My Funny Valentine

song by Rodgers and Hart

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Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

"My Funny Valentine" is a song with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was first performed in the musical Babes in Arms in 1937. The song has become a jazz standard and is known for its complex emotional themes, often interpreted as a bittersweet expression of love that acknowledges flaws.1

A "valentine" traditionally refers to a sweetheart or a gift exchanged on Valentine's Day, with romantic lore tracing the term to a third-century Roman priest named Valentine who sent a letter to his jailer's daughter.2

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Lorenz Hart
Death and legacy
…stage or film production), “My Funny Valentine” (1937), “Falling in Love with Love” (1938), “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” (1939), and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” (1940).
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…stage or film production), “My Funny Valentine” (1937), “Falling in Love with Love” (1938), “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” (1939), and “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” (1940).
Read More