The history of the song "Moody's Mood": the George Benson version, popular cover versions,...

"Moody's Mood" is a famous George Benson hit: recorded with Patti Austin, the track perfectly complemented the musician's iconic album called "Give Me the Night"! But only a few listeners know that this song actually has a much richer history! And it dates back to the 50s of the last century....

It was originally an Eddie Jefferson composition, and it was called "Moody's Mood for Love"! The song was recorded in 1952, however - and that's not the whole story! The tune was taken from an improvised solo by jazz saxophonist James Moody: the tune was originally behind the ballad "I'm in the Mood for Love", sung by the charming Frances Langford in the film Every Night at Eight (1935)... Since then, countless performers have taken on this masterpiece, but the most famous version is still George Benson's "Moody's Mood".

About the song: the release, the impact of...

As mentioned above, this song was first performed by Eddie Jefferson, a jazz vocalist and lyrics writer. Today, this man is called an "innovator" in terms of jazz vocals (and vocals in general)! It was Jefferson who was able to combine lyrics and the instrumental part of a piece (such as solos) in a new way. "Moody's Mood for Love" is considered to be one of the greatest and most famous jazzman's creations. But few people know that the song found its audience thanks to another jazz vocalist - King Pleasure. King Pleasure himself has repeatedly stated that it was Eddie Jefferson who had a great influence on him and was almost the main source of his inspiration... But that's another story. As for Jefferson, it remains to be added that in addition to "Moody's Mood for Love" he had two other quite famous hits in his songbook: "Parker's Mood" and "Filthy McNasty".

...but would "Moody's Mood for Love" have been such a resounding success without the efforts of another contributor, James Moody? Of course not! Moody composed his legendary improvised solo in the late 1940s while in Sweden. He and Jefferson (the author of the lyrics) later teamed up, and it was only then that what became known as "Moody's Mood for Love"... was realised.

The song became famous after it was recorded and released by King Pleasure. However, it wasn't without legal action... Jimmy McHugh, who wrote the melody for the very first ballad from the film Every Night at Eight, accused King Pleasure of plagiarism! By the way: the court was on his side, but McHugh was partially victorious. We'll leave out the details: suffice it to say that in the end King Pleasure and Jimmy McHugh came to a mutual agreement to split the proceeds from the sale of any versions of the tune. Quite a sensible solution! But why did King Pleasure take up the song in the first place? How on earth did he find out about it? After all, he was the first person to record it....

If some sources are to be believed, Pleasure was once personally present at a Jefferson's performance of "Moody's Mood for Love" at a jazz club. He allegedly asked permission to record the track, and Jefferson supposedly agreed. Now that's a really confusing story.....

George Benson's version...

But the real success of this song (and its singer in particular) came in the summer of 1980: it was at this time that George Benson - American jazz and R&B guitarist and vocalist - released his cult album Give Me the Night! By the way: the record was produced not by anyone, but by Quincy Jones himself! Unfortunately, it was the first and last result of their collaboration... The album quickly topped the top charts, including Billboard Pop Albums (yes, yes, this time Benson moved away from the classic sound towards pop music...). Much of the record's resounding success was due to the eponymous title track.

However... the composition "Moody's Mood" played a far from negligible role in promoting the album. Benson recorded this track with Patti Austin, a famous R&B singer. As a result, the song won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance...

The album itself won three Grammys and was certified platinum in the States. And now, after so many years, this record is still popular... And all thanks to two bright hits - "Give Me the Night" and, of course, "Moody's Mood". But it should be added that the popularity of the old jazz hit is not only abroad...

Other popular covers!

After the release of the King Pleasure recording, the song "Moody's Mood for Love" has become wildly popular with listeners and performers alike... Artists who have performed their own version of the jazz hit include the likes of Aretha Franklin, Chuck Brown, Amy Winehouse and many, many more....

And yes: this very song served as the basis for the track "Mood for Love" by hip-hop artist Prince Paul! But, as it turned out, the success of the legendary classic enjoys not only among foreign audiences... Mikhail Zhitov, a participant of the fifth season of the popular Russian musical TV project "The Voice" performed the legendary work, which knocked the audience and judges off their feet... Let's see this performance:

https://youtu.be/C1ooIWLl0oI

By the way: today Mikhail is a very successful performer! And the composition "Moody's Mood for Love", in all likelihood, will enjoy popularity for a long time to come (and for more than one generation...).