"It Had to Be You" is a trio instrumental performance of Isham Jones's classic standard from Harry Connick Jr.'s 1989 soundtrack album When Harry Met Sally..., a song that serves as the film's unofficial theme. This instrumental version features a brief piano solo from Connick spanning three-quarters of a chorus over the 32-bar ABAC form in E-flat at an up-tempo 170 beats per minute. Connick's playing is marked by the jaunty, swinging energy that characterizes his best uptempo work, his New Orleans-rooted approach lending a rhythmic buoyancy that captures the song's inherently optimistic character. The trio format, without horns or additional instrumentation, places Connick's piano at the center of the arrangement, allowing his improvisational voice to emerge directly from the melody. As the song most closely associated with the film, "It Had to Be You" appears in multiple versions throughout the soundtrack, and this trio instrumental reading offers a distinctly jazz-oriented perspective on the tune. The When Harry Met Sally... soundtrack was a commercial phenomenon, selling over two million copies and earning Connick a Grammy Award, introducing his jazz artistry to an audience far broader than the typical jazz listenership. This performance, concise but musically satisfying, demonstrates Connick's ability to communicate the essence of a standard in an economical yet compelling musical statement.
