Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra - Tangerine

"Tangerine" was written by Victor Schertzinger, the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1941.

It was introduced in the 1942 movie, The Fleet's In, produced by Paramount Pictures, directed by Schertzinger, and starring Dorothy Lamour, William Holden, Eddie Bracken, singer Cass Daley, and Betty Hutton in her feature film debut.

The most popular recorded version of the song was made by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly. The record first reached the Billboard charts on April 10, 1942 and lasted 15 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1.

The lyrics in this version differ slightly from those in the movie. On the record, Eberle sings "And I've seen toasts to Tangerine/Raised in every bar across the Argentine," the lyric that became standard. In the movie at that point, the line is "And I've seen times when Tangerine/Had the bourgeoisie believing she was queen."

James "Jimmy" Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was a prominent American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, trumpeter, composer, and big band leader. He was known as "JD". He composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People)" and "It's The Dreamer In Me".

Helen O'Connell (May 23, 1920 – September 9, 1993) was an American singer, actress, and dancer.Born in Lima, Ohio, O'Connell joined the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1939 and achieved her best selling records in the early 1940s with "Green Eyes", "Amapola," "Tangerine" and "Yours". In each of these Latin-influenced numbers, Bob Eberly crooned the song which Helen then reprised in an up-tempo arrangement. O'Connell was selected by Down Beat readers as best female singer in 1940 and 1941 and won the 1940 Metronome magazine poll for best female vocalist.

Bob Eberly (July 24, 1916, Mechanicville, New York — November 17, 1981, ) was a big band vocalist, best-known for his association with Jimmy Dorsey and his duets with Helen O'Connell.
Eberly was born Robert Eberle, but changed the spelling of his surname slightly to Eberly. His younger brother Ray was also a big-band singer, most notably with Glenn Miller's orchestra. He recorded the original version of "I'm Glad There Is You" in 1942 with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra on Decca Records, 4197B. The song subsequently became a jazz and pop standard.