Things Ain't What They Used to Be

This article is about the song. For the Ella Fitzgerald album, see Things Ain't What They Used to Be (And You Better Believe It). For the McCoy Tyner album, see Things Ain't What They Used to Be (McCoy Tyner album). For the musical, see Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be.

"Things Ain't What They Used to Be" is a 1942 jazz standard with music by Mercer Ellington and lyrics by Ted Persons.

In 1941 there was a strike against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, of which Duke Ellington was a member. Because of the strike he could not air his songs on the radio. Instead, he used songs written by his son Mercer and pianist Billy Strayhorn. Strayhorn's compositions of this time include "Take the 'A' Train", "Chelsea Bridge" and "Day Dream", and Mercer wrote "Things Ain't What They Used to Be", "Blue Serge" and "Moon Mist".^[1]

Jazz musician and historian Chris Tyle argues that most likely Mercer Ellington came up with the melody and his father then arranged the song for the band.^[1] The song is most often played as an instrumental. Lyrics were written by Ted Persons.

"Things Ain't What They Used to Be" was the lead in for The Harley Show, Music out of Baltimore.

Notes

1 2 "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" at jazzstandards.com - retrieved on 27 May 2009

Duke Ellington

Studio albums

Live albums

Collaborations

with Alice Babs	Serenade to Sweden

with Count Basie	First Time! The Count Meets the Duke

with Teresa Brewer	It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

with Rosemary Clooney	Blue Rose

with John Coltrane	Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

with Ella Fitzgerald	Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook Ella at Duke's Place The Stockholm Concert, 1966 Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur

with Coleman Hawkins	Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins

with Frank Sinatra	Francis A. & Edward K.

Compositions

"All Too Soon"
"Azure"
"Black and Tan Fantasy"
"Black, Brown and Beige"
"C Jam Blues"
"Cotton Tail"
"Day Dream"
"Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
"Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
"Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
"Drop Me Off in Harlem"
"Echoes of Harlem"
"Everything But You"
"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues"
"I Didn't Know About You"
"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
"I'm Beginning to See the Light"
"I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
"In a Mellow Tone"
"In a Sentimental Mood"
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
"Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
"Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
"Mood Indigo"
" Prelude to a Kiss"
"Rocks in My Bed"
"(In My) Solitude"
"Sophisticated Lady"

Billy Strayhorn compositions associated with Ellington	"Take the "A" Train" "Lush Life" "Chelsea Bridge" "Something to Live For" "Satin Doll" "Blood Count"

Juan Tizol compositions associated with Ellington	"Caravan" "Perdido"

Orchestra
members

Filmography

Discography

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