Name That Tune

Ever get a tune in your head and know that you heard it someplace before, but can't place it?  Of course you have.  It happened to me the other night and eventually led to me to clean out my music collection, or at least part of it.

I watched the 1999 German/Hungarian film "Gloomy Sunday".  It was recommended to me by Netflix based on my love of foreign films.  The melody was haunting.  I knew I'd heard the instrumental version before, but where?  And then over the closing credits, an English lyric version, but I seemed to remember a male singer, not a female. 

Back to the computer and the good old internet.  I googled "Gloomy Sunday" and went to the Wikipedia site.  Wow!  What a history for this song. 

So, there at the bottom of the page is a list of everyone who has recorded the number.  A reference to the use of the song in "Schindler's List" solves the question of the instrumental version.  But who did I remember singing it?

Billie Holliday is mentioned.  So, while I cannot remember it being her, off I go to check my CDs of hers.  Nope.  Not on any of the ones I have.

Next up, Mel Torme.  Yes.  That is the voice I remember.  Off to check the Torme CDs.  Nope, not there either.  How can this be?  I know I have heard it more than once, so it must be on someone's disc.  Sarah Vaughan?  Carmen McRae?  Billy Eckstein?  NO, no, nada.

The result of this is CDs all mixed up.  So, drag out all of them to the dining room table and organize.  Family room, bedroom, guest room.  No rhyme or reason to how I sorted.  And no "Gloomy Sunday".

Amazon.com to the rescue.  There is the soundtrack for sale.  But what is this 'ships in one to two months?'  I know it is a foreign CD, but are they walking it across Europe and swimming the Atlantic Ocean?  Anyway, sometime in early April I will be able to listen to several versions of this melody.

Whaddaya bet I find a recording on an old vinyl LP or cassette tape after it arrives.  Those are all stored in boxes around here and not checked.

UPDATE:  Less than thirty minutes after posting the above, I decided to check a CD compilation titled 'When Loves Goes Wrong'.  There on the last track:  "Gloomy Sunday" by Mel Torme.  Mystery solved.