Sultry Serenade Vs. How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me

[Teasing the Korean]

This same melody is known under two titles.  A number of online sources list Duke Ellington as composer of "Sultry Serenade."  Presumably, this was the title when it was an instrumental. Meanwhile, Allan Roberts and Tyree Glenn are listed as the writers of "How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me."

I'm guessing that the writers are indeed Roberts and Glenn, and that the online attributions to Duke are an error?

[JSngry]

I think your guess is in part incorrect?

"Sultry Serenade"was from 1948. But Tyree Glenn played on it, and might well have been responsible for the core riff. But in typical Ellington fashion, he turned a riff into an orchestral piece.

"How Could You Do A Thing Like That To Me" was not recorded until 1954 by Harry James with no lyrics and was credited solely to Glenn:

Here's Tyree's own version from 1962(?)

So if you want to look at "Sultry Serenade" as Ellington's orchestral expansion of a Tyree Glenn"l riff, you would be correct, just as you would be correct in giving Tyree Glenn credit for that riff when it became a stand-alone pop song.

Who that lyricist was, I don't know and probably don't care.

[Teasing the Korean]

 👍

So Ellington gets credit only if you are playing the orchestral piece that he arranged, but if you are playing the 32-bar tune, you can credit it to Roberts & Glenn?

[JSngry]

I would think that you can, but if you have in your mind that you're playing a tune you heard on a Duke record then credit Duke.

Ideally one should credit both Ellington & Glenn, like it probably should have been done in the first place 

[sgcim]

James Chirillo put out a good CD under that name.

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

I would think that you can, but if you have in your mind that you're playing a tune you heard on a Duke record then credit Duke.

Ideally one should credit both Ellington & Glenn, like it probably should have been done in the first place 

It seems that the tune is typically credited to Roberts & Glenn, at least on the albums/CDs I have.

[JSngry]

Well, yeah.

Nevertheless, "Sultry Serenade" was first, and by a few years