Satin Doll (1953)

Who is the “Satin Doll” of the Ellington/Strayhorn/Mercer composition? The true identity of the mystery woman has not been verified, but it has been suggested that Billy Strayhorn’s pet name for his mother was Satin Doll and he titled the song for her. However, Duke Ellington’s son, Mercer, suspected that the song title might refer to Beatrice “Evie” Ellis, or Evie Ellington, Duke’s common-law wife. Apparently, Evie did believe that the song was written for her. Mercer said that his father frequently left notes around the house addressing her as “Dearest Doll”, “Darling Doll” and similar sobriquets, which lent credence to her claim.
What is known about the song’s origin is that Ellington wrote the melody and Strayhorn added harmony and lyrics. Unlike his other compositions, Ellington did not compose “Satin Doll” for a specific soloist and he played the piano solo introduction himself on the 1953 recording session for Capital Records. He had just moved to Capitol from Columbia Records, and “Satin Doll” was a modest hit for his new label. Strayhorn’s lyrics were not deemed to have potential for commercial success and were replaced by lyrics written by Johnny Mercer, a co-founder of Capitol Records, in 1958. At that time the song was already established as an instrumental hit. Ellington used “Satin Doll” as a closing number at many of his concerts.
Mercer’s highly acclaimed lyrics ensured the song a unique place in the Ellington/Strayhorn repertoire. Mercer was often asked to write words for songs that were already established hits, and the clever and very hip slang of his lyrics captured the mood of “Satin Doll” perfectly. Although it is generally credited that Strayhorn assisted Ellington with the melody but did not assist Mercer with the lyrics, there has been some question that he may have – yet another mystery surrounding the “Satin Doll”.