Bing first recorded this song Jan. 19, 1931, with Gus Arnheim's Cocoanut Grove Orchestra. Although Bing was still one of the Rhythm Boys, he recorded the song as a solo. "I Surrender Dear" hit the charts the following month, where it remained for 10 weeks, reaching as high as No. 3. More important, this is the song that caught the attention of William Paley, head of CBS radio, who then signed Bing to a nationwide radio show. The rest, as they say, is history.
Bing recorded "I Surrender Dear" for Decca March 31, 1939, but this version did not chart.
We've played the game of 'stay away'
But it costs more than I can pay
Without you I can't make my way
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud and I may act gay
That's just a pose, I'm not that way.
Cause deep down in my heart I say,
I surrender, dear.
Those little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game
Lending a spice to the wooing
Oh, but I don't care who's to blame
When stars appear and shadows fall
Then you'll hear my poor heart call
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear
------ instrumental break ------
Oh, to you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear