Billie Holiday - I Thought About You (Verve Records 1954)

“I Thought About You“ is a 1939 popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was one of three collaborations Van Heusen and Mercer wrote for the then recently established Mercer-Morris publishing company, started by Mercer and former Warner Bros. publisher Buddy Morris. The other two were called “Blue Rain“ and “Make with the Kisses“. “I Thought About You“ was by far the most popular of the songs. The lyrics were inspired by Mercer’s train trip to Chicago. Mercer has said about the song: “I can remember the afternoon that we wrote it. He [Van Heusen] played me the melody. I didn’t have any idea, but I had to go to Chicago that night. I think I was on the Benny Goodman program. And I got to thinking about it on the train. I was awake, I couldn’t sleep. The tune was running through my mind, and that’s when I wrote the song. On the train, really going to Chicago.“ Mercer went on to author other songs whose central theme were trains, including “Blues in the Night“ (1940) and “On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe“ (1946). Billie’s accompanied by Alto Saxophone -- Willie Smith, Bass -- Red Callender, Drums -- Chico Hamilton, Guitar -- Barney Kessel, Piano -- Bobby Tucker, Trumpet - Harry “Sweets“ Edison. Recorded September 3, 1954. (Verve Records) I took a trip on the train And I thought about you I passed a shadowy lane And I thought about you Two or three cars parked under the stars A winding stream Moon shining down on some little town And with each beam, same old dream At every stop that we made Oh, I thought about you But when I pulled down the shade Then I really got blue I peeked through the crack And looked at the track The one going back to you And what did I do? I thought about you Thought about you, thought about you