Don't Blame Me is a popular standard composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, introduced in 1932 in the Chicago production of the revue Clowns in Clover, where it was first performed by Walter Woolf King at the Apollo Theater. The song was published in 1933 and later appeared in the film Dinner at Eight that same year. It belongs to the celebrated McHugh-Fields songwriting partnership that produced enduring hits including I Can't Give You Anything But Love, On the Sunny Side of the Street, and Exactly Like You. A romantic ballad with a smooth, memorable melody built on the classic 32-bar AABA structure, the tune quickly became a favorite vehicle for jazz improvisation thanks to its accessible harmonic progression. Guy Lombardo scored an early pop hit with it in 1932, reaching number nine on the charts, followed by Ethel Waters' 1933 recording with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, which climbed to number six. The song attracted a wide range of interpreters across decades and genres: Teddy Wilson recorded a notable solo piano version in 1937, Nat King Cole had a hit with it in 1948, and the Everly Brothers charted with their 1961 ballad rendition. Charlie Parker's 1947 recording with Miles Davis further cemented its place in the bebop canon, demonstrating the tune's capacity for adventurous improvisation within its elegant framework.
