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Puttin' On The Ritz Wiki Information
"Puttin' on the Ritz
" is a pop song written and published in 1929 by Irving Berlin and introduced by Harry Richman in the musical film Puttin' on the Ritz
(1930). The title derives from the slang expression "putting on the Ritz," meaning to dress very fashionably. The expression was inspired by the swanky Ritz Hotel.
The song is in AABA form, with a verse. [1] According to John Mueller, the central device in the A section is the "use of delayed rhythmic resolution: a staggering, off-balance passage, emphasized by the unorthodox stresses in the lyric, suddenly resolves satisfyingly on a held note, followed by the forceful assertion of the title phrase." The marchlike B section, which is only barely syncopated, acts as a contrast to the previous rhythmic complexities. According to Alec Wilder, in his study of American popular song, the rhythmic pattern in "Puttin' on the Ritz" is "the most complex and provocative I have ever come upon." [2]
The original version of Berlin's song included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue, "Spending ev'ry dime / For a wonderful time". The song was featured with the original lyrics in Idiot's Delight
(1939) where it was performed by Clark Gable and chorus, and this routine was selected for inclusion in That's Entertainment
(1974). For the film Blue Skies
(1946), where it was performed by Fred Astaire, Berlin revised the lyrics to apply to affluent whites strutting "up and down Park Avenue." [3]
Hit phonograph records of the tune in its original popularity of 1929-1930 were recorded by Harry Richman and Fred Astaire, with whom the song is particularly associated.
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PUTTIN' ON THE RITZ TICKETS
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Various cover versions
This tune has enjoyed a number of revivals including:
- A hit swing music version by Benny Goodman
- A song and dance routine by Clark Gable in 1939's Idiot's Delight
- A song and dance number performed by Fred Astaire in the 1946 film Blue Skies
using the revised lyrics.
- A humorous version (performed by Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle) used in Mel Brooks' 1974 film Young Frankenstein
and would later be used in the 2007 musical adaptation of the same name.
- A return to the hit parade with a synthpop version by Taco recorded in 1982 and released on his album After Eight
, reaching #4 on the American Billboard's Pop Chart. It includes a tap dance solo in the middle to honor Astaire. [4] Also included in the recording are part of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" [5] and "There's No Business Like Show Business" (both written by Irving Berlin), and "Gotta Dance" from Singin' in the Rain
.
[ This version of the song was ranked #53 in VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s
special. [6]]
- A song by the Finnish band Leningrad Cowboys in 2006.
1930 movie
The first of many movies to feature the number was the 1930 film titled Puttin' on the Ritz.
The musical film was directed by Edward Sloman and starred Harry Richman, Joan Bennett, and James Gleason.
References
- Astaire Dancing - The Musical Films
- Mueller, p.267, quoting Wilder
- Mueller, p.267: "In the original version it told of the ritzy airs of Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue. For the 1946 film, the strutters became well-to-do whites on Park Avenue. The patronizing, yet admiring satire of the song is shifted, then, and mellowed in the process. The change may have had to do with changing attitudes towards race and with Hollywood's dawning wariness about offending blacks."
- http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=1858, Retrieved on 2009-06-25.
- Irving Berlin, Still on the Charts
- 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s on VH1
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