Long Ago (and Far Away) is a 1944 popular song - composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Ira Gershwin - from the Technicolor film musical Cover Girl. In the movie it is sung as a nostalgic duet by Rita Hayworth (voiced by Martha Mears) and Gene Kelly - and it helps frame a tale of love and longing for a time past. The tune was published in 1944 and released on the Cover Girl soundtrack - it became a major hit with sheet music sales reportedly over 600,000 in a year. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1944, though it lost to Swinging on a Star. Over the years it has been recorded by many artists including Jo Stafford, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Dick Haymes - and it remains a jazz and pop standard in albums and performances. The song is also recognized in AFI’s 100 Years...100 Songs list, ranking at number 92.
