"Prelude to a Kiss" was composed by Duke Ellington in 1938, with lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills. The melody may have originated from a theme by alto saxophonist Otto "Toby" Hardwick, a member of Ellington's orchestra, though Ellington shaped it into its final form. The composition was tailored to showcase Johnny Hodges, whose seductive alto saxophone tone became closely identified with the piece. First recorded by Ellington's orchestra on August 9, 1938, for the Brunswick label, it was followed shortly by a vocal version featuring Mary McHugh with Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra. The melody is graceful and chromatic, with descending lines in the main sections and a bridge that features a striking ascending chromatic passage. The harmonic language is unusually sophisticated for its era, employing extensive secondary dominants, circle-of-fifths motion, and evaded cadences that create a sense of continuous harmonic movement. These qualities give the piece a character that blends jazz sensibility with classical-influenced voice leading, setting it apart from the more formulaic Tin Pan Alley writing of the period. Both the vocal and instrumental versions charted upon release in 1938, though the song's reputation has grown steadily in the decades since. It now ranks among Ellington's most respected compositions and is widely performed as a jazz standard, valued by improvisers for the richness of its harmonic possibilities.
