I've Got the World on a String

"I've Got the World on a String"
"I've Got the World on a String"
Song
Published	1932 by Mills Music
Composer	Harold Arlen
Lyricist	Ted Koehler

"I've Got the World on a String" is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of the Cotton Club Parades.

Recordings

The song was recorded and popularized by Cab Calloway who had a #18 hit in 1932.
Bing Crosby recorded the song on January 26, 1933, with the Dorsey Brothers and their Orchestra.
The song was one of the first recorded by Frank Sinatra when he transferred to Capitol Records in 1953. His recording on April 30, 1953, with an orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle reached #14 on Billboard's most played list.

Other notable recordings

Louis Armstrong – (1933) I've Got the World on a String (1957)
Lee Wiley – "Manhattan Lights" circa 1940
Ralph Young, with Jack Pleis and His Orchestra (1950)
Perry Como – So Smooth (1955)
Frank Sinatra – This is Sinatra! (1956)
Louis Prima – The Call of the Wildest (1957)
Ferlin Husky - Sittin' on a Rainbow (1958/01/03)
Jo Stafford – Jo + Jazz (1960)
Ella Fitzgerald – Ella in Hollywood (1960), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook (1961)
Rita Reys & the Pim Jacobs Trio - Marriage in Modern Jazz (1960)
Peggy Lee – Sugar 'n' Spice (1962)
January Jones – Scopitone video (early 1960s)^{[better source needed]}
Sarah Vaughan – How Long Has This Been Going On? (1978)
Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli – Duets (1993)
Diana Krall – Only Trust Your Heart (1995)
Barry Manilow – Manilow Sings Sinatra (1998)
Lorrie Morgan – Secret Love (1998)
James Darren – This One's from the Heart (1999)
Steve Tyrell – A New Standard (1999)
Bobby Caldwell - Come Rain or Come Shine (1999)
Tony Bennett with Diana Krall – Duets: An American Classic (2006)
Michael Bublé – Call Me Irresponsible (2007)
Kermit Ruffins – Live At Vaughan's (2007)
Rod Stewart – Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V (2010)
Jermaine Jackson – I Wish You Love (2012)
Dr. John – Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch (2014)
Tony Bennett and Diana Krall – Spotify Singles (2019)
Lady Gaga – Harlequin (2024)

Live performances

A rendition by Anthony Perkins in the drama Winter Dream, a production of the live anthology TV series, Front Row Center
Céline Dion in her Las Vegas show A New Day..., which ran from 2003 until 2007, as well the DVD: Live in Las Vegas: A New Day... (2004)

Popular culture

The Polly Bergen Show – Gordon MacRae and Polly Bergen performed the song on her NBC program (February 22, 1958)

References

↑ "haroldarlen.com". haroldarlen.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ "I've Got the World on a String (song by Cab Calloway)". Music VF, US & UK hits charts.
↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ "jazzdiscography.com". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 393. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
↑ "Allmusic.com". Allmusic.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". Retrieved March 9, 2025.^{[dead link]}
↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
↑ Bob Orlowsky. "Scopitone Archive by Artist: G to L". Scopitone Archive. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.
↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
↑ Tony Bennett & Diana Krall – I've Got The World On A String, retrieved April 10, 2019
↑ "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.

External links

January Jones Scopitone video on YouTube

[1] "haroldarlen.com". haroldarlen.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[2] "I've Got the World on a String (song by Cab Calloway)". Music VF, US & UK hits charts.

[3] "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[4] "jazzdiscography.com". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[5] Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 393. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.

[6] "Allmusic.com". Allmusic.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.

[7] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.

[8] "www.allmusic.com". Retrieved March 9, 2025.^{[dead link]}

[9] "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[10] "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 17, 2023.

[11] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.

[12] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.

[13] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.

[14] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved January 10, 2025.

[Archive-15] Bob Orlowsky. "Scopitone Archive by Artist: G to L". Scopitone Archive. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[16] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

[17] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

[18] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 7, 2025.

[19] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

[20] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

[21] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 12, 2025.

[22] "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[23] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

[24] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

[25] "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.

[26] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 10, 2025.

[27] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 9, 2025.

