They Say It's Spring is a light, whimsical jazz ballad co-written by Bob Haymes and Marty Clark, copyrighted in December 1957. The song captures the flirtatious optimism of spring romance through a playful melody and gentle swinging rhythm, with harmony that is sophisticated yet accessible. Haymes, best known for writing the enduring standard That's All, composed this tune during a productive mid-career period that also produced My Love, My Love in 1952. The song gained its initial prominence through Blossom Dearie's recording on her 1957 Verve album Give Him the Ooh-La-La, featuring a stellar quartet with Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Jo Jones on drums, along with Harry Allen on tenor saxophone and Tommy Flanagan on piano. That recording established the tune firmly within the jazz vocal repertoire. Tommy Flanagan later recorded an instrumental version on his album Ballads and Blues, stretching the performance to over five minutes and demonstrating the composition's appeal for improvisers. Other notable interpreters include Sherri Roberts, whose 2017 album Anybody's Spring placed the tune within a Blossom Dearie-influenced spring-themed program, as well as Bryan Shaw with vocalist Rebecca Kilgore and Tatiana Eva-Marie with Michael Valeanu. Though less ubiquitous than That's All, They Say It's Spring has enjoyed renewed attention since 2000 and continues to appear in jazz vocal and instrumental settings, often featured in spring-themed sets.
