I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) is a 1939 popular song written by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics inspired by a poem by Jane Brown Thompson titled Except Sometimes. The poem appeared anonymously in Life magazine in 1924, and Carmichael - with help from Walter Winchell - tracked Thompson down and published the tune, whose biggest early hit was Red Norvo and his Orchestra with Terry Allen on vocals. The song is a wistful torch ballad and jazz standard about longing after a breakup, and has been recorded by many artists across decades. Notable versions include Frank Sinatra on In the Wee Small Hours and Chet Baker on Chet Baker Sings, along with Rosemary Clooney, Nina Simone, Diana Krall, Matt Monro and Carly Simon. It also featured in the 1952 film The Las Vegas Story with Carmichael and Jane Russell, and its backstory was recounted on ABC's Telephone Time in 1957.
