Enjoy Yourself (It's Later Than You Think)

Album: The Best of Guy Lombardo (1950)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Brill Building songwriter Carl Sigman wrote this with his good friend Herb Magidson (writer of the first Academy Award-winning song, "The Continental"). Sigman's son Michael tells the story in The Carl Sigman Songbook:
    Herb was struggling with the excellent but rather unmotivated writer Benny Oakland on a song suggested by an old Chinese proverb. The song wasn't going anywhere, so Herb asked Carl if he would step in for Benny, which was more than fine with Benny. After only a brief get-together, Carl and Herb, a Los Angeleno, wrote the multi-versed song over the phone. It was most memorably recorded by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians with Kenny Gardner as vocalist. The song's refrain - "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think/Enjoy yourself, while you're still in the pink/The years go by, as quickly as a wink/Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself/It's later than you think" - couldn't get much more universal, and began to illuminate Carl's instinct for capitalizing on common conversational phrases. As he told Newsday in an interview shortly before he passed away, "I was always listening, reading or looking for everyday expressions. I strive to make conversational lyrics - that's my strength - like 'Did anyone call?' or 'I'll never forgive myself.'" "Enjoy Yourself" is still played every New Year's Eve all over the English-speaking world. In addition to covers by Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and Louis Prima, it was revived by the English ska band The Specials in 1980, and reappeared in 2005 as a Country number by Todd Snider. It also has been used on motion picture soundtracks (Woody Allen's Everyone Says I Love You) and was featured in a Mercedes commercial that ran during the 2000 Olympics coverage.

Comments: 2

  • Jéssica from Gyn, BrazilWoody Allen's movie: Everybody sas Ilove you. Fantastic!!!!!
  • Carrie from Roanoke, VaI can't believe no one has mentioned this song. It's hauntingly beautiful. House hallucinated Amber singing this song to him in a bar.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Stephen Christian of Anberlin

Stephen Christian of AnberlinSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist for Anberlin breaks down "Impossible" and covers some tracks from their 2012 album Vital.