I'll Remember April

"I'll Remember April" is a jazz standard composed by Gene de Paul in 1941, with lyrics by Don Raye and Patricia Johnston. The song was introduced in the 1942 Abbott and Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy, sung by Dick Foran, and first recorded by Woody Herman and His Orchestra in August 1941. The tune is notable for its extended structure and meandering melodic character, which gives it a reflective, nostalgic quality. The lyrics use seasonal and temporal metaphors to evoke a fading romance, while the music typically employs a distinctive rhythmic approach, with the opening bars of each A section often played in Latin rhythm before transitioning to swing. Despite achieving only modest commercial success on the pop charts, "I'll Remember April" became a widely performed jazz standard, recorded hundreds of times across multiple generations. Notable jazz interpretations include versions by the Nat King Cole Trio, Grant Green's 1961 Blue Note session, and Frank Sinatra's 1961 recording on Point of No Return. The tune has also been recorded by prominent jazz musicians including Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, and Frank Morgan, whose 1955 album featuring Conte Candoli and Wild Bill Davis represents an early significant jazz treatment of the composition.