[28] Tony Bennett & Diana Krall – I've Got The World On A String, retrieved April 10, 2019

[29] "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2025.

v t e Cab Calloway
Singles	"Saint Louis Blues" (1930) "Minnie the Moocher" (1931) "St. James Infirmary" (1931) "Nobody's Sweetheart" (1931) "Six or Seven Times" (1931) "You Rascal, You" (1931) "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" (1931) "Reefer Man" (1932) "I've Got the World on a String" (1932) "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" (1933) "(Hep Hep!) The Jumpin' Jive" (1939) "Bye Bye Blues" (1941) "Blues in the Night" (1942) "The Honeydripper" (1946) "Little Child" (1956) "History Repeats Itself" (1966) "Minnie the Moocher" (1978)
Musical shorts	Minnie the Moocher (1932) Snow-White (1933) The Old Man of the Mountain (1933) Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Ho (1934) Cab Calloway's Jitterbug Party (1935) Alright (1990)
Band members	Eddie Barefield Danny Barker Mario Bauzá Chu Berry Jerry Blake Andrew Brown Doc Cheatham Cozy Cole Shad Collins R.Q. Dickerson Panama Francis Dizzy Gillespie Tyree Glenn J. C. Heard Milt Hinton Quentin Jackson Illinois Jacquet Hilton Jefferson Keg Johnson Claude Jones Jonah Jones Al Morgan Rudy Powell Ike Quebec Reuben Reeves Edwin Swayze Walter Thomas Ben Webster Morris White Lammar Wright Sr.
Related	The Cab Calloway Orchestra Camay Calloway Murphy (daughter) Blanche Calloway (sister) Sunset Cafe The Missourians Cotton Club Hepcat Jive talk Zoot suit Jitterbug Cab Calloway School of the Arts "Hi-De-Ho"

v t e Louis Armstrong
Discography Filmography
Top Ten singles	"Muskrat Ramble" (1926) "Hotter Than That" "West End Blues" (1928) "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1929) "Chinatown, My Chinatown" (1932) "You Can Depend on Me" "All of Me" "Love, You Funny Thing" "Sweethearts on Parade" "Body and Soul" (1932) "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train" (1933) "I'm in the Mood for Love/You Are My Lucky Star" (1935) "Public Melody Number One" (1937) "When the Saints Go Marching In" (1939) "You Won't Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)" (1946) "When We Are Dancing" (1951) "What a Wonderful World" (1968)
Albums	Satchmo at Pasadena (1951) Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1955) Louis Armstrong at the Crescendo, Vol. 1 (1955) Satch Plays Fats (1955) Louis Armstrong and Eddie Condon at Newport (1956) Louis and the Angels (1957) Louis and the Good Book (1958) Satchmo In Style (1959) Hello, Dolly! (1964) Struttin' (1996)
With Ella Fitzgerald	Armstrong-Fitzgerald history Ella and Louis (1956) Ella and Louis Again (1957) Porgy and Bess (1959) The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve
Other collaborations	Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (1957) Bing & Satchmo (1960) The Great Summit (1961) The Real Ambassadors (1961)
Songs	"Willie the Weeper" "West End Blues" (1928) "Ain't Misbehavin'" "When the Saints Go Marching In" "Mack the Knife" (1956) "Autumn in New York" "On My Way" (1959) "Uncle Satchmo's Lullaby" (1959) "Hello, Dolly!" (1964) "What a Wonderful World" (1967) "We Have All the Time in the World" (1969) "Alexander's Ragtime Band" "April in Paris" "Back Home Again in Indiana" "Basin Street Blues" "Big Butter and Egg Man" "Blue Turning Grey Over You" "Blueberry Hill" "C'est si bon" "Can't We Be Friends?" "Cheek to Cheek" "Cold, Cold Heart" "Cool Yule" "Dippermouth Blues" "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" "Dream a Little Dream of Me" "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" "El Choclo" "Everybody Loves My Baby" "Frankie and Johnny" "Georgia on My Mind" "Get Together" "Gone Fishin'" "The Gypsy in My Soul" "Heebie Jeebies" "Hello, Dolly!" "Hey Lawdy Mama" "High Society Calypso" "I Get Ideas" "I Wonder" "I've Got the World on a String" "It's Been a Long, Long Time" "Jeepers Creepers" "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" "(Up A) Lazy River" "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" "Mame" "Moon River" "Moonlight in Vermont" "Muggles" "Muskrat Ramble" "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" "Now You Has Jazz" "On a Little Bamboo Bridge" "On My Way" "On the Sunny Side of the Street" "Pennies from Heaven" "Potato Head Blues" "Red Sails in the Sunset" "Rockin' Chair" "Saint Louis Blues" "Shine" "Skokiaan" "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" "St. James Infirmary Blues" "Standing on the Corner (Blue Yodel No. 9)" "Stardust" "Stars Fell on Alabama" "Takes Two to Tango" "That Lucky Old Sun" "That's My Desire" "There Must Be Somebody Else" "They All Laughed" "Uncle Satchmo's Lullaby" "La Vie en rose" "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" "When You Wish Upon a Star" "When You're Smiling" "Willow Weep for Me" "Winter Wonderland" "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah"
Related	Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions (1925–1928) Louis Armstrong House Louis Armstrong Stadium Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Satchmo the Great A Wonderful World
Discography Jazz Portal

