Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Love Me or Leave Me" is a torch song composed by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn in 1928. Introduced in the Broadway musical Whoopee! by Ruth Etting, whose recording reached No. 2 on the charts in 1929, the song became closely associated with her career and inspired a 1955 biographical film of the same name.

The tune is a 32-bar standard typically played in F minor (relative Ab major). The minor-key A sections create a mood of melancholy urgency, while the bridge shifts to a major tonality for dramatic contrast. The melody directly channels the lyric's stark emotional ultimatum, making the performer's phrasing and emotional commitment central to the song's impact. The chord progression features abundant II-V chains that have made it a favorite among bebop and post-bop improvisers.

Nina Simone's interpretation on her 1958 debut album Little Girl Blue is celebrated for its boldly original approach, incorporating a solo passage in the style of Bach's Inventions. Lester Young and Teddy Wilson's 1956 recording on the album Pres and Teddy offers another essential jazz reading of this enduring standard.