[2] In the description of his biographer Richard Sudhalter, the song is "one of Carmichael's most evocative of the time" and addresses "the effects of a wayward eye on an avian love relationship".
According to Bacall, Howard Hawks, the film's director, envisioned the song becoming her signature tune.
Instead, Bacall sang the less vocally demanding "How Little We Know", and "Baltimore Oriole" was relegated to serving as background music in the film.
[7] Australian composer Andrew Ford, writing for The Sydney Morning Herald in 2002, said that "Baltimore Oriole" was his personal favorite of Carmichael's songs.
Regarding the lyrics, he added: "I am delighted to report ... [that] my favourite line turns out to be by Hoagy himself: 'Forgivin' is easy, it's a woman-like now-and-then-could-happen-to thing.