Getting to Know You (song)

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"Getting to Know You"
Song
Published1951
Composer(s) Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s) Oscar Hammerstein II

"Getting to Know You" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I . It was first sung by Gertrude Lawrence in the original Broadway production and later by Marni Nixon who dubbed for Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film adaptation. In the show, Anna, a British schoolteacher who has been hired as a governess, sings the song as she strikes up a warm and affectionate relationship with the children and the wives of the King of Siam.

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This song is one of the cases during the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership when Rodgers re-used a melody he had written for an earlier show and then discarded. In this case the melody was a tune he wrote for South Pacific , called "Suddenly Lovely", which he originally intended for the character of Nellie to sing but replaced it with the song "(I'm in Love with) a Wonderful Guy". Mary Martin, the star of South Pacific, who had proposed that Rodgers should cast Yul Brynner as the King, reminded Rodgers of this tune, and so Hammerstein wrote new lyrics to it.

Notable recordings

Other appearances

Related Research Articles

<i>The King and I</i> Musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein, premiered in 1951

The King and I is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the King of Siam (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. The musical's plot relates the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired as part of the King's drive to modernize his country. The relationship between the King and Anna is marked by conflict through much of the piece, as well as by a love to which neither can admit. The musical premiered on March 29, 1951, at Broadway's St. James Theatre. It ran for nearly three years, making it the fourth-longest-running Broadway musical in history at the time, and has had many tours and revivals.

<i>South Pacific</i> (musical) 1949 Broadway musical

South Pacific is a musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The work premiered in 1949 on Broadway and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize–winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific and combines elements of several of those stories. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, send a strong progressive message on racism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodgers and Hammerstein</span> 20th-century American songwriting team

Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their musical theater writing partnership has been called the greatest of the 20th century.

<i>Show Boat</i> 1927 musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II

Show Boat is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock workers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over 40 years from 1887 to 1927. Its themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love. The musical contributed such classic songs as "Ol' Man River", "Make Believe", and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marni Nixon</span> American singer and actress (1930–2016)

Margaret Nixon McEathron, known professionally as Marni Nixon, was an American soprano and ghost singer for featured actresses in musical films. She was the singing voice of leading actresses on the soundtracks of several musicals, including Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story, and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, although her roles were concealed from audiences when the films were released. Several of the songs she dubbed appeared on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list.

A cast recording is a recording of a stage musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast. A cast recording featuring the first cast to perform a musical in a particular venue is known, for example, as an "original Broadway cast recording" (OBCR) or an "original London cast recording" (OLCR).

"I Have Dreamed" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. In the original Broadway production it was sung by Doretta Morrow and Larry Douglas. It has since become a standard, with many artists recording the song.

"Something Wonderful" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I.

"I Whistle a Happy Tune" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. It is sung by the Governess Anna Leonowens to her son Louis after the curtain rises on Act One of the musical, to persuade him not to be afraid as they arrive in Siam to serve the King.

<i>The King and I</i> (1956 film) 1956 film by Walter Lang

The King and I is a 1956 American musical film made by 20th Century-Fox, directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay by Ernest Lehman is based on the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, which is itself based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. That novel in turn was based on memoirs written by Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Leonowens' stories were autobiographical, although various elements of them have been called into question. The film stars Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner.

"The Sound of Music" is the title song from the musical of the same name that premiered in 1959. It was composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song introduces the character of Maria, a young novice in an Austrian abbey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Could Have Danced All Night</span> Song by Julie Andrews (Broadway)Audrey Hepburn (film-dubbed by:) Marni Nixon

"I Could Have Danced All Night" is a song from the musical My Fair Lady, with music written by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, published in 1956. The song is sung by the musical's heroine, Eliza Doolittle, expressing her exhilaration and excitement after an impromptu dance with her tutor, Henry Higgins - in the small hours of the morning. In a counterpoint during the second of 3 rounds, two maids and the housekeeper, Mrs. Pearce, urge Eliza to go to bed, but she ignores them.

"Hello, Young Lovers" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. It is sung by Anna, played by Gertrude Lawrence in the original Broadway production; by Valerie Hobson in the original London West End production; and by Deborah Kerr in the film version.

<i>Oklahoma!</i> (soundtrack) 1955 soundtrack album by cast

Oklahoma! is the original soundtrack album of the 1955 film Oklahoma!, an adaptation of the musical Broadway play of the same name. The soundtrack charted No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart in 1956 and has been in continual print. On July 8, 1958, it became the first album to be certified "gold" by the RIAA, and was later certified "2x multi-platinum" on April 1, 1992.

A studio recording is any recording made in a studio, as opposed to a live recording, which is usually made in a concert venue or a theatre, with an audience attending the performance.

The King and I is a 1951 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

"My Favorite Things" is a song from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music.

"Younger than Springtime" is a show tune from the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific. It has been widely recorded as a jazz standard.

"Shall We Dance?" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. It is sung by the characters of Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam, originated on Broadway by Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner respectively. Valerie Hobson played Anna in the original London West End production, and Marni Nixon in the 1956 film of The King and I. The song comes about after Anna and the King disagree about love's meaning; the King believes that love is a "silly complication of a pleasant simplicity" and a "fairy tale" while Anna believes that love is real and natural. They sing "The Song of the King" first. Anna then tries to explain the idea of romance in a simple way to the King, and becomes caught up in her own experience of love at first sight at an English dance. Her reminiscences become the introductory verse of "Shall We Dance?".

<i>The King and I</i> (original cast recording)

The original cast recording of The King and I was issued in 1951 on Decca Records, with Gertrude Lawrence, Yul Brynner, Dorothy Sarnoff and Doretta Morrow. The Broadway cast recording was directed by John Van Druten, with orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and musical director Frederick Dvonch. The recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

References

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  2. "A Bing Crosby Discography". Bingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. "Dinah Shore - Getting To Know You". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. "The King and I [Original Movie Soundtrack Recording] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. "Della Reese With The Kirk Stuart Trio – A Date With Della Reese At Mr. Kelly's In Chicago (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. "The King and I [1964 Columbia Studio Cast] - 1964 Columbia Studio Cast | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "For Our Children - Disney | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. "The King and I [1992 Studio Cast] - Julie Andrews, John Mauceri, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. "The King and I [2000 London Cast] - 2000 London Cast | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 2 May 2021.