Wow guys, I never thought this many people would want to see this. There was a similair version of this video here on youtube but for some reason one day it just vanished so I uploaded this one. I'm glad you all like it this much :)
So true, you are right on. No jumping up & down, no screaming antics, noisy props. Simply one person with a heap of talent & his performance shows that doesn't it.. Peggy Wood
I remember so well singing this softly to my mum as she slipped into a coma & passed away. It was her favourite song because she said my dad sang it to her when he asked her to marry him . I never knew my dad, he died when I was 4 months old . Many cover versions have been done, but this, the original is totally the best . I miss you so much mum Peggy Wood (Aotearoa)
the reason why today’s movie musicals will never compare to the old ones is because the singing seems very artificial. fred was obviously dubbing himself here but like you said it’s honest. even with better technology today it seems like movie producers, sound mixers or whatever forgot how to make a good musical
Totally, I honestly think Fred has a beautiful voice. He didn't try to be an amazing singer, he just sang, but it was the simple, wholesome way he sang the lyrics to everything, especially this song.
Actually, it's called crooning and it, too, required skilled vocal technique. Singing with volume is actually the default while singing at conversation level takes skill and practice. Clive James called it hiding the effort.
I sure do miss the 70s and 80s. The music today is not even the same. Sometimes I wish I could find a time machine and go back in time. Life was much easier and everyone enjoyed life! Is this your favorite song?
@@ackgeezer9754 Absolutely. And this exquisite number won them a Best Song Oscar--the first of two for Jerome Kern, and the first (and sadly, only) for Dorothy Fields, who was the first woman so honored. (She was also the only woman, period, until 1968, when the Best Song award went to Marilyn Bergman, together with Alan Bergman and Michel Legrand, for "The Windmills of Your Mind.")
I know it's a little thing, but it drives me mad that so many people tend to attribute this song to Frank Sinatra. Sinatra recorded it in 1964, nearly thirty years after this film, but I hear so many people referring to his cover as the original. I suppose it isn't a bad cover, but I like this one so much more; the simplicity of it, you know? Such beautiful words don't require such grand bands and halting delivery. Fred, man. He just sings it, beautifully and full of heart, with no embellishments or grandeur. He let's Kern's melody progress naturally, and Fields' lyrics are so clear! It was his simple, emotional delivery that helped get this fantastic tune its Oscar. I know Sinatra's version gave this old standard new life, but really, I wish more people listened to Fred's.
Sinatra's covers always seem to get the most air play and recognition. Not many people know that the original singer for "New York, New York" was Liza Minnelli. Her pals, John Kander and Fred Ebb, wrote it specifically for her for her film of the same name (co-starring Robert DeNiro). Frank later covered it, and it's the version that became the standard. BTW: Did Frank ever sing anything original? Most of his famous songs seem to be covers (e.g "The Lady is a Tramp" is from the Broadway musical BABES IN ARMS) or English versions of foreign hits (e.g. "My Way" is based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" with English lyrics by Paul Anka).
Marvin Melhorn Poor Liza. They play her version at Yankee Stadium when the home team loses, and they play Frank's when they win. Frank did mostly covers, but they were pretty damn good covers. He paved the way for Linda Ronstadt!
I love this version so much- especially when he sings it while she’s in casual clothing and is in the middle of washing her hair. He doesn’t sing it when she’s in a gown and is dressed up. He sings it when she’s dressed down which makes the meaning of the song so raw and heartfelt. Astaire’s version brings out the feelings in it, not just singing the song for the sake of it.
He doesn't know she's 'dressed down'. If you get the opportunity, you should watch the movie. You'll understand it better and it won't diminish your enjoyment.
As beautifully as Mr. Astaire sings this song (I love his vocals as well as his dancing), attention should be paid to its makers: Jerome Kern (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics).
@@lmalino695 I do recommend watching the movie. And every Fred astair and ginger rogers movie. They're my absolute favourite if you can get your hands on them!
I have mix feelings about the script. I would have liked to have seen a dance version in tails and gowns. Still, I'm happy to see this film clip again and again.
I love the Bennet Version, but really different feelings. I think this one may be my favorite more upbeat version while the Bennets is my all favorite.
