If You Were the Only Girl in the World - Cover of Downton Abbey Song - Show Tune - Popular Standard

Originally from the London musical review “The Bing Boys are Here,” this song was more recently popularized by its appearance in the series Downton Abbey.

"If You Were the Only Girl in the World" was composed by Nat D. Ayer, with lyrics by Clifford Grey. The song stands among the best-known Broadway songs, show tunes, and popular standards, including even those written by luminaries like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe, and Cole Porter.

For the Downton Abbey recording, the rhythm of the song was changed to that of a waltz. On this video, it is sung in the original "foxtrot" version, in 4/4 time. Marc Berman is the vocalist.

According to Iris Bass, a reviewer for "Sightlines" magazine, Mr. Berman possesses "one of the finest voices." A reviewer in "The Capital" praised "the richness of his voice." And James Oestreich of the New York Times described Berman’s singing as "solid."

Love songs like this were all the rage back in the day. Especially around Valentine's Day.

“If You Were the Only Girl in the World” has been previously recorded by many artists. Besides the original cast recording, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Alfie Boe, Doris Day, Dean Martin, Gordon MacRae, and Rudy Vallee all covered the piece.

While "If You Were the Only Girl in the World" has endured since it was composed in 1916, the rest of the songs from "The Bing Boys are Here" have been all but forgotten. Indeed, this song was one of Nat D. Ayers few "hits."

Interestingly, the lyricist of "If You Were the Only Girl in the World," Clifford Grey, was long confused with an Olympic bobsleigher by the same name. However, they were not the same man. Nonetheless, when a marker was added to Grey's grave in 2005, it contained the erroneous Olympic athlete identification.

Based on the original 1916 score, as well as the original cast recording, the song appears to have been sung in “The Bing Boys are Here” as a love duet. The original key was Eb major. On this video, it is sung in A major.

Surely, this love song from a bygone age will endure as long as there still are young men and women who meet and fall in love. It that sense, and despite the date of its composition, the ballad remains fresh and vibrant.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Sometimes when I feel bad
And things look blue
I wish a girl I had, say one like you
Someone within my heart to build her throne
Someone who'd never part, to call my own

I’ll try, a love to teach, dear
Fond and true
I sigh, a world to reach, dear
Just made for me and you.

If you were the only girl in the world
And I were the only boy
Nothing else would matter in the world today
We could go on loving in the same old way

A Garden of Eden just made for two
With nothing to mar our joy
I would say such wonderful things to you
There would be such wonderful things to do
If you were the only girl in the world
And I were the only boy.

Note: "If You Were the Only Girl in the World" is in the public domain. All photographs and other graphical images appearing in the video are either in the public domain, owned by this channel or lawfully used under a Creative Commons BY license..