LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (score & parts)

Love Me or Leave Me is a popular song written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was introduced in the Broadway musical comedy Whoopee! which opened on Broadway in December 1928. Whoopee! also included another major hit for Donaldson and Kahn – Makin’ Whoopee!.

Love Me or Leave Me is a ‘torchy’ – that is a sentimental love song in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love. In the song Donaldson’s repetitive principal melody line jumps octaves incessantly whilst Kahn’s brilliant lyrics place the spurned lover as a defiant victim, oscillating between plea and ultimatum: “Love me or leave me and let me be lonely. You won’t believe me and I love you only.” And lines such as, “I’d rather be lonely than happy with somebody else” and “I intend to be independently blue”.

The original version of the song, the biggest-selling at the time, was recorded by Ruth Etting in 1928. It became her signature song and was subsequently included in the 1955 biographical movie (also entitled Love Me or Leave Me) about her life, in which Doris Day played Etting. Doris Day’s version of the song was also a huge hit. There have been countless renditions of the jazz standard recorded by the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Lena Horne, Bing Crosby, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman and Fats Waller … to name but a few.

Ideal wedding music (ignoring the ‘leave me’ bit, of course!).

Delivery Details

We endeavour to dispatch all orders which are in stock on the day the order has been placed. If you need delivery by a certain time please state this clearly on your order and we will do our best to oblige.

For Royal Mail Special Delivery, Airmail (Signed For) and Courier shipments, a signature may be required upon delivery to your address. You are responsible for your order once the package arrives at the supplied delivery address. We cannot be held responsible if the package(s) goes missing once delivered. If any goods are received faulty or damaged on receipt, you must notify us within 7 days of receiving them (via email or telephone) quoting your order reference. We cannot be held responsible for goods that do not arrive with the customer due to errors made by the customer when entering their address details. Please ensure that you check all your details before confirming your order. For more information on deliveries, please click here.