by Martha Tilton in the 1938 film "Irene":

In her sweet little Alice blue gown
Oh, what a gal, she's the talk of the town
Little bit o' lipstick and a pose
A million dollars worth of clothes
Debutantes hide in cellars
She just walks away with all the fellahs
Parked high on Park Avenue
The upper crust she's just turned upside down
Oh, she's good to her Ma
But she still gets around
In her sweet little, old fashioned hand-me-down
In her sweet little Alice blue gown

(SPOKEN: What girl wouldn't do it if she had the do-re-mi?)
(ANNOUNCER: Susie, you musn't say things like that. Lots
of people are listening and we're on the WPA Network)

Well, she put it on, burned them up
Turned the world upside down
In her sweet, cute and neat
In her sweet little Alice blue gown


(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - June 2009)