"I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" is a popular vaudeville song. The music is credited to Harry Carroll, but the melody is adapted from Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin. The lyrics were written by Joseph McCarthy, and the song was published in 1917. It was introduced in the Broadway show Oh, Look! which opened in March 1918. The song was sung in the show by the Dolly Sisters. Judy Garland sang it in the 1941 film Ziegfeld Girl. It was subsequently sung by Jack Oakie in the 1944 film The Merry Monahans and was again featured in the 1945 film The Dolly Sisters (1945), where it was sung by John Payne. It was also included for part of the run (and in the cast album) of the 1973 revival of Irene. In 2019, it was included in the Hazbin Hotel pilot.

Lyrics

At the end of the rainbow there's happiness And to find it how often I've tried But my life is a race, just a wild goose chase And my dreams have all been denied Why have I always been a failure? What can the reason be? I wonder if the world's to blame I wonder if it could be me? Chorus I'm always chasing rainbows Watching clouds drifting by My schemes are just like all my dreams Ending in the sky Some fellows look and find the sunshine I always look and find the rain Some fellows make a winning some time I never even make a gain, believe me I'm always chasing rainbows Waiting to find a little bluebird in vain I've looked to the west as the sun goes down And I've followed its glorious rays But the faster I'd run, I would miss the sun My life's full of wasted days I've always been a natural loser Each thing I touch must fail If good luck ever came to me, it would never seem right at all Chorus

Recorded versions

Hit versions in 1918

The biggest hit version in 1918 was recorded by Charles W. Harrison on July 26, 1918, and released by Victor Records as catalog number 18496A, with the flip side “I Miss That Mississippi Miss That Misses Me”)

There were also very popular versions recorded by Harry Fox and by Prince's Orchestra (Columbia catalog number A-6064) in the same year.

Harry Fox's version was recorded April 16, 1918, and released by Columbia Records as catalog number A-2557, with the flip side “I Wonder What They're Doing Tonight”)

The Prince's Orchestra (referred to as Prince's Band on ) version was recorded July, 1918, and released by Columbia Records as catalog number A-6064, with the flip side “Oh, Frenchy”)

In 1963, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania R&B group The Tymes recorded a version as the B side to Isle of Love on the Csmeo-Parkway label. It did not chart but it was a favorite in a local Philadelphia area.

Hit versions in 1946

The biggest hit versions in the 1946 revival were by Perry Como, by Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes, and by Harry James's Orchestra with a vocal by Buddy DeVito. There was also a recording by Guy Lombardo's Royal Canadians, with a vocal by Erno Rapee, which had a degree of popularity that year.

Perry Como's recording was made October 17, 1945, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1788, with the flip side “You Won't Be Satisfied”. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 24, 1946, and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #7; it was re-released by RCA Victor as catalog number 20-2663, with the flip side “If We Can't Be the Same Old Sweethearts”

The recording by Helen Forrest and Dick Haymes was made on November 1, 1945, and released by Decca Records as catalog number 23472, with the flip side “Tomorrow Is Forever”. It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on January 31, 1946, at #10, its only week on the chart.

The recording by Harry James and his orchestra was made on November 7, 1945, released by Columbia Records as catalog number 36899, with the flip side “Baby What You Do to Me” and as catalog number 38434, with the flip side “I'm Beginning to See the Light”

The recording by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians was released by Decca Records as catalog number 3586, with the flip side “Tea for Two” and as catalog number 18789A, with the flip side “Make Believe”)

Other recorded versions