A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody is a 1919 popular song written by Irving Berlin for the Ziegfeld Follies. The first verse and the famous refrain - beginning with "A pretty girl is like a melody" - helped it become a staple of the Great American Songbook and a jazz standard. In the original Follies, Berlin set patter verses to the airs of classical tunes such as Humoresque, Spring Song, Elegy, Barcarolle, Serenade, and Träumerei, though the Träumerei portion was reportedly dropped. The tune served as the hit number and theme song of the Ziegfeld Follies, was performed on stage by John Steel, and later appeared in the 1936 film The Great Ziegfeld; it has been recorded and performed by many artists and remains a common feature of Tin Pan Alley and Great American Songbook repertoires. It was published as sheet music in 1919 by Irving Berlin Inc and has appeared on numerous compilations of Berlin's work.
