Astaire's 1930 version was recorded in London, and includes a couple of lines of spoken dialogue from two actors during the tap dancing portion, which is a unique and mysterious feature - it makes it sound like it is taken from a film soundtrack, but it isn't. "Boys, look at that man puttin' on that Ritz!" "You look at him; I can't."
Interesting thing about Fred Astair's popular recording of the song in 1930. That was three years before his first film. However he was a well-known dancer on Broadway at that time
@@mr.scottpowell I mean, it's not _that_ uncommon for someone to have a hit song, having never been in a movie. Both Mark and Donnie Wahlberg managed it, somehow.
@@Wishbone1977 true. Still from our perspective today he's so strongly associated with his movies, and Ginger Rogers,etc. that to learn he had a hit song before he was even in pictures was kind of a neat surprise, at least it for me.
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall did a great cover of this ten years ago that was used in a fun group routine for that season’s premiere of So You Think You Can Dance that I highly recommend watching.
I'm fascinated by this song, mostly the syncopation, but this is the first time I learned the original was _where _*_Harlem_*_ sits_ rather than *_fashion._* I balk at describing the lyrics as racism rather than commentary on racism. Berlin was a pretty ironic and subversive guy. It seems almost a miracle Berlin wasn't prosecuted under the Espionage and Sedition Acts for "Stay Down Here Where You Belong." He also made the two biggest Christian holidays into ones about snow and hats. I'm betting the lyrics changes were more like when Disney removed the lyric "where they cut off your nose if they don't like your face" in _Aladdin._ Thanks for properly pronouncing _Wodehouse._ Of course it's 4/4, but it has a sort of 5/4 miasma. Compare "The Black Page."
Fascinating to see the score and understand what Berlin did to get the jazz feel. Brilliant writer. I would have liked a snippet of the modern version you talked about a lot, but I suppose copyright forbade it.
Yeah, I would have liked to include Taco's version but I was worried about copyright. The older versions aren't generally flagged but the more modern ones definitely are.
My personal favorite version is Cherry Poppin Daddies’ cover of the song in 2016. It’s got that 30s music charm and uses the swing jazz genre to make it that much more catchy. They also weren’t afraid to use the original lyrics.
Given the casual acceptance of racism within mid-century America, a more plausible explanation for the 1946 lyric change is simply that the old lyrics would have been almost incomprehensible to a mass market, especially outside of America. For example, in Europe, 'Harlem' (with a different spelling) was almost exclusively viewed as a place in Holland. Many Europeans had never heard of the American Harlem and had no concept of its cultural significance. The incomprehensible lyrics of the original version would have made it much harder to sell the music globally (as with any film associated with it).
Actually, America has always been at the forefront of global movie exports. That's because they developed high quality talking movies before everyone else. But even f Hollywood had been only interested in America, remember that 1946 America was a vastly different place. Few people in places like America's South would understand references to places such as Harlem in New York city. But they understood phrases such as 'putting on the ritz'. @@janepage3608
A really interesting video and filled with great information, many thanks! I've always thought the 1953 "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" got its melodic and rhythmic flavor from this classic. Certainly the initial melody, a minor chord arpeggio, is the same.
You can still go up to Harlem and see Black people wearing designer labels on low incomes. My dad was FDNY in the 70s. I remember him coming home after working an overnight shift talking about how on weekends everyone was out on the streets dressed in the latest fashion. Present day, with the Rap culture its the same. I don't understand real life behaviors being said is racist. So tired of the double standard. Black artist can say whatever. Cut the race baiting out.
Yes. 😊 as i understand it was not uncommon to overdub with a cleaner audio track. He could also be lipsinking live but itt would have been a recording of his singing
It's nice that the problematic racial parts were rewritten, but even the new version, as heard in Young Frankenstein, can be triggering for differently-abled individuals.
