Lullaby of the Leaves is a jazz standard written by Bernice Petkere with lyrics by Joe Young. It originated as a Tin Pan Alley song and was first performed and recorded in 1932—Adrian Schubert & His Orchestra with Harold Van Emburgh delivered the initial recording in March 1932, and it became a hit for George Olsen and His Music later that year; by early 1933 more than 50,000 copies were sold. The tune is Petkere’s biggest critical and commercial success and has been recorded countless times in both lyrical and instrumental versions. Notable versions include Benny Goodman’s hot jazz rendition in 1951, Anita O’Day’s bop-tinged take in 1952, Cal Tjader’s cool vibraphone version in 1952, and Ella Fitzgerald’s 1964 Hello, Dolly! performance. It also appears on Billy Eckstine’s 1958 Imagination with the Pete Rugolo Orchestra, and has been performed by many instrumentalists including Art Tatum and Mary Lou Williams, with Tamir Hendelman performing a modern arrangement since 2002. The song has left further imprints in culture, including a 2017 sampling by The Caretaker and use in ice dancing from 2019 to 2020 with Beth Hart’s rendition.
