(I love you)
For Sentimental Reasons

Written: 1945
(earliest year of copyright known to us)

Words and Music by:
William "Pat" Best
(born June 6, 1923, Wilmington, North Carolina - died October 14, 2004, Roseville, California -- credit for lyrics historically given to Ivory "Deek" Watson; see below for explanation.)

Written for: Independent Publication
(not for a Broadway show, revue, movie, etc.)

On the Main Stage at Cafe Songbook

Kurt Elling

performing

"For Sentimental Reasons"

with Jeff Chimenti, piano; John Shifflet, bass; Jason Lewis, drums

A Live recording of Elling singing "For Sentimental Reasons"
is included on his album Live in Chicago, 2001.

More Performances of "For Sentimental Reasons"
in the Cafe Songbook Record/Video Cabinet
(Video credit)

Cafe Songbook Reading Room

"For Sentimental Reasons"

Critics Corner || Lyrics Lounge

By March 1945, The Brown Dots, an Ink Spots like group whose members included William "Pat" Best (guitar and vocals), Joe King (lead tenor), Jimmy Gordon (bass) and Ivory Deek Watson (2nd tenor) -- who himself had been a founding member of The Ink Spots), were recording for Manor Records in Newark, New Jersey. At their first session, they recorded four songs, including "Sentimental Reasons." This song became well known over the years as "For Sentimental Reasons" or "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons."

William "Pat" Best, later a founding member of The Four Tunes, is credited with writing the music for the song and Ivory "Deek" Watson with writing the words, though Best has stated that Watson had nothing to do with the creation of the song.

Two websites elaborate on the issue. Marv Goldberg, on his website R & B Notebooks, gives an account of the infighting and litigation among the original members of the Ink Spots that led to Deek Watson forming The Brown Dots. Goldberg writes, "based on interviews with Jimmie Nabbie and Pat Best" the following:

In an ad in the March 17 [1945] trades, Manor touted songs by the Brown Dots as "to be released." The Brown Dots initially recorded four songs for Manor: "Let's Give Love Another Chance" (led by Deek), "Thirty-One Miles For A Nickel (Subway Serenade)" (also Deek), "Sentimental Reasons" (led by Joe King), and "You're Heaven Sent" (also Joe King). Their first release, in May 1945, was "Let's Give Love Another Chance"/"Thirty-One Miles For A Nickel (Subway Serenade)."

"Sentimental Reasons" - later recorded as "For Sentimental Reasons" and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" - was a poem that Pat {William Pat Best" had written: "Way back when I was in elementary school, I liked to write poems. Like I'm talking to a little girl. When I got older, I put a melody to it." Once they decided to record it, however, Deek saw something in the tune and the label only has his name on as writer [See video below]. When the Brown Dots re-recorded it in September of 1946, both Pat's and Deek's names appeared on it; however, a re-release of the original finally credited Pat alone).

The song was released in the summer of 1945 (backed with "You're Heaven Sent") and didn't seem to be going anywhere. One day, however, Pat got a call from publisher Moe Levy, husband of Maxine Andrews (of the Andrews Sisters). Moe (who, along with his brother, Lou, owned Leeds Music) told him that he'd heard the song and "the whole world was going to sing it." Pat therefore sold him the rights to it for $2500 (a goodly sum in those days); Levy eventually transferred the rights to his granddaughter.

The Brown Dots (William "Pat Best, guitar and vocals; Joe King (lead tenor), Jimmy Gordon (bass) and Ivory Deek Watson (2nd tenor) perform on the original recording of "Sentimental Reasons" (1945).
(The video includes both A and B sides of the 78 RPM record with slightly different versions of "For Sentimental Reasons.")

The web page for William "Pat" Best on the website VocalGroupHarmony.com, updates the story with a few more details:

William "Pat" Best wrote both the words and music for "Sentimental Reasons." Although Deek Watson's name is included as writer on record labels and sheet music, he had nothing to do with writing the song . . . or any other song that Pat wrote, for that matter. Pat wrote the words and melody when he was about 14 years old! [c. 1937] When the song was published in 1945, Pat sold the rights to Maxine Andrews' husband, who was owner of a music publishing company, for $2500. The song was registered in Maxine's granddaughter's name. Yes, that was Maxine of The Andrews Sisters. Pat was young and inexperienced . . . $2500 looked like a fortune to him! Years later, Maxine saw Pat in Las Vegas and thanked him for her trip around the world (from the proceeds)!

It took Pat almost ten years of research to gather evidence and find an attorney that would take the case, but it worked and in 2000 the rights to his song were won back!

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