This song has a LONG history. It was written by Irving Berlin in 1927, first published in 1929, and appeared in a film of the same name in 1930. Probably the most famous version of the song, apart from Taco's, is the version sung by Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle in the Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein (something to add to your movie list). As for Taco himself... yes that is his real name. Taco Ockerse is of Indonesian and Dutch descent who began his career in Germany. He only ever had one hit in the US, and this is it (though he did cover Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain very well). There were a lot of classy hits in the early 80s and if you want another great one, do "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco (a reference to Mozart), or maybe "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head.
Don't forget the Fred Astaire version, sung in Blue Skies, arguably the version that first achieve true popularity, and set the standard for all versions since.
Love this version of the song! I’ve always thought his look was a blend of Tim Curry from Rocky Horror and Clue. Anyone else have this thought too? Amber, as always, your smile just lights up the day. Keep Rocking! 🤘🎶
The title derives from the slang expression "to put on the Ritz", meaning to dress very fashionably. This expression was in turn inspired by the opulent Ritz Hotel in London. “Puttin' On The Ritz” was written in the 1920s by songwriter Irving Berlin and first used in the 1930 Edward Sloman film named after it. Actor-dancer Fred Astaire made the song famous again in the 1940s with its inclusion in the film Blue Skies. It was then some of the lyrics were changed to what is included in this version by Taco 🌮 yes, it's his real name, Ockerse recorded in 1982. In the video for the song, Taco, looking a lot like Tim Curry, pranced around in a white tie and gloves, mixing in other Irving Berlin classics such as “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and “White Christmas.”
Aww, I love Tim Curry---LOVVVED "Rocky Horror Picture Show"; SO wild!!! My heart absolutely broke, when he suffered a major stroke; we SOOOO need him acting!!!
You have to give Taco, a German raised Dutch kid, some Kudos for putting a bit of 80s flair to a song written in 1930. Irving Berlin is a national treasure, of course, so introducing this tune to some 80's punks 50 years later was awesome. For decades, if you had a kid in dance class, sooner or later, you heard "Puttin' on the Ritz!"
This song was written in 1929 by Irving Berlin. Taco was a one-hit wonder with this song, and he put a great twist on it. 1983 was a WEIRD year for music. You had your normal hits, and then a bunch of what I like to call "The Original Alternative." This was a big hit for him, peaking at #4 in 1983. I think this is the only song in the history of our singles chart with a TAP solo! 😅
Taco is so not a one hit wonder actually. He was much more popular in Germany. If you like this you should look up his RU-vid channel. He has tons of great stuff including some things he did recently. Check it out!!
There's a part of "I Wanna Dance Wit Choo" by Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes where Monti Rock exhorts "Dig my rhinestone tap shoes" and does a bit of a time step. That song made #32 as the follow up to the Top 10 "Get Dancin'"
Like Amber always says "The 80s was full of quirky songs and artists. This was considered so weird but it eventually went mainstream and was a huge hit 😀 I still dig this song 😀 Can't wait til ya'll get to "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats( the long original album version 1983 is best not the short video version)
Looking through the comments, I noticed that no one mentioned the "banned" version of the music video for this. Considering when it was originally written (1927), the "banned from MTV" version actually fits very well. There were some dancers in "black face", which today would be unacceptable, but for the time it was written, would have been "par for the course". This is why "history" should not be erased. While something was acceptable at one point in our history, and we've moved beyond that, it's still good to remember how far we've come, despite still having further to go.
I was browsing the comments to see if this was brought up yet. That version is still out in RU-vid land. We thought nothing of it in the 80s. Looking back... Pretty horrific.
@@russwho1 By today's standards, yes. In the 80s, it was "questionably acceptable" to be made (if not publicly displayed). In the 1920s/1930s... right in line with how things were. That's my point. What WAS acceptable then, can be used as an example of how far we've come.
Taco is a Dutch/Indonesian musician. "Puttin' on the Ritz" was written by Irving Berlin in the early 1920s, and references dressing fancy like you're at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel. After this was a hit for Taco he also covered other Berlin songs like "Let's Face the Music and Dance" and "Cheek to Cheek." And now that you've seen this, you need to watch Young Frankenstein.
