Prelude to a Kiss is a 1938 ballad by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills. It was recorded as an instrumental in August 1938 and later released as a vocal number sung by Mary McHugh. The tune is in A-flat major and is notable for its chromatic harmonies, secondary dominants, and intricate voice-leading, with rising semitones at the end of the bridge that mirror the opening of the sections. Emerging in the late swing era, Ellington used it to move beyond Tin Pan Alley hooks toward more melodic and harmonically complex music. It is now a jazz standard and is regarded by Gunther Schuller as one of Ellington’s finest ballads, though its sophistication limited its wide pop appeal. Notable recordings include Ellington’s Piano Reflections (1953) and later versions by Billie Holiday on Velvet Mood (1956), Sarah Vaughan on Swingin’ Easy (1957) and Oscar Peterson on Oscar Peterson for Lovers (1959).
