Lover, Come Back to Me is a 1928 show tune composed by Sigmund Romberg with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the Broadway musical The New Moon. It is a romantic ballad in which a lover pleads for the return of a vanished beloved, and it was introduced on Broadway by Evelyn Herbert and Robert Halliday (as Robert Misson) on September 19, 1928. The song became a lasting jazz standard and has been recorded many times, including early 1928-1929 recordings and the film versions of The New Moon in 1930 and 1940. Notable later covers include Barbra Streisand’s 1962 single from The Second Barbra Streisand Album (arranged by George Williams and produced by Mike Berniker) with a 1963 album version, Nat King Cole’s 1953 recording, Ella Fitzgerald’s 1955 version, Billie Holiday, and Annette Hanshaw’s 1929 rendition. The tune remains a staple of show tune and jazz repertoires and is often performed in the jazz standard key of F major.
