This Is All I Ask

"This Is All I Ask" is a popular song written by Gordon Jenkins in 1958.

Jenkins considered this his finest composition, and he recorded it in arrangements he wrote for Nat King Cole (who introduced the song on his 1958 album The Very Thought of You), Harry Nilsson, Tiny Tim (musician), Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra.

Andy Williams released a version on his 1964 album, The Wonderful World of Andy Williams.

The song was featured on Sinatra's 1965 album September of My Years, arranged by Jenkins, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Sinatra was inspired to record September of My Years, an album of songs on aging, by hearing the line "Beautiful girls, walk a little slower when you walk by me" from the song.

In 1962 Jenkins released his own instrumental version of the song as a single (Columbia 42608). It registered in the Cashbox "Looking Ahead" survey, a chart measuring singles popularity below position 100, early in 1963. Later that year, versions by Tony Bennett and Burl Ives made the national top 100. Perry Como sang the song four times on his NBC Kraft Music Hall television show in 1963 prior to its release on his The Songs I Love LP that year.

Robert Goulet sang the song on a 1963 episode of The Jack Benny Program as did Gisele MacKenzie one year later on Benny's 1964 Christmas Day show. The Goulet version can be seen in syndication reruns. The MacKenzie appearance is available on a 2013 home video release.