The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On) by Irving Berlin – Charles Manning, Piano

“The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)” was composed in 1927 by Irving Berlin, with lyrics by Beda Loehner. In 1928, Ruth Etting and Whispering Jack Smith had early hits with the popular song. Through the years, numerous singers have recorded “The Song Is Ended,” including Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm and Ella Fitzgerald in her award-winning “Irving Berlin Songbook.” “The melody lingers on” lyric also appears in Berlin’s 1924 song “All Alone,” and in Ira Gershwin’s verse to “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.” In this rendition, pianist Charles neManning improvises “The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On).”