If I Were a Bell is a song composed by Frank Loesser for the 1950 musical Guys and Dolls. In the show it is sung by Sister Sarah, originally performed on Broadway by Isabel Bigley and preserved on the original cast album. The song is tied to a scene in which Sky Masterson takes Sarah Brown to Havana, gets her a little drunk, and she lets her guard down as they fall in love, with Sky refusing to take advantage of her inebriated state. It became a jazz standard after Miles Davis recorded it for the 1958 Prestige album Relaxin' with The Miles Davis Quintet, featuring John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. The tune has since been covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby with Patty Andrews in 1950, Doris Day in 1950, Ella Fitzgerald in 1958, Blossom Dearie in 1959, Petula Clark in 1966, Holly Cole in 1991, Seth MacFarlane in 2022, and Gerald Clayton in 2010, among others. The Miles Davis version was also used in the final scene of The Cosby Show. The song is a show tune from Guys and Dolls that has lived on as a jazz standard and appears on the original Broadway cast album as well as many later recordings.
