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"(In My) Solitude" is a 1934 composition by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. It has been recorded numerous times and is considered a jazz standard. Ellington reported that he composed it in a recording studio in 20 minutes, as his orchestra had arrived with three pieces to record and required another. It is in D major and has an AABA form (although "the IV chord in measure 3 is replaced by a II7 the second time"). According to Ellington, the title was suggested by trumpeter Arthur Whetsel. An AllMusic writer describes the composition as "at once optimistic in its tone but somber in its pace, conflicted with the emotions of bitter loneliness and fond remembrance". The mood is set "in the very first phrase of the melody, with its ascent to the leading tone of the scale falling just short of the tonic, and in the seemingly unremarkable chord progressions that nevertheless manage to transform harmonic resolution into wistful resignation". The first recording of the song was by Ellington on January 10, 1934. His second version, from September of the same year, reached No. 2 on the charts in 1935. The Mills Blue Rhythm Band's rendition reached No. 8 that year. "Solitude" was recorded at least 28 times between 1934 and 1942. Vocalist Billie Holiday recorded the song several times in the 1940s and 1950s, "with the world-weariness of the words matching to an almost disturbing degree her late-career persona". One of her renditions was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021. Writing in 2012, Ted Gioia commented that "For the most part, 'Solitude' serves as a tribute piece nowadays, often played in an overly respectful manner that captures more the sound than the spirit of [Ellington]". Other versions Rex Stewart – Rex Stuart Plays Duke Ellington (1955) Billy Eckstine – The Duke, The Blues and Me! (1957) Al Hibbler – Big Boy Blues (195-?) Josephine Baker – Josephine Baker Chante L'Amour (1959) Tony Bennett with Count Basie – In Person! (1959) Lucho Gatica – Lucho in Mexico (196-?) Priscilla Paris – Priscilla Love Billy (196-?) Carmen McRae – Carmen McRae (rec. 196-?, rel.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“Perfect solitude is when, for a whole day, no human eye has beheld your face.”
— Berthold Auerbach, On the Heights (1865), trans. Simon Adler Stern. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1907, p. 622
“Who knows what true loneliness is — not the conventional word, but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion.”
— Joseph Conrad, in Under Western Eyes (1911), Part I, Chapter 2
“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”
— John 6:14–15 (AKJV)
“Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.”
— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818), the monster, speaking to Victor Frankenstein in Ch. 15.
“Nunquam se minus otiosum esse quam cum otiosus; nec minus solum quam cum solus esset.”
— That he was never less at leisure than when at leisure; nor that he was ever less alone than when alone.
“I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
— Henry David Thoreau, Solitude

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Notable quotes

“Perfect solitude is when, for a whole day, no human eye has beheld your face.”
— Berthold Auerbach, On the Heights (1865), trans. Simon Adler Stern. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1907, p. 622
“Who knows what true loneliness is — not the conventional word, but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion.”
— Joseph Conrad, in Under Western Eyes (1911), Part I, Chapter 2
“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.”
— John 6:14–15 (AKJV)
“Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am solitary and abhorred.”
— Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818), the monster, speaking to Victor Frankenstein in Ch. 15.
“Nunquam se minus otiosum esse quam cum otiosus; nec minus solum quam cum solus esset.”
— That he was never less at leisure than when at leisure; nor that he was ever less alone than when alone.
“I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”
— Henry David Thoreau, Solitude

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Overview

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Solitude

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Solitude

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Solitude across IJR

Overview

Notable quotes

Notable quotes

Overview

Solitude across IJR