This is a complete list of the songs introduced by Fred Astaire beginning with his first Broadway show Over the Top in 1917 (his childhood and teenage period in vaudeville is not covered). Those who co-introduced a song with him are indicated in the co-singer column. The year refers to the year of introduction, not necessarily the year the song was written. The "Date of First Commercial Recording" refers to songs for which Astaire's recording was the first release of the song to the record-buying public. [1] [2] [3]
Title | Year | Co-singer(s) | Composer | Lyricist | Film | Stage musical | Date of first commercial recording |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A Couple of Swells | 1948 | Judy Garland | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Easter Parade | 1948, MGM 30186 (soundtrack) | |
A Fine Romance | 1936 | Ginger Rogers | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | Swing Time | Los Angeles, July 28, 1936, Brunswick 7716 | |
A Foggy Day | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | A Damsel in Distress | Los Angeles, October 17/19, 1937, Brunswick 7982 | ||
A Lot in Common With You | 1942 | Joan Leslie | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | The Sky's the Limit | ||
A Needle in a Haystack | 1934 | Con Conrad | Herb Magidson | The Gay Divorcee | |||
All to Myself | 1922 | Adele Astaire | George Gershwin | Arthur Francis aka Ira Gershwin | For Goodness Sake | ||
After You, Who? | 1932 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Gay Divorce | 1932, EC 1215 | ||
Anyway, We've Had Fun | 1930 | Marilyn Miller | Vincent Youmans | Ring Lardner | Smiles | ||
Baby Doll | 1952 | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | The Belle of New York | 1952, MGM 30517 (soundtrack) | ||
Be Good to Me | 1930 | Adele Astaire | Vincent Youmans | Ring Lardner | Smiles | ||
Bojangles of Harlem | 1936 | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | Swing Time | Los Angeles, July 26, 1936, Brunswick 7718 | ||
Bring on the Girls | 1917 | Adele Astaire and others | Sigmund Romberg, Jean Schwartz | Harold R. Atteridge | The Passing Show of 1918 | ||
Calypso Hooray | 1957 | Fred Astaire | Fred Astaire | 1957, Verve 10051 | |||
Can't Stop Talking | 1950 | Betty Hutton | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | Let's Dance | ||
Change Partners | 1938 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Carefree | Los Angeles, March 24, 1938, Brunswick 8189 | ||
Cheek to Cheek | 1935 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Top Hat | New York, June 26, 1935, Brunswick 7486 | ||
City of the Angels | 1975 | Fred Astaire, Tommy Wolf | Tommy Wolf | London, July 22, 1975, UAS 19885/LA-580 | |||
Dearly Beloved | 1942 | Jerome Kern | Johnny Mercer | You Were Never Lovelier | 1942, Decca 18491 | ||
Dig It | 1940 | Bernie Henighen | Johnny Mercer | Second Chorus | Los Angeles, September 22, 1940, Columbia 35852 | ||
Dream Dancing | 1941 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | You Were Never Lovelier (instrumental only) | 1941, Decca 18188 | ||
Dreaming | 1921 | Adele Astaire | Victor Jacobi | Edward Royce | The Love Letter | ||
Drum Crazy | 1948 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Easter Parade | |||
Ev'ry Night at Seven | 1951 | Burton Lane | Alan Jay Lerner | Royal Wedding | 1951, MGM 30319 (soundtrack) | ||
Every Day in Every Way | 1922 | Adele Astaire | Jerome Kern | Anne Caldwell | The Bunch and Judy | ||
Fascinating Rhythm | 1924 | Adele Astaire, Walter Catlett | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Lady Be Good | London, April 19, 1926, EC 3969 | |
Fated to Be Mated | 1957 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Silk Stockings | |||
Flying Down to Rio | 1933 | Vincent Youmans | Edward Eliscu, Gus Kahn | Flying Down to Rio | December 12, 1933, Columbia 2912D | ||
French Pastry Walk | 1922 | Charles Judels, Vinton Freedley | George Gershwin | Arthur Francis aka Ira Gershwin | For Goodness Sake | ||
Funny Face | 1927 | Adele Astaire | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Funny Face | London, November 26, 1928, EC 5174 | |
Hang on to Me | 1924 | Adele Astaire | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Lady Be Good | London, April 19, 1926, EC 3970 | |
Happy Easter | 1948 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Easter Parade | |||
Hello, Baby | 1956 | Fred Astaire | Moe Jaffe, Walter Ruick | Los Angeles, March 30, 1956, Verve 2009 | |||
Here's to the Girls (1944) | 1946 | Roger Edens | Arthur Freed | Ziegfeld Follies | |||