Of all the versions I've heard thus far, this is my favorite. I like Fred's style of singing. His dancing overshadowed his voice which, in my view, was underrated.
The song's lyricist , Dorothy Fields said that, the first time its composer, Jerome Kern played the tune to her, she found it so beautiful that she left the room and cried. Surely one of the best songs ever written !
How wonderful the lovely Ginger isn't in a ball gown but fresh out of the shower, hair treatment, cold creme. They had a sense of humor in the 30's. The most beautiful love song, a Mozartian melody, comes down to earth in a marvelous way.😂❤
No doubt. A simple melody with Mozartean innocence but Kern's marvelous tweaks and Dorothy's sublime lyric wavering between extradinaire and commonplace. That inner tension makes The Way You Look Tonight immortal.
Fred Astaire is well known for his dancing but he was also a fantastic singer. His tender and sincere renditions of so many classics are so touching to watch all these years later.
Well, most of the songs that Astaire sang were arranged and made to suit his very limited singing range. In spite of that, he made the best of it and created many all time classics like this one.
@@incog99skd11 range isn't everything though. He's still a fantastic singer. All that really matters (imo) is that you sound good, and Fred Astaire sounded wonderful.
He was also an extraordinary actor. He had the whole package and he was just irreplaceable. If you want to get really depressed, watch "On The Beach". He was so good in that. The entire cast was.
They asked Irving Berlin who was. his favorite singer of his songs. He replied Fread Astaire. When asked why that was, his answer was simple- “He sings ‘em the way I wrote ‘em.”
It wasn't easy at all. If you ask his dance partners, he was one of the hardest working dancers in Hollywood and almost wore out their feet (blood is mentioned) getting a dance routine right.
1936. Depression. Songs and stories were to give people hope. Those who still had them wore a suit everyday despite the hardship. 30s and 40s, movies were high class and about high class people; today its low class movies about low class people. I want our class back, back to that time society was more polite and respectable compared to now in 2020 with hate, divisions and the world burning down.
Society was more formal. It was not polite or respectable here or in other countries in any meaningful way. The 1930s were a decade of fascism, war and continued systematic repression of minorities, indigenous peoples, and women. There are nice song and dance routines from that time that are nice, but we should not mistake that for a polite society.
Cvcoconuts. Apparently you are not very educated....free public education was available way before FDR's tenure as President. Will not respond to any of your future dumb comments. Have other priorities. Suggest you get a life and perhaps self educate yourself about FDR...he created the WPA and the CCC. AND social security! PS i am not addicted to my cell phone...prefer in person conversations...have fun you all!
+jeffrey Phillips And women dressed beautifully to shampoo their hair. Were you to start dressing beautifully and sporting hats, you might revive the mode.
As a "doowop" fan, I loved this song by the Jaguars, 1956. It was special to me and my girl. She passed away this year at 71. Finding this 1936 rendition is priceless. Thank you for posting. Please excuse the tears.
Fred has the most emotional version of this song. I like The Letterman and Sinatra's versions well enough. But Fred takes it to a whole new level. Makes me feel like he actually loves Ginger/Penny.
"Someday when I'm awfully low when the world is cold I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight" Romance when it meant something.
Dracopticon romance can always mean something, just depends on who's in it. don't just dismiss romance as dead just because the style's changed. and if you're salty that no one will romance you like this, then get over it. times change.
This has always been my favorite song. I used to sing in night clubs around St. Louis way back in the early fifties with a piano player. You'd think a singer would be delighted being told that he sounded like Bing, but I liked it better when they said I sounded like Fred. Those were the days!
Those were the days! We will never see or hear the likes of so many talented people and brilliant, beautiful songs again and I was born in the fifties!
