Stiff Upper Lip (Gershwin song)

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"Stiff Upper Lip" is a 1937 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It references the British expression 'Stiff upper lip'.

It was introduced by Gracie Allen in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress . The song is the occasion for an elaborate dance routine performed inside a funhouse by Fred Astaire, George Burns, and Miss Allen, and makes full use of all the trappings of the house, including the funhouse mirror. [1] The number won an Academy Award for Best Dance Direction.

Notable recordings

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"Slap That Bass" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, introduced by Fred Astaire and Dudley Dickerson in the 1937 film Shall We Dance.

"(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's 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.

"Just Another Rumba" is a 1937 song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"He Loves and She Loves" is a 1927 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"'The Half of it, Dearie' Blues" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire and Kathlene Martyn in the 1924 musical Lady be Good.

"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.

"That Certain Feeling" is a 1925 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.

"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) and Dinah Washington (1960). Artie Shaw recorded the song in the early 1940s.

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"By Strauss" is a 1936 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It pays homage to the music of Johann Strauss, Sr. and Johann Strauss, Jr..

"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.

References

  1. Furia, Philip (1996). Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN   0195082990.