High Hat | 1927 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Funny Face | London, December 4, 1928, EC 5173 | ||
History of the Beat | 1955 | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | Daddy Long Legs | |||
Hoe Down the Bayou/Poor Mr. Chisholm | 1940 | Bernie Henighen | Johnny Mercer | Second Chorus | Los Angeles, September 22, 1940, Columbia 35852 | ||
Hoops | 1931 | Adele Astaire | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | New York, October 5, 1931, Victor 22836 | |
How Could You Believe Me | 1951 | Jane Powell | Burton Lane | Alan Jay Lerner | Royal Wedding | 1951, MGM 30316 (soundtrack) | |
How Do You Do, Katinka? | 1922 | Adele Astaire | Jerome Kern | Anne Caldwell | The Bunch and Judy | ||
I Can't Be Bothered Now | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | A Damsel in Distress | Los Angeles, October 17/19, 1937, Brunswick 7982 | ||
I Can't Tell a Lie | 1941 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Holiday Inn | Los Angeles, May 27, 1942, Decca 18428 | ||
I Left My Hat in Haiti | 1951 | Burton Lane | Alan Jay Lerner | Royal Wedding | 1951, MGM 30317 (soundtrack) | ||
I Love Everybody But You (1962) | 1975 | Fred Astaire | Fred and Ava Astaire | London, July 30, 1975, UAS 19885/LA-580 | |||
I Love Louisa | 1931 | Adele Astaire | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | New York, October 5, 1931, Victor 22755 | |
I Used to Be Color Blind | 1938 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Carefree | Los Angeles, March 24, 1938, Brunswick 8189 | ||
I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man | 1952 | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | The Belle of New York | 1952, MGM 30520 (soundtrack) | ||
I'd Rather Charleston | 1924 | George Gershwin | Desmond Carter | Lady Be Good | London, April 19, 1926, EC 3970 | ||
I'd Rather Lead a Band | 1936 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Follow the Fleet | Los Angeles, January 30, 1936, Brunswick 7610 | ||
I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise | 1922 | Adele Astaire and others | George Gershwin | Buddy DeSylva and Ira Gershwin | Stop Flirting | ||
I'll Capture Your Heart Singing | 1941 | Bing Crosby | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Holiday Inn | Los Angeles, May 27, 1942, Decca 18427 | |
I'll Say I Love You | 1921 | Adele Astaire | Victor Jacobi | Edward Royce | The Love Letter | ||
I'm Building Up to an Awful Let-Down | 1936 | Fred Astaire | Johnny Mercer | Los Angeles, January 30, 1936, Brunswick 7610 | |||
I'm Glad I Waited | 1930 | Marilyn Miller | Vincent Youmans | Clifford Grey, Harold Adamson | Smiles | ||
I'm Putting all My Eggs in One Basket | 1936 | Ginger Rogers | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Follow the Fleet | Los Angeles, January 30, 1936, Brunswick 7609 | |
I've Got Beginner's Luck | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Shall We Dance | Los Angeles, March 19, 1937, Brunswick 7855 | ||
I've Got My Eyes on You | 1940 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Broadway Melody of 1940 | |||
I've Got You on My Mind | 1932 | Claire Luce | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Gay Divorce | New York, November 11, 1932, Victor 24193, 24716 | |
If I Were You, Love | 1930 | Adele Astaire | Vincent Youmans | Ring Larnder | Smiles | ||
If Swing Goes, I Go Too | 1944 | Fred Astaire | Fred Astaire | Ziegfeld Follies deleted number | 1944, Decca 23388 | ||
Isn't This a Lovely Day? | 1935 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Top Hat | New York, June 27, 1935, Brunswick 7487 | ||
It Only Happens When I Dance with You | 1948 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Easter Parade | 1948, MGM 3018 (soundtrack) | ||
Jack and the Beanstalk | 1950 | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | Let's Dance | |||
Just Like Taking Candy from a Baby | 1940 | Fred Astaire | Gladys Shelly | Los Angeles, May 9, 1940, Columbia 35517 | |||
Let's Call the Whole Thing Off | 1937 | Ginger Rogers | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Shall We Dance | Los Angeles, March 19, 1937, Brunswick 7857 | |
Let's Face the Music and Dance | 1936 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Follow the Fleet | Los Angeles, January 30, 1936, Brunswick 7608 | ||
Let's Kiss and Make Up | 1927 | Adele Astaire | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Funny Face | ||
Life Is Beautiful | 1975 | Fred Astaire, Tommy Wolf | Tommy Wolf | London, July 22, 1975, UAS 19885/LA-580 | |||
Love of My Life | 1940 | Artie Shaw | Johnny Mercer | Second Chorus | Los Angeles, September 22, 1940, Columbia 35815 | ||
