In Your Own Sweet Way (song)

"In Your Own Sweet Way" is a 1955 jazz standard, and one of the most famous compositions of Dave Brubeck, who featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1954. It was written around 1952, but its copyright notice was dated 1955. The lyrics were written by Brubeck's wife Iola.

"In Your Own Sweet Way" is written in the key of E flat major, and is in the form of a jazz ballad. Author of the 1996 biography It's About Time: The Dave Brubeck Story, Fred Hall, said that this jazz standard, like other standards, such as "Take Five," has been performed by "various Brubeck combinations" and many other artists. All Music Guide to Jazz notes the "contrasting lines" of the piece, while a reviewer in a 1994 edition of Jazz Times mentions the versatility of the piece, saying, "[This jazz standard] is in the performer category, i.e., a tune that is extremely adaptable to many styles. One disc jockey sent me a tape of 32 versions of it, and another collector told me he had over 50 versions by various artists."

Although at least one earlier concert recording is known, the song's first release, with three improvised choruses, was on Brubeck's 1956 solo album Brubeck Plays Brubeck. The first quartet version appeared on the 1956 album Dave Brubeck and Jay & Kai at Newport, issued on the Columbia label. A new interpretation by the quartet appeared on the 1963 Columbia album Brandenburg Gate: Revisited.

Other versions
Many jazz artists have covered the standard. In 1963, composer/arranger Clare Fischer recorded a solo piano version for his 1966 album Easy Livin'. Jazz fusion guitarist John Etheridge recorded a well-received version for his 1994 album Ash. Art Farmer and Lee Konitz also covered it in 1994 with the Joe Carter Quartet and Trio.

The song title gave its name to the 2010 documentary film about Brubeck, produced by Clint Eastwood, Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way.