A thunderstorm over Chicago inspired one of the most famous jazz standards in history
In short: Erroll Garner composed the melody for Misty while watching a rainbow through a plane window during a turbulent flight. What began as an instrumental piano piece became a global phenomenon, eventually gaining lyrics that were written in just a few hours and a signature vocal performance by Johnny Mathis.
The creation of Misty was as dramatic as the song itself. In 1954, pianist Erroll Garner was flying from San Francisco to Chicago when his plane encountered a thunderstorm. As the aircraft descended into O'Hare, Garner spotted a rainbow through the haze. Inspired, he began composing the melody on the spot, humming notes and striking his knees as if they were piano keys. This behavior was so unusual that a fellow passenger reportedly summoned a flight attendant, fearing Garner was ill.
Garner recorded the instrumental in July 1954, but the song's transformation into a vocal standard required the intervention of Johnny Burke. Initially reluctant to write lyrics, Burke was pestered by his pianist, Herb Mesick, who played the tune repeatedly until Burke finally relented. He finished the lyrics in two to three hours. While Dakota Staton was the first to record the vocal version in 1957, it was Sarah Vaughan's 1958 Paris session that brought the song wider attention.
Johnny Mathis, who had admired the tune since his teenage years, cemented its legacy. During his 1959 recording session for the album Heavenly, Mathis insisted on recording Misty to fulfill a promise to Garner, despite being scheduled to perform a different show tune. To achieve the song's iconic fade-in effect on a high note, Mathis physically walked toward the microphone while singing. The resulting track became his signature song, earning him a Grammy nomination and eventual induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The song's reach extended far beyond jazz. Clint Eastwood paid $25,000 to use the instrumental in his 1971 directorial debut, Play Misty for Me. In 1975, Ray Stevens turned the standard into an up-tempo country hit, which reached number two in the United Kingdom. Most recently, the song found a new audience in 2024 when a version by Lesley Gore went viral on TikTok, topping the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Misty (song)
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/culture-misty-song.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in UK & Irish culture · More in Cultures · Latest · A–Z · All topics
