Wonder Why

Written for the 1951 MGM musical Rich, Young and Pretty, this romantic ballad earned Cahn and Brodszky an Academy Award nomination — one of three nominations the duo would receive together. Vic Damone introduced it in the film, his smooth tenor perfectly suited to the song’s gentle romanticism.

The jazz world quickly claimed it as its own — Milt Jackson’s vibraphone interpretation and Sarah Vaughan’s luminous 1961 recording are among the finest versions, confirming Cahn and Brodszky’s unlikely status as contributors to the jazz standard repertoire.