As Time Goes By (song)

For the 1999 J-pop song, see Hiroko Shimabukuro.

"As Time Goes By"
Song
Written	1931

"As Time Goes By" is a song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It became most famous in 1942 when part of it was sung by the character Sam (Dooley Wilson) in the movie Casablanca. The song was voted No. 2 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs special, commemorating the best songs in film. It has been used as a fanfare for Warner Bros. since 1999 and was the title and theme song of the 1990s British comedy series As Time Goes By.

History

Herman Hupfeld wrote "As Time Goes By" for the 1931 Broadway musical Everybody's Welcome. In the original show, it was sung by Frances Williams. It was recorded that year by several artists, it was sung by Rudy Vallée and Binnie Hale, and orchestra recordings were made by Jacques Renard and Fred Rich. In terms of popularity at the time, it was a modest hit.

The song was re-introduced in 1942 in the film Casablanca. It was sung by "Sam" (Dooley Wilson); "Sam"'s piano accompaniment was played by pianist Elliot Carpenter. The song is heard throughout the film as a leitmotif. Wilson was unable to record his version of the song at the time due to the 1942–44 musicians' strike. So Brunswick reissued the Jacques Renard 1931 recording, and Victor re-issued Vallée's 1931 recording, giving Vallée a number one hit in 1942.

The AFI listed it among its "top 100" movie songs. National Public Radio included it in its NPR 100, a 1999 list of the most important American musical works of the 20th century as compiled by NPR's music editors.

Hupfeld lived his whole life in Montclair, New Jersey, and was a regular customer at the Robin Hood Inn, a tavern built in 1922 on Valley Road, then part of Upper Montclair. Hupfeld spent many hours at the piano and wrote several of his songs in this tavern, now the Valley Regency. A plaque on the second floor of the Valley Regency Catering Facility in Clifton, New Jersey, commemorates the song.

Omitted reference to Einstein

In Casablanca, Wilson sings the song as written ("You must remember this..."), but does not sing the Prelude ("This day and age we're living in..."). The omitted lines refer to Albert Einstein

Versions

The song has been performed by many artists. Notable versions include:

• Jimmy Durante on his album Jimmy Durante's Way of Life... (1965). This rendition was later included on the soundtrack of Sleepless in Seattle.
• Frank Sinatra on his album Point of No Return (1962).
• Harry Nilsson on his album A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night (1973).

Composition

The original song in the film as sung and played by "Sam" was recorded in D major, but it has since been played in several keys, commonly C major, but also B-flat major, as in Frank Sinatra's recording, and others keys included including A major and E-flat major.

Trivia

• It inspired the title of the first memoir of Beatles publicist Derek Taylor (published by Sphere Books in 1973).
• It is the source of the title of the 1990s British comedy series As Time Goes By; a recording by Joe Fagin is the show's theme song.
• Warner Bros., the studio that produced Casablanca, has included the chorus to the song in the opening logo to its films since the 1999 release of Message in a Bottle, when it celebrated its 75th anniversary. A shorter version was later added to the closing logo for productions of Warner Bros. Television.