Joy Hodges Gives Love
America’s song writing industry of the 1920’s produced many memorable and long-lasting tunes that the world still performs and loves. During World War II, the song “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” was one of the most enduring products of those labors. It was of the top-25 recorded songs between 1890 and 1954 and continues to produce hits for recording artists to this day.
The origins of the song are shrouded with intrigue, however. Officially, the song was penned by the team of Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics). The song was an immediate hit, first appearing in Blackbirds of 1928, a musical review starring many of the top Black performers of the era including Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Ethel Waters and Florence Mills. It is suggested by some that that the song was actually written by Fats Waller, with lyrics by Andy Rasaf and sold to McHugh for $500. The song was used in a tribute to Charles Lindberg, and its original opening line may have been, “I can’t give you anything but love, Lindy.”
The song endures. The 2014 video of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga has been viewed more than 4 million times. In this clip it is presented by singer Joy Hodges. Hodges appears in this 1943 clip as a part of Army Navy Screen Magazine, a bi-weekly film series, produced under the guidance of a Frank Capra for overseas troops.