But Not for Me (song)

Last updated
"But Not for Me"
Song
Published1930 by New World Music
Songwriter(s) George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

"But Not for Me" is a popular song originally written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the musical Girl Crazy (1930). [1]

Contents

Ella Fitzgerald's 1959 version of "But Not for Me," which appeared on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook, won the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance. [1]

Singer Ketty Lester remade "But Not for Me" with a gospel arrangement. The song reached No. 10 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, No. 41 on the Billboard Top 40, and No. 45 in the UK in 1962. [2]

Other recordings

See also

Related Research Articles

Traditional pop is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards or American standards. The works of these songwriters and composers are usually considered part of the canon known as the "Great American Songbook". More generally, the term "standard" can be applied to any popular song that has become very widely known within mainstream culture.

"They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film Shall We Dance and gained huge success.

"Oh, Lady Be Good!" is a 1924 song by George and Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Walter Catlett in the Broadway musical Lady, Be Good! written by Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson, and the Gershwin brothers and starring Fred and Adele Astaire. The song was also performed by the chorus in the film Lady Be Good (1941), although the film is unrelated to the musical.

"This Can't Be Love" is a show tune and a popular song from the 1938 Rodgers and Hart musical The Boys from Syracuse when it was sung by Eddie Albert and Marcy Westcott. The lyrics poke fun at the common depiction of love in popular songs as a host of malignant symptoms, saying, "This can't be love because I feel so well."

"Embraceable You" is a jazz standard song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East Is West. It was published in 1930 and included in that year's Broadway musical Girl Crazy, performed by Ginger Rogers in a song and dance routine choreographed by Fred Astaire.

"I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of the Cotton Club Parades.

"Just One of Those Things" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for the 1935 musical Jubilee.

"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as part of a celebrated dance duet on roller skates. The sheet music has the tempo marking of "Brightly". The song was ranked No. 34 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fascinating Rhythm</span> Song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin performed by Cliff Edwards

"Fascinating Rhythm" is a popular song written by George Gershwin in 1924 with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"Little Girl Blue" is a popular song with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Lorenz Hart, published in 1935. The song was introduced by Gloria Grafton in the Broadway musical Jumbo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">'S Wonderful</span> Song by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns

"'S Wonderful" is a 1927 popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face (1927) by Adele Astaire and Allen Kearns.

Paul Thatcher Smith was an American jazz pianist. He performed in various genres of jazz, most typically bebop, but is best known as an accompanist of singers, especially Ella Fitzgerald.

"I've Got a Crush on You" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It is unique among Gershwin compositions in that it was used for two different Broadway productions: Treasure Girl (1928), when it was introduced by Clifton Webb and Mary Hay, and Strike Up the Band (1930), when it was sung by Doris Carson and Gordon Smith. It was later included in the tribute musical Nice Work If You Can Get It (2012), in which it was sung by Jennifer Laura Thompson. When covered by Frank Sinatra he was a part of Columbia Records.

"I Was Doing All Right" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Ella Logan in the 1937 film The Goldwyn Follies.

"Who Cares?" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written for their 1931 musical Of Thee I Sing. It was introduced by William Gaxton and Lois Moran in the original Broadway production.

"Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The tune was composed in 1930, but the lyric was not written until 1937, for the movie musical The Goldwyn Follies (1938), where it was sung by Kenny Baker. Hit versions include Sammy Kaye (1938), The Hilltoppers (1953), Ella Fitzgerald (1959), The Flamingos (1959) and Dinah Washington (1960). Artie Shaw recorded the song in the early 1940s.

"Strike Up the Band" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin with the collaboration of Millie Raush. It was written for the 1927 musical Strike Up the Band, where it formed part of a satire on war and militaristic music. Although the musical was not successful, the instrumental version of the song, titled the "March from Strike Up the Band", has become quite well known. The song was also used in the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney 1940 film Strike Up the Band.

"Get Happy" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was the first song they wrote together, and was introduced by Ruth Etting in The Nine-Fifteen Revue in 1930. The song expresses the gospel music theme of getting happy, an expression of religious ecstasy for salvation.

"It's All Right with Me" is a popular song written by Cole Porter, for his 1953 musical Can-Can, where it was introduced by Peter Cookson as the character Judge Aristide Forestier.

"You Took Advantage of Me" is a 1928 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, for the musical Present Arms (1928), where it was introduced by Joyce Barbour and Busby Berkeley as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwell. The characters were formerly married, but still have romantic feelings for each other. On opening night, Berkeley forgot the lyrics and had to scat and hum the entire second verse. Berkeley also claimed that his nonsense lyrics for the improvised second verse left Hart "almost apoplectic", but the audience was amused and Hart later forgave him. The song was subsequently included in the 1930 film Leathernecking, an adaptation of Present Arms.

References

  1. 1 2 "Who Could Ask For Anything More". The Gershwin Initiative Website. 2013-09-08. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  2. Ketty Lester, "But Not for Me" Chart Positions Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Wisconsin: Record Research. p.  226. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 50–52. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
  5. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  6. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  7. "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  8. "The Polly Bergen Show". Classic Television Archives. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  9. "Sam Cooke | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  10. Original Soundtrack - Four Weddings and a Funeral Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-08-21
  11. "Les P'tits Loups du Jazz" (in French). Retrieved 2019-06-25.