I was also just thinking that if anyone isn’t immediately reminded of _Young Frankenstein_ by this song, then they probably need to watch that movie. Now, put… the candle… back!
Wow! Haven't heard this song in over forty years! Still can sing right along as if it was yesterday! Songs of my youth, songs of coming to age, songs of our lives, we still love this stuff!
Harry Richman did record it first, and got the first number 1 record with it, but Fred Astaire recorded it the same year (1930), and also gained number one record sales. By the end of the year, Harry Richman had sold the most, and his version is the number 1 record sales winner of 1930.(although Fred Astaire's is now considered the more iconic version, no doubt because it was in his movie "Blue Skies" in 1946)
"Puttin' On The Ritz" was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. There are several very famous renditions of this song and dance. #1 Fred Astaire in the movie 'Blue Skies' in 1946. #2 In the Mel Brooks movie "Young Frankenstein" in 1974 sung by Gene Wilder (performed by Gene Wilder and the monster).
Back in the 80s when this song came on the radio, we'd always sing the "monster" version when it came to that part. Ahh, the days Before The Fun Stopped!
A throw back to the song and dance days of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. It was all about showmanship and being able to take a drop of rain and turning it into an ocean of entertainment. Taco did a nice modern rendition of an all time classic.
This song is timeless, has been redone many times for decades, and always sounds fresh. It was such a hit in the early 80s and seemed just as fresh as when it was written some 55 or 60 years earlier.
I noticed you guys have not reacted to any Dan Fogelberg songs...and I am SHOCKED! Please give him a listen, he's one of the best singer/storytellers from the late '70's& early '80's. The first two songs you MUST do are Auld Lang Syne & Leader of the Band. I promise that you will fall in love with his music!
I agree 100%. He is one of my all time favorites. I also want to add that they still haven't done "Year Of The Cat" by Al Stewart. Amber is missing out on great sax!
One of my all time favorite songs this was so huge in the 80's night clubs. This performance was so well choreographed and the women made him look so extra good with their timing and moves. I love watching peoples reaction when they hear th name Taco then I think hang on your gonna get blown away by something so different I can't even think of a catagory to put it in except maybe Exotic 80's or unique 80's but then again the 80's had more diffent sounds and original ideas and new instruments and sounds than any other decade I know and I have lived from the 60's onward. Really enjoyed this one. 😉
One of the many off the wall songs from the 80's, like "Pop Music" by M, "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head, "American Beat '84" by The Fleshtones and many more
@@DaleDixThank you! I was told this was one of the funnest and exciting experiences for the girls. It almost feels like destiny that this was the last memory of her. She never grew old ❤️
As the song says, Gotta Dance! This song never fails to put a smile on my face. It's fun, it's quirky, and it's a great interpretation of an old, old song.
LOL! I forgot about this song and video. Big hit in the 80s. This was like part of the new wave stuff coming out back then. lol. Song and video (the actual music video, watch it sometimes) freaked me out when I was a kid back then. BTW, what's wrong with Red Lobster (B-52s)? LOL. Great band and song too. I think these kids are ready for some Adam and the Ants, too! Please react to their songs, I know she will like them a lot (besides their good looks lol).
Irving Berlin was still alive at 95 in 1983. (He died in 1989 at 101.) I wonder if he was well enough at the time to hear and approve this version of his song.
I remember hearing this on the radio when I was 10, thinking "Wow; this is the song the monster performs in the movie 'Young Frankenstein'." Found out later from my grandmother that this was a pop standard, and that the ending was a mash-up of some other pop songs from that era. Yeah, the 80s had a little bit of everything. And just so you know- the official video is MUCH creepier (in a good way).
This blew up one summer. As a kid, this was one of the first songs I really enjoyed learning and repeating the lyrics too. Especially just the main "If your blue... fashion sits? Puttin' on the Ritz." segment. So easy to learn, so tame and fun, and an easy cadence to say or sing.
