The Lamp Is Low (song)

"The Lamp Is Low" is a popular song of the 1930s. The music was written by Peter DeRose and Bert Shefter, adapted from Pavane pour une infante défunte, a piece by Maurice Ravel. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish.

Mildred Bailey made the first notable recording of the "The Lamp is Low" in 1939. Covers by other musicians quickly followed, including ones by Tommy Dorsey and by the Harry James Orchestra with vocals by a very young Frank Sinatra. The song was on the hit parade in 1939 for nine weeks and continues to be a favorite of jazz musicians, with recent recordings by Kate McGarry and Robin McKelle. In 1968, Ella Fitzgerald recorded this song on her Columbia album, "30 by Ella".

Some samples of the Laurindo Almeida version were used by Nujabes to record Aruarian Dance in the 2004 Samurai Champloo Music Record: Departure album, one of the soundtrack albums from the anime Samurai Champloo.