Me and My Shadow

"Me and My Shadow" is a 1927 popular song. Officially the credits show it as written by Al Jolson, Billy Rose, and Dave Dreyer, with Jolson and Dreyer being shown on the sheet music as being responsible for the music and Rose the lyrics. Al Jolson was often given credits on sheet music so he could earn more money by popularizing them, but he played no actual part in writing this song. Jolson never recorded the song although he did use it in the touring version of "Big Boy" in 1927. Popular recordings in 1927 were by "Whispering" Jack Smith, Nat Shilkret (vocal by Johnny Marvin) and the separate recording by Johnny Marvin himself for Columba Records. The song became particularly associated with Ted Lewis who used it to close his act. The song has since become a standard, with many artists performing it. Some other recorded versions Donald O'Connor (no recorded version available, but featured in the 1948 feature film Feudin', Fussin', and a Fightin) Cliff Adams Singers Pearl Bailey Michael Cooney Michael Ball and Antonio Banderas (2003) Elkie Brooks Dave Brubeck Quartet (Instrumental) (1951) James Caan (from the 1975 film Funny Lady) Maurice Chevalier (1968) Holly Cole (from the 1998 album Treasure) Perry Como (1951) Bing Crosby (from the 1962 album On the Happy Side) Vic Damone Linda Eder Judy Garland Jeff Goldblum with Sarah Silverman and Till Brönner (from the 2018 album The Capitol Studios Sessions) Michele Hendricks (1990) Johnny Howard Ferlin Husky (1957) Bert Kaempfert Scrappy Lambert (1927) Linda Lawson (1960) Julie London (from the 1968 album Easy Does It) Peggy Lee (from the 1969 album Is That All There Is?) Liberace Mantovani Billy May and his orchestra (vocal: The Sportsmen) (1950) The Mills Brothers (1958) Rose Murphy (1948) Mandy Patinkin (1989) Stephanie Pope (2001) Lou Rawls (1965) Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. (1962) - added special and timely lyric: "Closer than Bobby is to JFK" Cyril Stapleton Lawrence Welk Robbie Williams and Jonathan Wilkes (2001) Daniel Ash (1991 in Coming Down) The Kidsongs Kids on their Let's Put on a Show video and DVD. Solo sung by Debbie Lytton and Julene Renee. Sam Lanin and his Orchestra In film and television In the movie Funny Lady, Billy Rose admits to wife Fanny Brice that the shadow in the song was Nicky Arnstein, Fanny's criminal husband before Rose though, in fact, the song was written in 1927, two years before Rose’s marriage to Brice in 1929.