The story of One For My Baby

A number of great tunes were penned in bars. The most famous is "One For My Baby." It is the anthem of lonely drinkers (or drunks). Songwriter Johnny Mercer penned One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) on a napkin while sitting at the bar at New York City's famous bar- P.J. Clarke's.

The bartender at that time was named Tommy Joyce, and Johnny Mercer reportedly apologized to Joyce, saying "I couldn't get your name to rhyme". Thus, we have the classic line "set'em up Joe."

The "One For My Baby" music was written by Harold Arlen, (lyrics by Johnny Mercer) for the musical The Sky's the Limit (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire.

Frank Sinatra's recording is probably the best known...and also the best.

Frank Sinatra was an extremely generous tipper (where wasn't he?)  at P.J. Clarke's, and was considered the "owner" of Table 20. When he cruised New York bars, he would start out at Sardi's, but he would always end up at P.J. Clarke's.