Manhattan Downbeat | 1949 | Harry Warren | Ira Gershwin | The Barkleys of Broadway | |||
Me and the Ghost Upstairs | 1940 | Bernie Henighen | Johnny Mercer | Second Chorus deleted number | Los Angeles, September 22, 1940, Columbia 35815 | ||
My One and Only | 1927 | Betty Compton, Gertrude McDonald | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Funny Face | London, December 4, 1928, EC 5173 | |
My One and Only Highland Fling | 1949 | Ginger Rogers | Harry Warren | Ira Gershwin | The Barkleys of Broadway | 1949, MGM 50016 (soundtrack) | |
Never Gonna Dance | 1936 | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | Swing Time | Los Angeles, July 26, 1936, Brunswick 7718 | ||
New Sun in the Sky | 1931 | Adele Astaire | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | New York, October 5, 1931, Victor 22755 | |
Nice Work If You Can Get It | 1937 | Betty Rone, Jan Duggan, Mary Dean (dubbed by The Stafford Sisters) | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | A Damsel in Distress | Los Angeles, October 17/19, 1937, Brunswick 7983 | |
Night and Day | 1932 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Gay Divorce | New York, November 11, 1932, Victor 24193, 24716 | ||
No Strings (I'm Fancy Free) | 1935 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Top Hat | New York, June 26, 1935, Brunswick 7486 | ||
Not My Girl | 1929 | Fred Astaire, Van Phillips | Desmond Carter | London, April 5, 1929, EC 5174 | |||
Oh Gee, Oh Gosh | 1922 | Adele Astaire | William Daly | Arthur Francis aka Ira Gershwin | For Goodness Sake | London, October 18, 1923, HMV B1719 | |
Oh My Achin' Back | 1945 | Fred Astaire | Wille Shore, Morey Amsterdam | 1945, Decca unreleased, released 1982, MCA MCL 1706 | |||
Oh Them Dudes | 1950 | Betty Hutton | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | Let's Dance | ||
On the Beam | 1942 | Jerome Kern | Johnny Mercer | absent from release of You Were Never Lovelier | 1942, Decca 18489B _B side to You Were Never Lovelier Decca 18489A | ||
One For My Baby | 1943 | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | The Sky's the Limit | 1945, Decca unreleased | ||
Oops | 1952 | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | The Belle of New York | 1952, MGM 30518 (soundtrack) | ||
Pale Venetian Moon | 1922 | Adele Astaire | Jerome Kern | Anne Caldwell | The Bunch and Judy | ||
Peach Girl | 1922 | Adele Astaire | Jerome Kern | Anne Caldwell | The Bunch and Judy | ||
Pick Yourself Up | 1936 | Ginger Rogers | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | Swing Time | Los Angeles, July 26, 1936, Brunswick 7717 | |
Please Don't Monkey with Broadway | 1940 | George Murphy | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Broadway Melody of 1940 | ||
Quick Service | 1917 | Adele Astaire | Sigmund Romberg, Jean Schwartz | Harold R. Atteridge | The Passing Show of 1918 | ||
Say, Young Man of Manhattan | 1930 | Vincent Youmans | Clifford Grey, Harold Adamson | Smiles | |||
Seeing's Believing | 1952 | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | The Belle of New York | 1952, MGM 30518 (soundtrack) | ||
Shall We Dance | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Shall We Dance | Los Angeles, March 21, 1937, Brunswick 7857 | ||
Shoes with Wings on | 1949 | Harry Warren | Ira Gershwin | The Barkleys of Broadway | 1949, MGM 50017 (soundtrack) | ||
Slap That Bass | 1937 | Dudley Dickerson | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Shall We Dance | Los Angeles, March 18, 1937, Brunswick 7856 | |
So Near and Yet So Far | 1941 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | You'll Never Get Rich | 1941, Decca 18187 | ||
Something's Gotta Give | 1955 | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | Daddy Long Legs | 1955, RCA Victor 20-6140 | ||
Squab Farm | 1917 | Sigmund Romberg, Jean Schwartz | Harold R. Atteridge | The Passing Show of 1918 | |||
Steppin' Out with My Baby | 1948 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Easter Parade | 1948, MGM 30188 (soundtrack) | ||
Sweet Music | 1931 | Adele Astaire | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | ||
Sweet Sorrow (1940) | 1956 | Fred Astaire | Gladys Shelley | Los Angeles, March 30, 1956, Verve 2019 | |||
Swiss Miss | 1924 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin, Arthur Jackson | Lady Be Good | London, April 27, 1926, EC 3979 | ||
That Face | 1957 | Lew Spence | Alan and Marilyn Bergman | Another Evening with Fred Astaire (1959) | 1957, Verve 10051 | ||
