Confessin'

"(I'm) Confessin' (that I Love You)"
Song
Published1930
GenreJazz
Composers
  • Ralph Edward 'Doc' Daugherty
  • Ellis Reynolds
LyricistAl J. Neiburg

"(I'm) Confessin' (that I Love You)" (also known as "Confessin'", "I'm Confessin'", and "Confessin' that I Love You") is a jazz and popular standard that has been recorded many times.

"Lookin' for Another Sweetie" (1929)

"Lookin' for Another Sweetie"
Song
Published1929
Songwriters

The song was first produced, with different lyrics, as "Lookin' For Another Sweetie", credited to Chris Smith and Sterling Grant and recorded by Thomas "Fats" Waller & His Babies on December 18, 1929.[1]

"Confessin'" (1930)

In 1930, it was reborn as "Confessin'", with new lyrics by Al J. Neiburg;[2] the music this time was credited to Ralph Edward 'Doc' Daugherty[3][4] and Ellis Reynolds.[2]

Louis Armstrong made his first,[2] and highly influential, recording of the song in August 1930,[5] and continued to play it throughout his career.[6][7] Unlike the crooners, Armstrong did not try to deliver the original song's lyrics or melody; instead, he smeared and dropped lyrics and added melodic scat breaks.[8]

Cover versions

Other important recorded versions were done by:

See also

References

  1. ^ Stephens, Joe. "Victor 78 Record 30000–39999 Discography". Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Riccardi, Ricky (August 16, 2010). "The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong: 80 Years of 'Confessin''". dippermouth.blogspot.com. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  3. ^ Radlauer, David (March 31, 2024). "Bush Street above Powell in San Francisco: The Club Hangover Story, 1949–61". The Syncopated Times. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  4. ^ "Doc Daugherty". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  5. ^ Minn, Michael; Johnson, Scott. "The Louis Armstrong Discography". michaelminn.net. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "80 Years of 'Confessin'' Part 2: The Big Band Versions". dippermouth.blogspot.com. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "80 Years of 'Confessin'' Part 3: 1940s Small Group Versions". dippermouth.blogspot.com. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  8. ^ Brothers, Thomas (2014). Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-393-06582-4.
  9. ^ Burlingame, Sandra. "I'm Confessin' That I Love You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved August 27, 2010.