Blue Mirror Grill

That’s the fabulous Dorothy Fields, born in New Jersey on this day in 1905, who in her 68 years on earth wrote lyrics for some of the most memorable tunes in the American songbook, over 400 in all, including:

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love • Don’t Blame Me
On The Sunny Side of the Street • A Fine Romance
I’m in the Mood for Love • The Way You Look Tonight
Big Spender • If My Friends Could See Me Now

In his inauguration speech, Barack Obama paraphrased Fields’ lyrics when he said, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” The song is “Pick Yourself Up,” from the 1936 film “Swing Time,” starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who sang, “Pick yourself up; dust yourself off; start all over again.”

Fields was honored in 1995 with a U.S. postage stamp in the Songwriters series.

Here’s Gwen Stefani with the Pussycat Dolls singing “Big Spender” from 1966′s “Sweet Charity.”

And Billie Holiday with “A Fine Romance.”

LIFE, USPS

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