Tea for Two

A song from the 1925 musical No, No, Nanette with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Irving Caesar. It is a duet sung by Nanette and Tom in Act II as they imagine their future. "Tea for Two" became a jazz standard and was recorded by numerous bands and instrumentalists. One famous interpretation of the song is Tommy Dorsey's cha-cha-cha version, top ten in 1958, re-popularized in 2005 by adverts for McVitie's biscuits. Another notable recording was made by Art Tatum in 1939. Pianist Thelonious Monk reharmonized the song and recorded it with a convoluted bebop melody in 1952 calling his composition "Skippy". It was also used, with altered lyrics as the theme tune for BBC sitcom Next of Kin (1995-7). Anita O'Day's rendition of the song at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival was considered one of its highlights.