The Jazz Standard "I Love You" played by Larry and Bill. Larry Adair teaches guitar in Portland Oregon.

Camera by Larry Adair II

"In his book Cole Porter: A Biography, Charles Schwartz tells the story of how I Love You, introduced in the 1944 Broadway show Mexican Hayride, was written by Porter on a bet with actor Monty Woolley. While Mexican Hayride was still in its formative stage, Woolley had challenged Cole to write a hit number titled I Love You, in which that banal phrase would be repeated again and again. Woolley felt that even Coles gift with words and music would not be enough to surmount such a handicap and backed up that opinion with a small wager. Rising to the challenge (and at this point, Cole may have needed Woolleys goading to bring out the best in him), Cole came up with a languid refrain whose lyrics begin:

I love you,
Hums the April breeze.
I love you,
Echo the hills.
I love you,
The golden dawn agrees
As once more she sees daffodils.

As sung by big-voiced Wilbur Evans in the show, I Love You quickly caught on, enabling Cole to win the wager while adding still another number--the only one in Mexican Hayride to become popular--to his long list of hit songs.

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