That's Entertainment! | 1953 | Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | 1953, MGM 30793 (soundtrack) | |
The Afterbeat | 1959 | Fred Astaire | Johnny Mercer | Another Evening with Fred Astaire | 1959, Kapp 311 | ||
The Babbit and the Bromide | 1927 | Adele Astaire | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Funny Face | London, November 26, 1928, EC 5174 | |
The Half of It, Dearie' Blues | 1924 | Kathleen Martyn | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Lady Be Good | London, April 19, 1926, EC 3969 | |
The Jolly Tar and the Milkmaid | 1937 | Pearl Amatore, Betty Rone, Jac George | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | A Damsel in Distress | ||
The Justine Johnson Rag | 1917 | Adele Astaire and others | Sigmund Romberg, Herman Timberg, Frank Carter | Charles Manning | Over the Top | ||
The Ritz, Roll and Rock | 1957 | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Silk Stockings | |||
The Shorty George | 1942 | Rita Hayworth dubbed by Nan Wynn | Jerome Kern | Johnny Mercer | You Were Never Lovelier | 1942, Decca 18491 | |
The Sluefoot | 1955 | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | Daddy Long Legs | 1955, RCA Victor 20-6140 | ||
The Way You Look Tonight | 1936 | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | Swing Time | Los Angeles, July 26, 1936, Brunswick 7717 | ||
The Whichness of the Whatness | 1922 | Adele Astaire | William Daly | Arthur Francis aka Ira Gershwin | For Goodness Sake | London, October 18, 1923, HMV B1719 | |
There's No Time Like the Present | 1956 | Fred Astaire | Walter Ruick | Los Angeles, March 30, 1956, Verve 2009 | |||
They Can't Take That Away From Me | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | Shall We Dance | Los Angeles, March 19, 1937, Brunswick 7855 | ||
Things Are Looking Up | 1937 | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | A Damsel in Distress | Los Angeles, October 17/19, 1937, Brunswick 7983 | ||
This Heart of Mine | 1946 | Harry Warren | Arthur Freed | Ziegfeld Follies | 1944, Decca 23388 | ||
Times Square | 1922 | Adele Astaire and others | Jerome Kern | Anne Caldwell | The Bunch and Judy | ||
Top Hat, White Tie and Tails | 1935 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Top Hat | New York, June 26, 1935, Brunswick 7486 | ||
Tunnel of Love | 1950 | Betty Hutton | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | Let's Dance | ||
Twit, Twit, Twit | 1918 | Adele Astaire | Sigmund Romberg, Jean Schwartz | Harold R. Atteridge | The Passing Show of 1918 | ||
Upside Down | 1921 | Adele Astaire | Victor Jacobi | Edward Royce | The Love Letter | ||
We Saw the Sea | 1936 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Follow the Fleet | Los Angeles, January 30, 1936, Brunswick 7609 | ||
When You're in Rome | 1922 | George Gershwin | Arthur Francis aka Ira Gershwin | For Goodness Sake | |||
Where is the Language to Tell? | 1917 | Adele Astaire | Sigmund Romberg, Herman Timberg | Phillip Bartholomae, Harold R. Atteridge | Over the Top | ||
White Heat | 1931 | Adele Astaire | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | The Band Wagon | New York, September 28, 1931, Victor 22836 | |
Who Wants to Kiss the Bridegroom? (Bachelor Dinner Song) | 1952 | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | The Belle of New York | 1952, MGM 30520 (soundtrack) | ||
Yolanda | 1946 | Harry Warren | Arthur Freed | Yolanda and the Thief | |||
You Were Never Lovelier | 1942 | Jerome Kern | Johnny Mercer | You Were Never Lovelier | 1942, Decca 18489A | ||
You Worry Me | 1962 | Fred Astaire | Fred Astaire | Los Angeles, Nov 15, 1962, Ava 125 | |||
You'd Be Hard to Replace | 1949 | Harry Warren | Ira Gershwin | The Barkleys of Broadway | 1949, MGM 50016 (soundtrack) | ||
You're All The World To Me | 1951 | Burton Lane | Alan Jay Lerner | Royal Wedding | 1951, MGM 30317 (soundtrack) | ||
You're Easy to Dance with | 1941 | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | Holiday Inn | Los Angeles, May 27, 1942, Decca 18428 | ||
You're in Love | 1932 | Claire Luce, Erik Rhodes | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | Gay Divorce |
The Gay Divorcee is a 1934 American musical film directed by Mark Sandrich and starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It also features Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore and Erik Rhodes. The screenplay was written by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman. It is based on the Broadway musical, Gay Divorce, written by Dwight Taylor, with Kenneth S. Webb and Samuel Hoffenstein, adapting an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners.
