["My Funny Valentine" by Rodgers and Hart]
- Marcya Daneille: I selected "My Funny Valentine,"
which is one of the most famous, I think,
and easily recognized jazz standards.
It is from a show.
It's from a show, I believe, that mounted maybe in late '20s,
early '30s called Babes in Arms.
In this performance of "My Funny Valentine,"
we have just me and a piano.
What I like about working in that format
is also kind of one of the things
that scares me a bit as a performer,
which is that it's bare bones.
That's the beauty and the fear of performing a jazz ballad
like "My Funny Valentine."
It really gives the pianist an opportunity
to stretch and create.
I never know from one performance to the next
what my introduction is going to be.
If you listen to the lyrics of the song,
it sounds like, initially like, a lover is being thwarted
or, you know, criticized for their appearance.
But it's a little deeper than that.
It's really this character saying, "In spite of the fact
"that you may not be the most attractive person,
you know, I have this undying love for you."
It doesn't matter what you look like.
You can still...
Everyone is still worthy of love.
You know, what's a better message than that?
[gentle piano notes]
? My funny valentine ?
? Sweet, comic valentine ?
? You make me smile in my heart ?
? Your looks are laughable ?
? Unphotographable ?
? Yet you're my favorite work of art ?
? Is your figure less than Greek ?
? Is your mouth a little bit weak ?
? When you open it to speak ?
? Are you smart ?
? But don't change a hair for me ?
? Not if you care for me ?
? Stay, little valentine, stay ?
? Each day is Valentine's Day ?
[gentle piano music]
? Is your figure less than Greek ?
? Is your mouth a little bit weak ?
? When you open it to speak ?
? Are you smart ?
? But don't, don't change a hair for me ?
? Not, not if you care for me ?
? Stay, little valentine, stay ?
? Each day is Valentine's ?
? Each day is Valentine's Day ?
[gentle piano music] [ending note]