I Wish I Were In Love Again (from Babes In Arms): E-Z Play Today

This Rodgers and Hart gem cuts through the sentimentality that often weighs down love songs. The melody has real wit built into it, and the lyrical paradox (wishing to be in love while running from love) gives performers room to play with irony. It's the kind of standard that works equally well as a solo moment in a jazz combo concert or as a teaching piece for understanding how to color a familiar harmonic progression.

Smart and slightly cynical, with an undercurrent of genuine longing. The music itself resists taking the emotion at face value; instead it invites performers to sit in the space between what's being sung and what's actually felt. There's sophistication here that rewards repeated listening and playing.

Pianists tackling jazz standards and students learning how to approach a melody with character and nuance. Singers preparing audition material or developing their interpretation of classic American songbook repertoire will find this edition accessible and useful.

• Balance the syncopated rhythms against the underlying pulse; the melody dances around the beat rather than landing squarely on it, so lock into a steady tempo underneath to let that play shine
• Shape the phrases by thinking about the emotional arc within each section rather than pushing through in four-bar chunks; small rubato works here
• Let the harmony breathe, especially in the bridge where the changes become more chromatic; unnecessary pedal will muddy those sophisticated moves

Pair this with other Rodgers and Hart standards in a jazz or American song concert to showcase how differently the same songwriting team could approach the theme of romance. It also works as a solo spot in a larger cabaret or concert performance, or as material for a student recital where pianists want to demonstrate interpretive maturity.

• Interpreting syncopated melodies against a regular harmonic pulse
• Reading and voicing jazz chord symbols
• Shaping phrasing through lyrical understanding rather than structural regularity
• Managing chromatic harmony in bridge passages
• Building character and personality in a solo arrangement