"Day Dream" is a jazz standard composed by Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by John Latouche and written in 1939. It was first recorded by saxophonist Johnny Hodges and his ensemble on November 2, 1940. Duke Ellington was credited as co-composer on the label of the original 78 RPM release, though he is not generally considered to be one of the song's creators.

Background

On March 23, 1939, Duke Ellington and his orchestra boarded the SS Île de France for a spring tour of Europe. Strayhorn was working for Ellington at the time but was allowed to remain at his Harlem residence. Thus, he had nearly seven weeks to work on new compositions and arrangements. "Day Dream" was composed during this time.

Notable recordings

By Johnny Hodges

By Duke Ellington

By others