"I'll Get By" is a popularsong with music by Fred E. Ahlert and lyrics by Roy Turk. It was published in 1928 and popular versions in 1929 were by Ruth Etting, Nick Lucas and by Aileen Stanley. The song was revived to even greater success in 1944, when the 1940 recording by Harry James was re-released . The Ink Spots' version featuring lead tenor Bill Kenny was also popular in 1944, reaching the retail top ten. A version by the King Sisters also charted in 1944 with a peak position of No. 12. The song was included in Variety's "10 Best Sellers on Coin-Machines" for the week of June 21, 1944. The song was also included on The Lucky Strike Parade's Top Ten for 1944. A 1944 Billboard poll found that "I'll Get By" was the third most sold sheet music among GIs stationed in training camps and in Europe.
1947 Buddy Clark - recorded August 20, 1947 for Columbia Records.
1956 The Platters, their beautiful rendition was never released as a single, but only as part of the 1956 LPThe Platters - Volume Two, as well as within EP releases, as in France.
1958 Connie Francis, her recording made #19 on the UK charts.
1973 The TV movie "Birds of Prey", starring David Janssen as an aging helicopter pilot chasing airborne criminals, uses Billie Holiday's version of "I'll Get By" to frame the character's reminiscences of his glory days as a World War II aviator.
1983 Zelig - Ben Bernie's version is featured at the end of this Woody Allen film.
Note: claim that Billie Holiday’s version of I’ll Get By was used for the 1973 movieBirds of Prey is probably not accurate. Comparisons of the movie soundtrack vs Holiday’s surviving recordings on the iTunes Store show that the vocalists and orchestrations do not match at all. The singer in the movie is still not known and was uncredited in the film. She had a much deeper voice than Billie Holiday and the orchestra and arrangement were noticeably more modern than any of Billie Holiday’s known or surviving recordings. Reader can verify this by playing the URL recording of the original movie version and then listening to any of Billie Holiday’s recordings on the Apple ITunes Store. They are noticeably different in all respects. Very unlikely that Holiday’s version was used.
This song was interpreted by Marilyn Monroe during one of her lessons in the Actors Studio. According to some, Monroe's performance caused a member of the audience to cry, which convinced some observers of her acting ability. This song is not to be confused with "I'll Get By," the 1991 hit ballad by Eddie Money.
