Song: Why Was I Born?

Music written by

Jerome Kern

Lyrics written by

Oscar Hammerstein II

Language

English

Comments

From the stage musical Sweet Adeline (Broadway opening on September 3, 1929).

Originals

First performance

Why Was I Born? by Helen Morgan in stage production Sweet Adeline (1929)

Versions

	Title	Performer	Release date
1	Why Was I Born?	Helen Morgan	1929 (performance date)
2	Why Was I Born?	Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra	1937
3	Why Was I Born?	Irene Dunne With Victor Young & His Orchestra	1941
4	Why Was I Born?	Saunders King Rhythm	1946
5	Why Was I Born?	Dick Haymes with Sonny Burke and His Orchestra	November 1949
6	Why Was I Born?	Vic Damone with Glenn Osser & His Orchestra	1949
7	Why Was I Born?	Ruby Braff Featuring Dave McKenna	1956
8	Why Was I Born	Jackie McLean	1956
9	Why Was I Born?	Seldon Powell	1956
10	Why Was I Born?	Dave McKenna	1956
11	Why Was I Born?	Polly Bergen	1957
12	Why Was I Born?	Connie Haines	1957
13	Why Was I Born?	Wally Fawkes	1958
14	Why Was I Born?	Morgana King	1958
15	Why Was I Born	Jackie Gleason	1959
16	Why Was I Born?	Steve Allen	1959
17	Why Was I Born	Diana Trask with Mitch Miller's Sing Along Chorus	October 1961
18	Why Was I Born?	The Johnny Hamlin Quintet featuring Marci Miller	1961
19	Why Was I Born?	Bobby Timmons	1962
20	Why Was I Born?	Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane	1962
21	Why Was I Born?	Red Nichols and the Five Pennies	1962
22	Why Was I Born?	Ella Fitzgerald	1963
23	Why Was I Born?	Aretha Franklin	1967
24	Why Was I Born?	Joe Albany	1972
25	Why Was I Born	Cher	1973
26	Why Was I Born?	Sheila Jordan	1976
27	Why Was I Born	George Barnes Quartet	1977
28	Why Was I Born?	Elisabeth Welch	1985
29	Why Was I Born?	Nancy Harrow featuring Bob Brookmeyer	1990
30	Medley: Why Was I Born?/Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man/People Will Say We're in Love	Ella Fitzgerald	October 22, 1991
31	Why Was I Born?	Sylvia McNair & André Previn	1994
32	Why Was I Born?	Bennie Wallace With Kenny Barron and Eddie Gomez	2004
33	Why Was I Born	Eddie Higgins Trio	March 21, 2007