THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“they didn’t believe me” was composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Herbert Reynolds, published in 1914 and introduced in the Broadway production The Girl from Utah at the Knickerbocker Theatre on August 14, 1914. Early recordings include Harry Macdonough and Alice Green in 1915. It became a key work in establishing Kern's reputation in American musical theater.

Later revivals include the 1949 MGM film That Midnight Kiss, sung by Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson. The lyrics convey astonishment that others fail to recognize the narrator’s love. The music departs from waltz tradition, employing a 4/4 rhythm with syncopation and ragtime influences, giving it a modern and danceable character for its era.