"No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" | ||||
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Song by Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman's Orchestra | ||||
B-side | "Cheek To Cheek" | |||
Published | 1935 Berlin Irving Music Corp | |||
Released | August 1935 | |||
Recorded | June 26, 1935 | |||
Studio | ARC Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | Jazz, Pop Vocal | |||
Label | Brunswick 7486 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Irving Berlin | |||
Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman's Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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"No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat , where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. In the film, the character played by Astaire is advised to get married and Astaire responds by saying he prefers to remain as a bachelor and he launches into this song and a major dance routine.(Top Hat#Musical numbers and choreography)
In me, you see a youth
Who is completely on the loose
No yens, no yearnings
No strings and no connections
No ties to my affections
I'm fancy free and free for anything fancy
No dates that can't be broken
No words that can't be spoken
Especially when I am feeling romancy
Like a robin upon a tree
Like a sailor that goes to sea
Like an unwritten melody
I'm free, that's me
So bring on the big attraction
My decks are cleared for action
I'm fancy free and free for anything fancy [1]
"Night and Day" is a popular song by Cole Porter that was written for the 1932 musical Gay Divorce. It is perhaps Porter's most popular contribution to the Great American Songbook and has been recorded by dozens of musicians. NPR says "within three months of the show's opening, more than 30 artists had recorded the song."
"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.
"Cheek to Cheek" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1934–35, specifically for Fred Astaire, the star of his new musical, Top Hat, co-starring Ginger Rogers. In the movie, Astaire sings the song to Rogers as they dance. The song was nominated for the Best Song Oscar for 1936, which it lost to "Lullaby of Broadway". The song spent five weeks at #1 on Your Hit Parade and was named the #1 song of 1935. Astaire's 1935 recording with the Leo Reisman Orchestra was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2004, Astaire's version finished at No. 15 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book is a 1958 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, focusing on the songs of Irving Berlin. It was part of the popular and influential Songbook series.
"A Fine Romance" is a popular song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, published in 1936.
"'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.
"Let's Face the Music and Dance" is a song published in 1936 by Irving Berlin for the film Follow the Fleet, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and featured in a celebrated dance duet with Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The jazz song has also been covered by various artists years following its release, including Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Todd Gordon and others.
"A Foggy Day" is a popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress. It was originally titled "A Foggy Day " in reference to the pollution-induced pea soup fogs that were common in London during that period, and is often still referred to by the full title.
The commercial recording by Astaire for Brunswick was very popular in 1937.
"(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.
"It's a Lovely Day Today" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for his successful musical Call Me Madam (1950) when it was introduced by Russell Nype and Galina Talva. The musical was adapted as a movie in 1953 and the song "It's a Lovely Day Today" was performed by Donald O'Connor and Vera-Ellen.
"Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire.
"You're Laughing at Me" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1937 film On the Avenue, where it was introduced by Dick Powell. Popular versions in 1937 were by Fats Waller and by Wayne King.
"I Used to Be Color Blind" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film Carefree, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The Astaire recording was very popular in 1938.
"I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1936 film Follow the Fleet, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire had a huge hit with the song in 1936 and other popular versions that year were by Jan Garber and by Guy Lombardo.
"Isn't This a Lovely Day?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire in the scene where his and Ginger Rogers' characters are caught in a gazebo during a rainstorm. The lyric is an example of a song which turns a bad situation into a love song, a common style for Irving Berlin, as in "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee".
"How About Me?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1928. The song is an expression of sorrow over a love affair that is over. The first recording by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians was popular in 1928 and the song has subsequently been recorded by many artists.
"The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)" is a popular song composed by Irving Berlin in 1927. Early hits in 1928 were by Ruth Etting and by Whispering Jack Smith. In 1948, Nellie Lutcher and Her Rhythm briefly charted with the song.
"Reaching for the Moon" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1930 musical film of the same name.
"Remember" is a popular song about nostalgia by Irving Berlin, published in 1925. The song is a popular standard, recorded by numerous artists.
The Astaire Story is a 1952 album by Fred Astaire. The album was conceived of and produced by Norman Granz, the founder of Clef Records, who was also responsible for the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, at which all of the musicians on the album had performed.