I have said it before, and I'll say it again. Taco is a fantastic stage performer with talent that never stops. See his other songs to appreciate his talent. If Taco had performed just once in Las Vegas, he would have blown Wayne Newton away.
This was a really big hit when it was out! I loved it because it was a very huge bow to the Golden age of Hollywood! Several little samples to old songs including "White Christmas" the actual song "Puttin On the Ritz" is an old old song from the 20's I believe. The very end when he says "Gotta Dance" is a nod to Gene Kelly "Singin In the Rain" The 80's was a fun really eclectic time for music.
My daughter's dance line many years ago practiced this song for weeks for a show and I came to hate it for a while but it now takes me back to good time. Thanks
He performs this song very well. It's been released so many times by so many people but his version is pretty unique. Check out "One Night in Bangkok" next, it's super catchy.
This song was the perfect example that showed that if you take any song and put it to a dance beat, it can be popular. This song was originally done by Harry Richman in the Irving Berlin movie Putting on the Ritz in 1930 and has been recorded by such greats as Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald and Herb Albert. It was also used and sung by Peter Boyle and Gene Wilder in the Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein. This version by Taco was very popular in the early '80s. A classic.
love this song so much :D...i used to work as a dj in a local disco and played this the first time and everybody looked at me as like " HUH ? " what the hell is this haha
Off-the wall 1983 cover of Irving Berlin's standard "Puttin' On the Ritz" covered in a synth techno arrangement. Lead singer's name is Taco Ockerse (Dutch parents/born in Jakarta, Indonesia.) Record peaked @ #4 on the Pop chart/ #37 on Dance chart.
This is a classy and CLASSIC song !!! How could you have not wanted to hear it??? The different musical styles : classic Hollywood, funky guitar, jazz/honky-tonk/old west salooon sounding piano. Just a great , timeless song !!!🎉😊
This version of the classic song was a blast in the 80s... So much good (and fun) stuff coming out from '82 to '86. I'm from the (high school) class of 1986. This track brings back some really good memories.
I loved this song first time I heard it on the radio (back when dinosaurs walked the earth-LOL!), I used this song to exercise to. I like the beat! First time I ever saw the video. Thank you, Patrick Hodges!
This 80's cover of the 1929 Irving Berlin classic has many "homages" in the breakdown. They include: a subtle(?) bass nod to "Another One Bites the Dust", the song "White Christmas", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "There's No Business Like Show Business", and "Gotta Dance".
I have never heard of “Taco”, but “Puttin On the Ritz” has been one of my favorite songs since the first time I heard it. THANKS for bringing it back to me!
This song was Taco's only Top 40 hit in America. The song peaked at the #1 spot on the Billboard Dance chart and it peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1983. Originally it was written by the late Irving Berlin back in 1927.
Y'all really need to listen to the Indigo Girls. "Closer to Fine", "Southland in the Springtime", and "Hammer and a Nail" are my favorites, in that order. But the cover of "Water Is Wide" they did with Jewel and Sara McLachlan is also amazing.
OMG yes. Indigo is so great. They kind of are like...if Melissa etheridge was two people. Guitar driven. Female forward. Growly. Beautiful. But unlike Melissa, the indigo girls are a duo and their Harmonies. Are. Exquisite.
That's what I said all the time. My generation (80's teens) would listen to old songs once in a while. Not just the cool songs from MTV, but things from the 20's, 30's 40's 50's and 60's.
As someone who grew up on 80's music, watching various 80's reaction videos today, all these decades later, gives me an even greater appreciation for how much variety, talent, and originality there was back then. It all adds to the nostalgia even more.
if you like this song you'll definitely enjoy the song One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head. it was a hit on the radio back in the '80s. just like putting on the Ritz.
This song also contained, instrumentally, "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "There's No Business Like Show Business" plus he sang part of the song "Gotta Dance" which I believe is another Irving Berlin song. If y'all are feeling really brave, react to some of Irving Berlin's hits - that would take you WAY back in time! But since you did this song you have started down that path already since this was a cover of an Irving Berlin tune! Irving Berlin did a lot of show tunes and musicals and you probably know some of his songs already and don't realize it! As it just so happens "Puttin' on the Ritz" Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "There's No Business Like Show Business" are all from the same musical called "There's No Business Like Show Business"!