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starring role in Kitty Foyle (1940), and performed during the 1930s in RKO's musical films with Fred Astaire. Her career continued on stage, radio and television throughout much of the 20th century.
Fred Astaire was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter. Widely regarded as the "greatest popular-music dancer of all time, he received numerous accolades, including an Honorary Academy Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was honored with the Film Society of Lincoln Center tribute in 1973, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, and AFI Life Achievement Award in 1980. He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1972, and the Television Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Astaire the fifth-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood cinema in 100 Years... 100 Stars.
Adele Astaire Douglass was an American dancer, stage actress, and singer. After beginning work as a dancer and vaudeville performer at the age of nine, Astaire built a successful performance career with her younger brother, Fred Astaire.
Holiday Inn is a 1942 American musical film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, and Walter Abel. It was directed by Mark Sandrich with music by Irving Berlin. The composer wrote twelve songs specifically for the film, the best known being "White Christmas". The film features a complete reuse of the song "Easter Parade", written by Berlin for the 1933 Broadway revue As Thousands Cheer and used as a highlight of the 1948 film Easter Parade, starring Astaire and Judy Garland. The film's choreography was by Danny Dare.
"Puttin' On the Ritz" is a song written by Irving Berlin. He wrote it in May 1927 and first published it on December 2, 1929. It was registered as an unpublished song on August 24, 1927 and again on July 27, 1928. It was introduced by Harry Richman and chorus in the musical film Puttin' On the Ritz (1930). According to The Complete Lyrics of Irving Berlin, this was the first song in film to be sung by an interracial ensemble. The title derives from the slang expression "to put on the Ritz", meaning to dress very fashionably. This expression was inspired by the opulent Ritz Hotel in London.
Broadway Melody of 1940 is a 1940 MGM film musical starring Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell and George Murphy. It was directed by Norman Taurog and features music by Cole Porter, including "Begin the Beguine".
Follow the Fleet is a 1936 American RKO musical comedy film with a nautical theme starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in their fifth collaboration as dance partners. It also features Randolph Scott, Harriet Hilliard, and Astrid Allwyn, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Lucille Ball and Betty Grable also appear, in supporting roles. The film was directed by Mark Sandrich with script by Allan Scott and Dwight Taylor based on the 1922 play Shore Leave by Hubert Osborne.
"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.
Shall We Dance is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Mark Sandrich. It is the seventh of the ten Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films. The story follows an American ballet dancer (Astaire) who falls in love with a tap dancer (Rogers); the tabloid press concocts a story of their marriage, after which life imitates art. George Gershwin wrote the symphonic underscore and Ira Gershwin the lyrics, for their second Hollywood musical.
"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.
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
"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.
"Fascinating Rhythm" is a popular song written by George Gershwin in 1924 with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
"'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.
"(I've Got) Beginner's Luck" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance, it was introduced by Fred Astaire. It is a brief comic tap solo with cane where Astaire's rehearsing to a record of the number is cut short when the record gets stuck. Astaire's commercial recording for Brunswick was very popular in 1937.
The Band Wagon is a musical revue with book by George S. Kaufman and Howard Dietz, lyrics also by Dietz and music by Arthur Schwartz. It first played on Broadway in 1931, running for 260 performances. It introduced the song "Dancing in the Dark" and inspired two films.
"Limehouse Blues" is a popular British song written by the London-based duo of Douglas Furber (lyrics) and Philip Braham (music).