Music for Lovers Only

by JT Griffith Music for Lovers Only was first released in 1952 as a 10" LP with only eight songs. In 1953 it was released as an expanded 12" with eight more tracks. The Collectors Choice's Music for Lovers Only/Music to Make You Misty CD does not include the final eight songs, which are "Little Girl," "I Cover the Waterfront," "Some Day," "If I Had You," "When a Woman Loves a Man," "A Stranger in Town," "A Moonlight Saving Time," and "My Love for Carmen." Music for Lovers Only was Gleason's most popular LP and sold over 500,000 copies. The album's highlights include "My Funny Valentine," "I'm In the Mood for Love," and "I Only Have Eyes for You." The album's original liner notes include some fun descriptions of the "entrancing setting" for Jackie Gleason's music: "A wisp of cigarette smoke in the soft lamplight, the tinkle of a glass, a hushed whisper." Fans of Gleason's orchestral mood music will want to track down the expanded 16-track LP. Casual fans may not need much more than Collectors Choice's Music for Lovers Only/Music to Make You Misty.