"Fred Astaire is the best singer of songs the movie world ever knew. His phrasing has individual sophistication that is utterly charming. Presumably the runner-up would be Bing Crosby, a wonderful fellow, though he doesn't have the unstressed elegance of Astaire." --- Oscar Levant Question: What great singers of the past do you wish had sung your music? Stephen Sondheim: Nobody really. Well, actually, Fred Astaire. "As a dancer he stands alone, and no singer knows his way around a song like Fred Astaire." --- Irving Berlin "He has a remarkable ear for intonation, a great sense of rhythm and what is most important, he has great style - style in my way of thinking is a matter of delivery, phrasing, pace, emphasis, and most of all presence." --- Bing Crosby "Astaire can't do anything badly." --- Jerome Kern
Adele closed her career with a triumphant performance in The Band Wagon ... She then married the Duke of Devonshire's second son and retired to Lismore Castle, leaving a gap that can never be filled. Fred struggled on without her for a while, but finally threw his hand in and disappeared. There is a rumour that he turned up in Hollywood. It was the best the poor chap could hope for after losing his brilliant sister. - P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton
Someday When I'm awfully low When the world is cold I will feel a glow just thinking of you And the way you look tonight Yes you're lovely With your smile so warm And your cheeks so soft There is nothing for me but to love you And the way you look tonight With each word your tenderness grows Tearing my fear apart And that laugh Wrinkles your nose Touches my foolish heart Lovely Never ever change Keep that breathless charm Won't you please arrange it Cause I love you Just the way you look tonight And that laugh That wrinkles your nose It touches my foolish heart Lovely Don't you ever change Keep that breathless charm Won't you please arrange it Cause I love you Just the way you look tonight Hmm Hmm Just the way you look tonight
2021 here. March 10😊. I just found out my 2 and a half years old nephew sang this song . Apparently it's my sister's lullaby for him . I'm so teary with joy, he can sing this song in his baby talk words 😊😊❤❤❤
He did a nice job acting and singing - communicating the tender meaning of this song perfectly and with a nice sounding voice. He was more than just a magnificent dancer. He was a marvelous entertainer.
Astaire, Rogers, Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. Timeless talent that will be delighting us all for many years, perhaps even centuries. Thank you for uploading this treasure.
My mom would sing this to me nearly every night when I was a little kid. Even though I was born in the early 2000s, this song is very nostalgic for me.
I read/hear how Ginger chafed under the stereotype that she was always mentioned in the same breath with Astaire. As you pointed out, she WAS a great actress, and got to display that in a couple of non-musical films she did without Mr. Astaire. She never got her due.
I explained this in court to a federal judge interpreting a statute many years ago. I encouraged him to follow Fred’s example and just sing it the way they wrote. It. He wasn’t real amused.
I'm 70. I was lucky enough to grow up on Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies. Back then, in the 60's & 70's, the U.S.A. had it's problems but we could always look at movies like these to remind us of simpler, better things. This movie came out in 1936. A year later, in 1937, Fred Astaire sang "They Can't Take That Away From Me", another great song.
i grew up knowing this song the way I imagine most people of my generation (i was born in the early 90s), the rendition sung by the impossibly debonair Frank Sinatra. But while Frank has class to spare and a voice that could bring water from stone, I feel Fred Astaire's slightly softer, more earnest voice in this original rendition really fits the song better. Hearing Frank's perfect pitch and swagger, it is easy to admire him, but also hard to relate. Most average joe schmoes like me could only dream of having Mr. Sinatra's charm. But Fred, for all of his unparalleled dancing skill, feels more like us. He is a little unsure of himself, but also brave, and above all, he wants to tell the lady how he feels about her. Perfect.
magicpen6666 - It was Frank's version that made me love this song. Years later, when I purchased every movie these two did together did I realize that it was the impossibly charming and gorgeous Fred Astaire that sang it. And it remains not simply my favorite song, but Astaire's version is my favorite.
One of the loveliest entries in The Great American Songbook, and a timeless example of poetry set to music. Written by Dorothy Fields (lyrics) and Jerome Kern (music) for the Fred Astaire - Ginger Rogers RKO film "Swing Time", it won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Said Fields, "The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn't stop, it was so beautiful." Indeed.
Dear A.J. We all have to do everything we can to keep this gorgeous music alive. If you can sing and have a pianist, volunteer to sing these Great American Songbook masterpieces at retirement homes. I do and you have never seen such grateful audiences in your life as the residents there. Hopefully, after the corona virus, the residents can sing with us again throughout this wonderful country.
