| abstract | - The following year, the music publishers hired Johnny Burke to write lyrics for the tune. Burke's telling of the torch song is unique, using one side of a casual conversation between former lovers. Thus the song was retitled using the song's first line, "What's New?" The song was recorded with the new title in 1939 by Bob Crosby And His Orchestra With Vocalist Teddy Grace. The song reached a peak chart position of #10. Other popular 1939 recordings of "What's New" include Hal Kemp and His Orchestra with Vocalist Nan Wynn, which peaked at #11, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with vocalist Louise Tobin, which peaked at #7, and a recording by Bing Crosby which peaked at #7. "I'm Free" was "lyricized" again in the 1990s, this time by Catherine O'Brien, who also provided lyrics to the Haggart tune "My Inspiration." O'Brien's version, published in 1996, retains the original title, "I'm Free." "What's New" was the title of a 1983 album by Linda Ronstadt, and was the first of three albums of recordings of standards by Linda Ronstadt singing with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra with arrangements by Riddle. Her version of the song, released as the album's first single, peaked on the U.S. pop charts at #53, and achieved far greater success on the adult contemporary charts, where it peaked at #5.
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