v t e Frank Sinatra singles
Discography
Columbia singles (1939–1940)	"It's Funny to Everyone but Me" "On a Little Street in Singapore" "Ciribiribin" "All or Nothing at All"
RCA Victor singles (1940–1942)	"Imagination" "I'll Be Seeing You" "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" "I'll Never Smile Again" "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" "Our Love Affair" "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" "Stardust" "Dolores" "It's Always You" "Oh! Look at Me Now" "Without a Song" "Let's Get Away from It All" "This Love of Mine" "Blue Skies" "Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)" "Embraceable You" "Just as Though You Were Here" "Take Me" "In the Blue of Evening" "How About You?" "There Are Such Things"
Bluebird singles (1942–1943)	"Night and Day" "The Night We Called It a Day" "The Song Is You"
Columbia singles (1943–1953)	"Close to You" "You'll Never Know" "Sunday, Monday, or Always" "People Will Say We're in Love" "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" "White Christmas" "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" "I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)" "Ol' Man River" "Stormy Weather" "When Your Lover Has Gone" "Dream" "If I Loved You" "You'll Never Walk Alone" "Mighty Lak' a Rose" "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" "America the Beautiful" "Day by Day" "Full Moon and Empty Arms" "Soliloquy (Part 1 & 2)" "Begin the Beguine" "Silent Night" "Adeste Fideles" "Jingle Bells" "Oh! What It Seemed to Be" "September Song" "Five Minutes More" "Sweet Lorraine" "Time after Time" "Mam'selle" "Almost Like Being in Love" "Tea for Two" "My Romance" "So Far" "A Fellow Needs a Girl" "But Beautiful" "I've Got a Crush on You" "All of Me" "Nature Boy" "Everybody Loves Somebody" "My Melancholy Baby" "Autumn in New York" "Why Can't You Behave?" "Some Enchanted Evening" "Bali Ha'i" "Let's Take an Old Fashioned Walk" "I Only Have Eyes for You" "The Old Master Painter" "Peachtree Street" "Goodnight, Irene" "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)" "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" "We Kiss in a Shadow" "April in Paris" "I Could Write a Book" "The Birth of the Blues"
Capitol singles (1953–1961)	"I'm Walking Behind You" "I've Got the World on a String" "My One and Only Love" "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" "I Love You" "Young at Heart" "Don't Worry 'bout Me" "Three Coins in the Fountain" "The Gal That Got Away" "Someone to Watch Over Me" "Melody of Love" "Learnin' the Blues" "Love and Marriage" "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" "You're Sensational" "True Love" "Well, Did You Evah!" "Mind If I Make Love to You?" "Hey! Jealous Lover" "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" "All the Way" "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" "Witchcraft" "Mistletoe and Holly" "French Foreign Legion" "High Hopes" "Old MacDonald" "My Blue Heaven" "I'll Remember April" "I Love Paris"
Reprise singles (1961–1983)	"Granada" "I'll Be Seeing You" "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" "Without a Song" "Stardust" "Come Rain or Come Shine" "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" "Me and My Shadow" "Call Me Irresponsible" "I Have Dreamed" "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" "My Kind of Town" "Softly, as I Leave You" "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" "The Little Drummer Boy" "It Was a Very Good Year" "Strangers in the Night" "Summer Wind" "You Make Me Feel So Young" "That's Life" "The September of My Years" "Somethin' Stupid" "The World We Knew (Over and Over)" "My Way of Life" "My Way" "Goin' Out of My Head" "Something" "Bein' Green" "Send In the Clowns" "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" "Theme from New York, New York" "Here's to the Band" "To Love a Child"
Qwest singles (1983–1984)	"Teach Me Tonight" "Mack the Knife" "It's All Right with Me" "Until the Real Thing Comes Along"
Compositions	"This Love of Mine" "Sheila" "Peachtree Street" "Take My Love" "I'm a Fool to Want You" "Mistletoe and Holly" "Mr. Success"
Category