# "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026 "2010-10-04T18:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/1 "2010-10-04T18:33:06Z")
Totally leaving aside the question of “what other kind of sunrise is there” – why did this song become a favorite of jazz musicians? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/2 "2010-10-04T18:37:54Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Totally leaving aside the question of “what other kind of sunrise is there” – why did this song become a favorite of jazz musicians? For the same reason most tunes become jazz standards: because it has a good set of chord progressions to improvise over. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/3 "2010-10-04T18:46:15Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Totally leaving aside the question of “what other kind of sunrise is there” The Concord used to have a nighttime departure flight from London to the US where they actually caught up to the sun along the way, so it was “rising” in the evening from their point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/4 "2010-10-04T19:07:26Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Totally leaving aside the question of “what other kind of sunrise is there” – why did this song become a favorite of jazz musicians? With no effort to answer “why” I’ll just point to some pages that might add to the appeal of the tune: > **[Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Softly As in a Morning Sunrise)](https://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions-1/softlyasinamorningsunrise.htm)** > > JazzStandards.com: The premier site for the history and analysis of the standards jazz musicians play the most. says it’s ranked #132 according to criteria explained at [Jazz Standards Overview](http://www.jazzstandards.com/overview.htm) \<\< see: How are the jazz standards identified and ranked? \>\> The Highest ranked tunes start at: > **[Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals Contents](https://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions/index.htm)** > > JazzStandards.com: The premier site for the history and analysis of the standards jazz musicians play the most. Here are the ones closest to it in ranking: 130 1932 April in Paris C M J R A O 131 1947 Time After Time C J R A O 132 1928 Softly As in a Morning Sunrise C J R A O 133 1947 But Beautiful C J R A O 134 1925 Dinah C J R A O 135 1962 Days of Wine and Roses C J R A O ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/5 "2010-10-04T19:30:23Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > 130 1932 April in Paris C M J R A O > 131 1947 Time After Time C J R A O > 132 1928 Softly As in a Morning Sunrise C J R A O > 133 1947 But Beautiful C J R A O > 134 1925 Dinah C J R A O > 135 1962 Days of Wine and Roses C J R A O A quick look around the linked pages isn’t telling me what the code letters (C J R A O, +/- M) stand for – any clue? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/6 "2010-10-04T19:49:50Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > 130 1932 April in Paris C M J R A O > > 131 1947 Time After Time C J R A O > > 132 1928 Softly As in a Morning Sunrise C J R A O > > 133 1947 But Beautiful C J R A O > > 134 1925 Dinah C J R A O > > 135 1962 Days of Wine and Roses C J R A O > > A quick look around the linked pages isn’t telling me what the code letters (C J R A O, +/- M) stand for – any clue? Documentation key CD Recommendations Musician Comments Jazz History Notes Research Guide Soundtracks Analysis Origin At the top of the page: [Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals Contents](http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/7 "2010-10-04T20:27:42Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > For the same reason most tunes become jazz standards: because it has a good set of chord progressions to improvise over. I agree – it’s a grooving minor tune with a good little bridge, but _also_ the melody of the original tune is kind of captivating. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/8 "2010-10-04T20:37:13Z")
Sunrise hit like a fistful of hot knuckles. Winking sunbeams lasered past the slits in the cheap mini-blinds blasting away the scorched tatters of my dream. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/softly-as-in-a-morning-sunrise/556026/9 "2010-10-04T21:20:16Z")
On a related note, I love how **My Favorite Things** , a great musical showtune with fun, cute rhymes delivered by Maria herself, Julie Andrews, became a definitive jazz statement and standard, first by John Coltrane, but later by many, including my favorite by Grant Green, the guitarist…