I Thought About You is a 1939 jazz standard composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Mercer wrote the lyrics after an overnight train trip to Chicago, inspired by the landscape and memories the trip triggered. The original recording was by Benny Goodman with Mildred Bailey in 1939, released as a single and later featured on various collections - it charted in 1940. The song belongs to the jazz standards repertoire, often performed as a ballad or light swing. The original sheet music shows a drawing of the Burlington Denver Zephyr streamliner, underscoring the train motif. Notable later appearances include Miles Davis on Someday My Prince Will Come (1961), Frank Sinatra on Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), and Shirley Horn on I Thought About You (1987), with other versions by Dinah Washington on What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! (1959) and Carmen McRae on The Great American Songbook (1972).
