"It's All in the Game" was a 1958 hit for Tommy Edwards.
Carl Sigman composed the lyrics in 1951 to a wordless 1911
composition entitled "Melody in A Major," written by Charles
Dawes, later Vice President of the United States under Calvin
Coolidge. It is the only #1 pop single to have been cowritten
by a U.S. Vice President.
The song has become a pop standard, with cover versions by
dozens of artists, some of which have been minor hit
singles.
Edwards' song ranked at #38 on
Billboard's All Time Top 100.
Dawes, a Chicago bank president and amateur pianist and
flautist, composed the tune in 1911 in a single sitting at his
lakeshore home in Evanston. He played it for a friend, the
violinist Francis MacMillen, who took Dawes's sheet music to a
publisher. Dawes, known for his federal appointments and a
United States Senate candidacy, was surprised to find a
portrait of himself in a State Street shop window with copies
of the tune for sale. Dawes quipped, "I know that I will be the
target of my punster friends. They will say that if all the
notes in my bank are as bad as my musical ones, they are not
worth the paper they were written on."
The tune, often dubbed "Dawes's Melody," followed him into
politics, and he grew to detest hearing it wherever he
appeared. It was a favorite of violinist Fritz Kreisler, who
used it as his closing number, and in the 1940s it was picked
up by musicians such as Tommy Dorsey.
In summer 1951, the songwriter Carl Sigman had an idea for a
song, and Dawes's "Melody" struck him as suitable for his
sentimental lyrics. Dawes had died in April of that year. It
was recorded that year by Dinah Shore, Sammy Kaye, Carmen
Cavallaro, and Edwards. The Edwards version had most success,
reaching #18 on the Billboard Best Sellers In Stores survey.
The range of the melody would have been "difficult to sing", so
required rearrangement. A jazz arrangement was recorded by
Louis Armstrong (vocals) and arranger Gordon Jenkins, with
"some of Armstrong's most honey-tinged singing." Jenkins would
in 1956 produce a version with Nat King Cole along the same
lines.
In 1958, Edwards had only one session left on his MGM
contract. Stereo recording was becoming viable and it was
decided to cut a stereo version of "Game" with a rock and roll
arrangement. The single was a hit, reaching number one for six
weeks beginning September 29, 1958, and would br the last song
to hit number on the R&B Best Seller lists. In November,
the song hit #1 in Britain. The single helped Edwards revive
his career for another two years.
In 1999, the stereo Edwards version featured in the movie
October Sky, based on the book "Rocket Boys" by Homer Hickam
Jr. Hickam said it was his favorite song in high school, and
insisted it be used in the picture.
"It's All in the Game" has been recorded by different
artists. Other notable versions include: