The forlorn fragility of Billie Holiday. The nocturnal, sultry cooing of Julie London.

The clean, inviting call of Peggy Lee. The sorrowful but resilient cries of Nina Simone.

The controlled, impressive acrobatics of Sarah Vaughan. The warm, velvety tone of Nancy Wilson.

The bluesy sharpness of Dinah Washington. The chameleonic improvisation of Ella Fitzgerald.

 

Welcome to the Ladies of Jazz Rate!

 

The legacies of these classic female stars of vocal jazz can still be heard and felt throughout music, and their work continues to captivate, inspire, and resonate with listeners even decades after the peak of the genre's popularity.

 

It's high time these legends got some love on ATRL, so in this rate, we will be scoring eight songs from each of some of jazz's most beloved, popular, and enduring ladies.

 

 

RULES

1. Please listen to each of the songs at least once before sending your scores. 

2. Rate each song from 0 to 10. Decimals are allowed but only up to 2 decimal places (7, 7.5, and 7.75 are all fine, but 7.35583836 is not).

3. You can give one lucky song a score of 11.

4. You may provide comments on as many songs as you want, or none at all!

5. Some of these songs have several versions by their respective artist. I highly recommend rating the version included on the playlist to keep things consistent.

(Though if you were to rate a different version, I would be none the wiser and it wouldn't matter too much.)

6. DM your ballot to me using the list below as a template.

 

FINAL DEADLINE: August 8th

 

PM-FRIENDLY LIST

Spoiler

Billie Holiday

1. All of Me

2. Body and Soul

3. Gloomy Sunday

4. God Bless the Child

5. I'll Be Seeing You

6. I'm a Fool to Want You

7. Solitude

8. Strange Fruit

 

Dinah Washington

1. Drinking Again

2. Mad About the Boy

3. Our Love is Here to Stay

4. September in the Rain

5. This Bitter Earth

6. Unforgettable

7. What a Diff'rence a Day Made

8. You Don't Know What Love Is

 

Ella Fitzgerald

1. Cheek to Cheek

2. Dream a Little Dream of Me

3. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

4. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off

5. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)

6. Night and Day

7. Someone to Watch Over Me

8. Summertime

 

Julie London

1. Black Coffee

2. Cry Me a River

3. Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)

4. Go Slow

5. I'm Glad There is You

6. I'm in the Mood for Love

7. 'Round Midnight

8. Sway

 

Nancy Wilson

1. Call Me

2. I Wish You Love

3. The Masquerade is Over

4. The Nearness of You

5. Save Your Love for Me

6. Tonight May Have to Last Me All My Life

7. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

8. (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am

 

Nina Simone

1. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

2. Feeling Good

3. Four Women

4. I Put a Spell on You

5. I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free

6. My Baby Just Cares for Me

7. Sinnerman

8. Wild is the Wind

 

Peggy Lee

1. Big Spender

2. Fever

3. Hallelujah, I Love Him So

4. He's a Tramp

5. I'm a Woman

6. It's a Good Day

7. Johnny Guitar

8. Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)

 

Sarah Vaughan

1. April in Paris

2. Embraceable You

3. Lullaby of Birdland

4. Misty

5. My Funny Valentine

6. September Song

7. Tenderly

8. Whatever Lola Wants

 

OPTIONAL EXTRA

These lists are in no way exhaustive or a sufficient indication of just how many timeless classics each singer has in their discography, and due to space, a lot of iconic songs associated with them simply couldn't make the cut.

 

If you feel strongly about a particular song that didn't make the final lists, or if there's even an underrated deep cut of theirs you want to show some love to, you are more than welcome to include that in the DM with your scores, and I will showcase them in an honourable mentions section during the results!

 

Enjoy, and happy rating!

 

PLAYLIST

APPLE MUSIC // SPOTIFY

 

PARTICIPANTS

Spoiler

1. conatus
2. Album Leak
3. Devin
4. trainsskyscrapers
5. Atlantis
6. pearlmercury
7. Antisocialites
8. Luigi
9. MP2K
10. makeawish
11. superben
12. Vixen Eyes
13. mellenthin
14. Curaga
15. Meloetta Carey
16. Reverie
17. HarajukuPrincess
18. Taylor fanboy
19. Achilles.
20. Doogle
21. roso
22. Penk
23. Wicked
24. Supervixen
25. StonedSoulPicnic
26. Graves
27. Truth Teller
28. John Slayne
29. Eeveelution
30. Aqua
31. °ColdFire°
32. supaspaz
33. Armani.

 

RESULTS

Spoiler

64. Peggy Lee - "It's a Good Day"

63. Julie London - "I'm Glad There is You"

62. Sarah Vaughan - "September Song"

61. Nancy Wilson - "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

60. Ella Fitzgerald - "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"

59. Julie London - "Go Slow"

58. Billie Holiday - "God Bless the Child"

57. Sarah Vaughan - "My Funny Valentine"

56. Peggy Lee - "Hallelujah, I Love Him So"

55. Peggy Lee - "He's a Tramp"

54. Sarah Vaughan - "Whatever Lola Wants"

53. Billie Holiday - "Body and Soul"

52. Sarah Vaughan - "Tenderly"

51. Nancy Wilson - "Save Your Love for Me"

50. Sarah Vaughan - "Embraceable You"

49. Ella Fitzgerald - "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)"

48. Nancy Wilson - "The Nearness of You"

47. Peggy Lee - "Big Spender"

46. Dinah Washington - "Unforgettable"

45. Nancy Wilson - "Tonight May Have to Last Me All My Life"

44. Julie London - "I'm in the Mood for Love"

43. Peggy Lee - "Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)"

42. Ella Fitzgerald - "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"

41. Billie Holiday - "All of Me"

40. Dinah Washington - "September in the Rain"

39. Sarah Vaughan - "Lullaby of Birdland"

38. Julie London - "Sway"

37. Julie London - "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)"

36. Dinah Washington - "Mad About the Boy"

35. Julie London - "Black Coffee"

34. Julie London - "'Round Midnight"

33. Sarah Vaughan - "April in Paris"

32. Dinah Washington - "You Don't Know What Love Is"

31. Billie Holiday - "Gloomy Sunday"

30. Peggy Lee - "I'm a Woman"

29. Billie Holiday - "I'll Be Seeing You"

28. Ella Fitzgerald - "Night and Day"

27. Dinah Washington - "Our Love is Here to Stay"

26. Peggy Lee - "Johnny Guitar"

25. Nancy Wilson - "The Masquerade is Over"

24. Dinah Washington - "This Bitter Earth"

23. Nancy Wilson - "Call Me"

22. Dinah Washington - "What a Diff'rence a Day Made"

21. Nancy Wilson - "I Wish You Love"

20. Peggy Lee - "Fever"

19. Nina Simone - "My Baby Just Cares for Me"

18. Ella Fitzgerald - "Summertime"

17. Julie London - "Cry Me a River"

16. Billie Holiday - "I'm a Fool to Want You"

15. Nancy Wilson - "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am"

14. Ella Fitzgerald - "Cheek to Cheek"

13. Ella Fitzgerald - "Someone to Watch Over Me"

12. Sarah Vaughan - "Misty"

11. Dinah Washington - "Drinking Again"

10. Billie Holiday - "Solitude"

9. Ella Fitzgerald - "Dream a Little Dream of Me"

8. Nina Simone - "Feeling Good"

7. Nina Simone - "Sinnerman"

6. Nina Simone - "Wild is the Wind"

5. Nina Simone - "I Put a Spell on You"

4. Nina Simone - "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free"

3. Nina Simone - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"

2. Nina Simone - "Four Women"

1. Billie Holiday - "Strange Fruit"

 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Spoiler

Billie Holiday

Dinah Washington

Ella Fitzgerald

Julie London

Nancy Wilson

Nina Simone

Peggy Lee

Sarah Vaughan

 

Spotify Playlist

 

Edited August 15, 20251 yr by conatus

Oh exactly  

Just now, Reverie said:

Oh exactly  

Got to finally let the kids know!

 

Spoiler

@makeawish @Reverie @Graves @supaspaz @Armani. @scenekiller @ultraviolence.xx @The7thStranger @Album Leak @Doogle @Achilles. @Planet Mars @Wicked @pearlmercury @Eeveelution @Quicksand @Suilen @Ken Lee @StonedSoulPicnic @Ewan Chaos @MP2K @Stankonia @Alessandra

Hi there!
 

If I'm tagging you, it's because you're a rate regular, you're a fan of older music, or I've seen you around and noticed you're a fan of at least one of these ladies. If you were able to send a ballot, that would be great!

 

I'm well aware this is quite a niche rate though, so if this is not something you're interested in, that's fine too, just let me know and I'll remove you from any future reminders/updates

Edited June 12, 20251 yr by conatus

9 minutes ago, conatus said:

Got to finally let the kids know!

 

Real music and real rates we are soooooo back

 

Not even familiar with a full handful of songs here but I'll definitely make time for this because I'd love to get to know it.  

Just now, Achilles. said:

Not even familiar with a full handful of songs here but I'll definitely make time for this because I'd love to get to know it.  

That's what I like to hear! Hope you find some new songs to love among the ones here.

oh wtf I gasped … the way this would be a perfect way to get into some of these that I'm not familiar with. Lemme have a long bath while I listen so I can rate in my natural listening habitat for jazz  

Just now, Doogle said:

oh wtf I gasped … the way this would be a perfect way to get into some of these that I'm not familiar with. Lemme have a long bath while I listen so I can rate in my natural listening habitat for jazz  

A long bath, a candle burning, a glass of wine, jazz playing... Oh it's a classy affair

 

I would like to participate 

1 minute ago, playboi said:

I would like to participate 

And you're more than welcome to!

The way three different women in this rate all released recordings of "Cheek to Cheek" in the same year. The music industry was something else back in the day.
 

I wonder how many of the songs here I'm going to be vaguely familiar with because they've been covered a thousand times. 

Edited June 12, 20251 yr by Achilles.

1 minute ago, Achilles. said:

The way three different women in this rate all released recordings of "Cheek to Cheek" in the same year. The music industry was something else back in the day.

There being several other songs too that got cut simply because multiple women here had big versions of them and I'd feel bad making people rate three or four versions of the same song

7 minutes ago, Doogle said:

oh wtf I gasped … the way this would be a perfect way to get into some of these that I'm not familiar with. Lemme have a long bath while I listen so I can rate in my natural listening habitat for jazz  

Gonna give it my preliminary does it serve while cooking dinner test before sitting down for scores methinks

 

 

Where is this masterpiece from Peggy? 

 

 

Just now, DaphneGuinness said:

Where is this masterpiece from Peggy? 

 

 

This very nearly made the cut - all of these women just have too many classics

3 minutes ago, Achilles. said:

The way three different women in this rate all released recordings of "Cheek to Cheek" in the same year. The music industry was something else back in the day.
 

I wonder how many of the songs here I'm going to be vaguely familiar with because they've been covered a thousand times. 

I've heard so many versions of so many of these songs from all of the women here and beyond I was wondering who was gonna get what. I'm just gonna assume conatus gave the definitive/highest charting/etc. version to their respective ladies, how can you even decide tbh

 

Just now, Reverie said:

I've heard so many versions of so many of these songs from all of the women here and beyond I was wondering who was gonna get what. I'm just gonna assume conatus gave the definitive/highest charting/etc. version to their respective ladies, how can you even decide tbh

 

It was a tough process but I also used Last.fm charts/Spotify/Google as resources to see whose versions are a little more popular than the others' 

Like alternatively there could've been a songbook/composers of jazz rate that would be equally interesting but the ladies of jazz definitely makes more sense and is more marketable too

Edited June 12, 20251 yr by Reverie

Just now, conatus said:

There being several other songs too that got cut simply because multiple women here had big versions of them and I'd feel bad making people rate three or four versions of the same song

Oh, see I was already planning to look up those other CTC recordings to see whose I prefer. With these classic / standard type songs, it's kinda all about arrangement and vocal performance so sometimes you can be completely uninterested in ten different people's recordings and then find that one that just makes the song click properly. 
 

I have a feeling I might get quite into this. I already have 10 pre-Madonnas in my top 50 most played for the year, but there's room for more!  

Oh wow, this is an amazing idea! I will be supporting.

I only know a handful of these already heading into the rate

Billie, Sarah, Dinah, Ella, Nina

 

 

Where's Sheena Ringo??

Just now, supaspaz said:

I only know a handful of these already heading into the rate

One of the things I'm most looking forward to, as someone who is already very familiar with all of these women (I'd rank most of them among my favourite singers of all time!), is seeing which songs actually do well and which ladies people gravitate more towards - I feel like this is exactly the kind of rate where it's hard to predict what will win! (Though I have a couple of predictions.)