You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) was composed in 1931 by Gladys Du Bois, Russ Columbo, Paul Gregory, and Con Conrad. Published as sheet music by Harms Inc., it is a product of the Tin Pan Alley era, written as a romantic popular song in the standard format of the period. The tune gained early attention through a recording by the Nat King Cole Trio in a transcription session from the late 1930s or early 1940s, which treated the material in a small-group jazz style. Other recordings include versions by Will Osborne and His Orchestra and Jackie Gleason in an orchestral mood-music setting. While not among the most frequently performed jazz standards, the song has maintained a modest presence in the vocal jazz repertoire, surfacing periodically as an intimate ballad vehicle. Its straightforward melody and sentimental lyrics have made it well suited to trio and small combo formats. On AllSolos, Diana Krall and Russell Malone perform the tune on the 1995 album All for You, with transcribed solos for piano and electric guitar that reflect the album's tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio tradition.