This song had a video that was banned from being used because it had some men who were portrayed with shoe polish on their faces to look dark skinned. The video is on RU-vid if you would like to watch that version.
"Puttin' On The Ritz" was originally written by Irving Berlin in1927. Taco a Dutch musician released a synth-pop cover version of this song in 1982. It was his biggest hit & is considered a "one hit wonder".
Guys! I was literally singing this song in my head, over the weekend. And I thought 💭 “I wonder if they will ever react to this song, and will J like it lol……and here it is and you do 😁 I feel so relieved 😅 lol and. Also I’d never seen the video, it was sooo good!
There are snippets of a lot of other Irving Berlin songs in this too: "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Gotta Dance", " There's No Business ikr Show Business ", and more. Irving Berlin's songs were covered by Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and and all the greats.
This song was my favorite for a while when I was little. I mean, I would squeal when it came on the radio, but my mom HATED it and refused to buy me the single. “Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco is another one that I would geek out to that my mom couldn’t stand. They fell out of my listening memory until I was way older and saw them on RU-vid.
Don't know if it has been mentioned but Gary Cooper was a major Hollywood star from 1925 to 1961. He was the epitome of style and was always dressed impeccably hence the mention in this song.
Taco's Putting on the Ritz is the coolest version that I have ever heard. The beat has a way of catching you, while his voice and demeanor finish reeling you in. Taco's video to this song is a much better than this live version. This song is one of my all time favs. No matter who sings it.
1983 is my favorite year from that decade. Try " suddenly last summer" from The Motels. It has a nostalgic feel, while musically being very modern. Drum machine keeps the beat and a whole lot of auto arpeggios on the keyboards. They had a bigger hit the year before with " only the lonely", but I prefer Summer
I remember this song, it was one of those wierd & quirky songs that came on at disco parties and everyone was up on the dance floor but you'd never play it at home or in the car, haha. If you want wierd and quirky check out Timmy Mallet - Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. 🤣🤣🤣 He was a children TV host back in the 80s and 90s with a mallets called Pinky Punky and hosted a show called Wacaday
God hearing all these reaction videos (especially from the 80s) brings back so many great memories. This was 82 I think? I was 14 back then this and video arcades midway carnivals summer friends etc... love it
Greetings from down under. Love you guys. You make me listen to songs I wouldn't normally listen to. I thoroughly enjoy watching you guys. A song suggestion from me is Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks. Can't wait to see Amber's reaction
That a new version for me. I remember the first one he did back in the 80's. But it was Putting On The Ritz that put him on the charts. His other bigg hit is, Hot Hot Hot.
I really can't do anything with this 🤣.....not back in the day, not now....not even the vocoder saves it for me and I have a vocoder fetish 🤣. But hey, can't like everything out there of course. 😄
This song reminds me of a few more. There is a group called M. Yep just M. And the song is pop muzik. I also think of the song One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head. You cant make this stuff up. Trust me. Trust the rabbit hole.
I feel i need to mention this because this style of music keeps coming back around for a reason. Big band was made popular during the "Roaring 20's* which combined everything from symphonies to dixieland jazz to the normal sounds of the decade. Pinstripe suits, spats (button over shoe covers) Rockefeller sticks (walking canes,) umbrellas (parasols).. And at the time, the Ritz-Carlton (aka the Ritz) was the place to go, and you could see everyone from movie stars and directors, to the average Joe or Jane, enjoying themselves and trying to catch a glimpse...
Love this song! Every version is good. I had this album and yes it is a bit different. I was surprised to see this one come up. I saw someone mention “One Night In Bankock” by Murray Head…yes! Still hoping for “Pop Goes The World” (with intro) by Men Without Hats.
My beautiful daughter was about 5 when the original recording was on the radio and she was so cute dancing around to this. Great memories for this (now) old man.
