Released 1956 (1956) | Genre Musical theatre | |
Writer(s) Composer: Frederick Loewe
Lyricist: Alan Jay Lerner | ||
"I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" is a song from the 1956 musical My Fair Lady, with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner. It was originally performed by Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins. He also performed in the 1964 film version.
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The song expresses Professor Henry Higgins's rage at the fact that his pupil Eliza Doolittle has chosen to walk out of his life, and his growing realization of how much he will miss her.
In Popular Media
Johnny Mathis made his recording in 1957 for his album Warm.
Dean Martin recorded the song May 9, 1960 for his album, This Time I'm Swingin' (Capitol T-1442 (mono), ST-1442 (stereo)). It was later remastered in 2007 as a duet with smooth jazz trumpeter Chris Botti for Martin's album Forever Cool and Botti's Italia respectively.
It was later covered by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, on their 1964 album South of the Border (A&M Records LP-108 (mono), A&M Records SP-108 (stereo)).
Kermit the Frog performed this song several times during the 1950s and '60s, though at that time he was not yet a frog. In this case, the character wore a wig while lipsyncing to Rosemary Clooney's recording of the song, singing to a small creature that is covered entirely by a piece of cloth with a face drawn on it. As "she" sings, the creature eats the mask off its own head, revealing itself to be the Muppet character Yorick (from Sam and Friends). Kermit keeps singing though, even as Yorick tries to munch on his hand and later his leg. Later on, Brian Henson (son of Jim Henson, the original performer of Kermit) and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph recreated the famous sketch for the Henson Alternative Show Stuffed and Unstrung and at the D23 Expo, once again using the Rosemary Clooney soundtrack.
Barbra Streisand performed several lines in her "Color Me Barbra Medley" from the TV special and album Color Me Barbra. Subsequently, on her 2016 album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, Streisand performs the song (combined with "I'll Be Seeing You" from the 1938 musical Right This Way), as a duet with actor Chris Pine.
Stewie Griffin sings his version in the Family Guy episode "Running Mates"
Sideshow Bob sings his own version of this song ("The Very Reason That I Live") in The Simpsons (in the Season 14 episode The Great Louse Detective).