Autumn Leaves (song)

"Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally it was a 1945 French song "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves") with music by Hungarian-French composer Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert, the Hungarian title is "Hulló levelek" (Falling Leaves). Yves Montand (with Irène Joachim) introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in 1946 in the film Les Portes de la Nuit.

Recordings and Covers
The American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947 and Jo Stafford was among the first to perform this version. "Autumn Leaves" became a pop standard and a jazz standard in both languages, both as an instrumental and with a singer.

On December 24, 1950, French singer Edith Piaf sang both French and English versions of this song on the radio programme The Big Show, hosted by Tallulah Bankhead.

The Melachrino Strings recorded an instrumental version of the song in London on August 18, 1950. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number B 9952.

The film Autumn Leaves (1956) starring Joan Crawford featured the song, as sung by Nat King Cole, over the title sequence. The French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg paid tribute to this song in his own song "La chanson de Prévert". Frank Sinatra included a popular version of the song on his 1956 album Where Are You?.

"Autumn Leaves" is the corps song of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.

Andy Williams released a version of the song on his 1959 album, Lonely Street. The Coasters released a version of the song on their 1960 album One by One. Al Hirt released a version on his 1965 album, They're Playing Our Song. The British Invasion band Manfred Mann released a rock version on their 1966 album As Is. Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi recorded his version on the 1968 RCA Victor album I'm a Fool to Want You. Raquel Bitton recorded a version in 2000 that appears on her album Raquel Bitton sings Edith Piaf. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version that can be found on the 2000 album The Jerry Lee Lewis Show.

Greek-Cypriot recording artist Alexia Vassiliou, recorded the song for her first 1996 album, In A Jazz Mood. The song also appears on Iggy Pop's 2009 album Préliminaires as the opening track.

Chart appearances
In 1955 Roger Williams made the song a number-one hit in the United States, the only piano instrumental to reach number one.

Structure and chord progression
The song is in AABC form. "Autumn Leaves" offers a popular way for beginning jazz musicians to become acquainted with jazz harmony as the chord progression consists almost solely of ii-V-I and ii-V sequences which are typical of jazz. It was originally, and is most commonly, performed in the key of E minor, but is also played in G minor and other keys. Eva Cassidy's version (clip on the right) is played in B-flat minor with a capo on the first fret.

Its iv7-VII7-VIM7-ii(half-diminished)7-i chord progression is an example of the circle-of-fifths progression.