"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Song by Fred Astaire | ||||
B-side | "Shall We Dance" | |||
Published | February 27, 1937 by Gershwin Publishing Corp., New York [1] | |||
Released | April 3, 1937 [2] | |||
Recorded | March 3, 1937 [3] | |||
Studio | Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | Jazz, pop vocal | |||
Label | Brunswick 7857 [4] | |||
Composer(s) | George Gershwin | |||
Lyricist(s) | Ira Gershwin | |||
Fred Astaire singles chronology | ||||
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"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. [5] The sheet music has the tempo marking of "Brightly". [6] The song was ranked No. 34 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs. [7]
The song is most famous for its "You like to-may-to /təˈmeɪtə/ / And I like to-mah-to /təˈmɑːtə/ " and other verses comparing British and American English pronunciations of tomato and other words.
In addition to being regional, the differences in pronunciation serve more specifically to identify class differences. At the time, typical American pronunciations were considered less "refined" by the upper-class, and there was a specific emphasis on the "broader" a sound. [8] This class distinction with respect to pronunciation has been retained in caricatures, especially in the theater, where the longer a pronunciation is most strongly associated with the word darling. [9] [ relevant? ]
Phrase/word | "You" | "I" |
---|---|---|
this and... | the other | that |
either | /ˈiːðər/ | /ˈaɪðər/ |
neither | /ˈniːðər/ | /ˈnaɪðər/ |
potato | /pəˈteɪtə/ | /pəˈtɑːtə/ |
tomato | /təˈmeɪtə/ | /təˈmɑːtə/ |
pajamas | /pəˈdʒæməz/ | /pəˈdʒɑːməz/ |
laughter | /ˈlæftər/ | /ˈlɑːftər/ |
after | /ˈæftər/ | /ˈɑːftər/ |
Havana | /həˈvænə/ | /həˈvɑːnə/ |
banana | /bəˈnænə/ | /bəˈnɑːnə/ |
oysters | /ˈɔɪstərz/ | /ˈɜːrstərz/ |