Even when Ginger was not in glam--she sure was a beauty still! Fred Astaire is a tribute to plane jane looks and voice. Nothing dramatic about his voice but that plane jane voice let the notes and words of the song do the work of communicating.
I was in high school in the mid-1960s, and The Lettermen had recorded this song in 1961. It is such a fond memory of my high school. It was a beautiful slow dance song. The teenagers of today don’t know what they’re missing with slow dancing to tunes like this.
The magic of this scene and music is still there - reading so many comments touched my heart almost as much as the song. Proving that all of us love pure, simple moments like this.
The most intimate love song in Astaire's repertoire. Though it brings out the limitations of his vocal range, it also brings out, fleetingly, a vulnerable side to his usually-smooth persona, something that makes him less perfect, more human and accessible.
He couldn’t sing but it didn’t matter he was pure magic just watching him dance. Made you forget everything else as for his dance partners I couldn’t choose between them they were all beautiful and graceful .when ever I’m feeling down I just watch Fred and his amazing danceing.
I once saw a clip of Fred Astaire rapidly and accurately hitting a line of golf balls with a mid-range iron. This guy was as coordinated as a human being could be. Even his singing of songs was so very memorable. A total talent, no doubt!
I’ve read that originally this scene would involve Fred singing the song about Ginger’s beauty while she was in the kitchen, getting dirty, cleaning the oven. It was obviously changed to her washing her hair - and her suds still look beautiful.
Thank you Antonio. I understand that this most romantic of songs won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1936 which it so richly deserved. The beauty and sophistication of the melody and the lyrics is so "Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields". This was in the middle of the Depression and I can see in my mind's eye people going into a dark movie theatre and for a little while, being able to forget that they had no money and certainly not the beautiful clothes that the stars wore in the movies. There was implied sexiness but certainly not the sex upon first meeting which movies now think that people want to see. A man would have not dared to be so bold to even mildly suggest it at that time but then a woman would not have been insulted if he didn't try. Does anyone else feel that they were born in the wrong decade if not in the wrong century?
We don't think of Fred Astaire as a singer, but he was great. Such a beautiful song. Thank you Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. This song needs to be sung softly and gently, as Astaire does, unlike Sinatra's version, which is upbeat. And could Ginger look any more beautiful standing at the door. Thank you Antonio for posting.
NO--SHE COULDN'T. REGARDLESS OF SOFT FOCUS ( SHE DIDN'T NEED IT ) SHE WAS A REAL BEAUTY. IT WAS SAID OF FRED, THAT HIS VOICE WASN'T GREAT, BUT HIS FEEL FOR A SONG, AND DELIVERY, MORE THAN MADE UP FOR IT.
katu195 jord I just watched Fred Astaire playing piano in 2 different videos, expertly. I think he was a great entertainer, so does that make me old fashioned? (born 1956)
One of four super hits by Jerome Kern in 'Swing Time' - an Oscar winning all time top musical. Fred and Ginger ---superlative talent well above anything now.
What a delightful ambiguous and humorous scene. Nicely evoked balance of what he wants, what she wants, but what he gets... He's singing his heart out and we're cracking up because of the unsaid, just the camera work does it all for us!! 🖤😊😀😂🤣❤
Some day, when I'm awfully low When the world is cold I will feel a glow just thinking of you And the way you look tonight Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm And your cheeks so soft There is nothing for me but to love you And the way you look tonight With each word your tenderness grows Tearin' my fear apart And that laugh, wrinkles your nose Touches my foolish heart Lovely, never, never change Keep that breathless charm Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you A-just the way you look tonight And that laugh that wrinkles your nose It touches my foolish heart Lovely, don't you ever change Keep that breathless charm Won't you please arrange it? 'Cause I love you A-just the way you look tonight Mm, mm, mm, mm, Just the way you look tonight
My father used to sing this song with a similar voice in the 1950s when I was about 8 years old. I have been a romantic sucker ever since. And glad of it.
I tried to find songs that would reach mom's memory and play them while pushing her for a walk in her wheelchair. I've lost pretty much everything now in her last stage of dementia . When I found this song , it reached me. So now I sing along to her. It won't be long now and she'll be gone leaving me with the song.
