Come Rain Or Come Shine: Lead Sheet

This collection gathers some of the most requested standards in one place, all written or co-written by Mercer himself. For singers and pianists, having these seven songs in lead sheet format means you can work through an entire set of classics with consistent, readable chord changes and melody. The 360-page folio provides context and biography alongside the music, making it a genuine resource for understanding Mercer's artistry rather than just a chord chart.

These songs evoke the sophisticated glamour and emotional directness of the American songbook. Whether you're singing about romance, independence, or the charm of New York, Mercer's lyrics carry both wit and genuine feeling. The melodies are singable and memorable, the harmonies elegant and functional, the overall effect one of timeless style.

Singers performing American standards, jazz vocalists building repertoire, and pianists accompanying vocalists in recital or performance contexts. Vocal jazz ensembles and music theater programs will find these songs invaluable for concert programming and student solo work.

• Study the lyrics first. Mercer's words are precise and often conversational; understanding what you're singing about will guide your phrasing and tempo choices more reliably than any metronome marking.
• Treat the lead sheet chords as a starting point, not a ceiling. These songs have been voiced a thousand different ways. Listen to multiple recordings (Sinatra, Ella, Chet Baker) and adapt the voicings to match your arrangement and keyboard voice.
• Pay attention to song form and lyrical repetition. Many of these standards use AABA or similar structures where the return to A feels earned because of what happened in the bridge. Let that shape inform your accompaniment texture and dynamic.
• Balance the melody and harmony. The piano part should support the singer without overwhelming; resist the urge to fill every space, especially in intimate standards where space itself is part of the music.

Program these songs as a Mercer-focused set in a standards concert or jazz vocal recital. They also work beautifully as supplementary material for music theater students learning to navigate lead sheets and make artistic choices about arrangement and interpretation. A high school or college vocal jazz ensemble could use individual songs from this folio as solos or small-group features within a larger concert.

• Reading and interpreting lead sheet notation with chord symbols
• Understanding song form and lyrical structure in American standards
• Developing interpretive choices based on lyrical content and harmonic movement
• Accompanying singers from a lead sheet with flexible, responsive piano voicing
• Recognizing and performing stylistic conventions of jazz and popular standards