My Shining Hour

"My Shining Hour" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the 1943 film The Sky's the Limit, where it was introduced by Sally Sweetland - who dubbed for Joan Leslie - backed by Freddie Slack and his orchestra. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. The song became a hit, in a version recorded by Glen Gray with Eugenie Baird as vocalist, but only slowly, taking four months to achieve recognition on Your Hit Parade having entered the charts on January 22, 1944 (the film was premiered on September 2, 1943). The song's title, and opening line: "This will be my shining hour", is believed to have been a reference to Winston Churchill's famous rallying call to British citizens during the war: "This will be our finest hour".

Notable recordings

• Betty Carter - 'Round Midnight (1969)
• June Christy - The Song Is June! (1958), Impromptu (1977), A Friendly Session, Vol. 3 (2000) with the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet
• John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (1961)
• Sammy Davis, Jr. - Our Shining Hour (1965)
• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook Verve (1961)
• Eydie Gorme - Alone Together (1990)
• Glen Gray - vocal Eugenie Baird (1944)
• Peggy Lee - Love Held Lightly: Rare Songs by Harold Arlen (recorded 1988, released 1993)
• Chuck Loeb - My Shining Hour (2002)
• Mabel Mercer - Once in a Blue Moon (1958)
• Liza Minnelli - It Amazes Me (1965)
• Frank Sinatra - Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980)
• Barbra Streisand - Live In Concert 2006 (released 2007)