NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT
Music: George Gershwin- Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
Year: 1937
Origin of the song
On 19 November 1937 the musical film A Damsell in distress was released in the US, produced by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by George Stevens and performed by Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Joan Fontaine. The script was based on a P. G. Wodehouse plot, music was George Gershwin’s and the choreography was created by Pan and Fred Astaire.
On the film, Betty Rome, Jan Duggan, Fred Astaire and Pearl Amatore performed ‘Nice Work If You Can Get It’. Besides, an instrumental theme could be heard and Astaire danced it while the drums sounded. The song had an immediate popular success: five versions hit the charts in two months and Fred Astaire’s, along with Ray Noble’s orchestra, reached first place in which it stayed one week. Two other themes of the film, ‘Things Are Looking Up’ and ‘A Foggy Day’, reached first place and third place respectively.
Hermes Pan’s choreography for the ‘Fun House’ act won the Oscar.
George Gershwin passed away in Los Angeles, California due to a cerebral tumour at the age of 38, on 11 July 1937, just four months before the premiere of A Damsell in Distress.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1937.09.15 |
1937.10.23 |
7 |
8 |
Bob Goday (voc) |
|
|
Fred Astaire |
1937.10.17 |
1937.11.13 |
15 |
1 (one week) |
Fred Astaire (voc), Ray Noble Orchestra |
|
Maxine Sullivan |
1937.10.22 |
1937.12.04 |
4 |
10 |
Maxine Sullivan (voc), Claude Thonhill Orchestra |
|
Teddy Wilson Orchestra |
1937.11.01 |
1937.12.25 |
1 |
20 |
Billie Holiday (voc) |
|
The Andrews Sisters |
1937.11.24 |
1938.01.08 |
3 |
12 |
Patty, Maxene & LaVerne Andrews (voc), Vic Schoen Orchestra |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1937.??.?? |
Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Gene Krupa (d) |
|
|
1947.10.24 |
Thelonious Monk (p), Gene Ramey (b), Art Blakey (d) |
|
|
1949.07.13 |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1952.11.09 |
Johnny Smith (g), Stan Getz (ts), Sanford Gold (p), Bob Carter (b), Morey Feld (d) |
|
|
Bud Powell Trio |
1953.04.05 |
Bud Powell (p), Charles Mingus (b), Roy Haynes (d) |
|
Johnny Hodges & His Strings |
1958.11.18 |
Johnny Hodges (as), Horst Jankowski (p), unidentified (b), The Stuttgart Light Orchestra, Wolfram Rohrig (dir) |
|
1964.01.29 |
Thelonious Monk (p) |
|
|
Charlie Byrd Trio |
1978.08.?? |
Charlie Byrd (g), Joe Byrd (b), Wayne Phillips (d) |
|
Benny Green |
2001.01.?? |
Benny Green (p) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1937.10.17 |
Fred Astaire (voc), Ray Noble Orchestra |
|
|
1937.10.22 |
Maxine Sullivan (voc), Claude Thornhill Orchestra |
|
|
1937.11.01 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Teddy Wilson (p, dir), Buck Clayton (tp), Prince Robinson (cl), Vido Musso (ts), Allan Reuss (g), Walter Page (b), Cozy Cole (d) |
|
|
1950.05.19 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), Miles Davis (tp), Bennie Green (tb), Budd Johnson (ts), Tony Scott (cl), Jimmy Jones (p, dir), Mundell Lowe (g), Billy Taylor Jr. (b), J.C. Heard (d), George Treadwell (dir) |
|
|
1952.12.?? |
Fred Astaire (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1954.03.30 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Ellis Larkins (p) |
|
|
1956.11.10 |
Mel Tormé (voc), Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist (tp), Bob Enevoldsen (vtb, ts), Vincent DeRosa (tpa), Herb Geller (as), Jack du Long (bars), Max Bennett (b), Albert Pollan (tu), Alvin Stoller (d, per), Marty Paich (p, dir) |
|
|
1957.04.18 |
Carmen McRae (voc), Ray Bryant (p), Ike Isaacs (b), Specs Wright (d) |
|
|
1959.03.26 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Don Fagerquist (tp), Dick Nash, Tommy Pederson, James Priddy, George Roberts (tb), James Decker, Vincent DeRosa (tpa), Ronnie Lang (as), Ed Gilbert (tu), Jewell Grant, William Green, Jules Jacob, Wilbur Schwartz, Champ Webb (ww), Paul Smith (p), Barney Kessel (g), Joe Comfort (b), Mel Lewis o Alvin Stoller (d), string section, Nelson Riddle (dir) |
|
|
1962.10.02 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Count Basie (p), Thad Jones, F.P. Richard, Sonny Cohn, Al Aarons, Al Porcino (tp), Henry Coker, Rufus Wagner, Benny Powell (tb), Marshal Royal, Frank Wess (as), Frank Foster, Eric Dixon (ts), Charlie Fowlkes (bars), Freddie Green (g), Buddy Catlett (b), Sonny Payne (d), Neal Hefti (dir) |
|
|
Tony Bennett |
1993.06.?? |
Tony Bennett (voc), Ralph Sharon (p), Doug Richeson (b), Clayton Cameron (d) |
|
1994.10.20 |
Jeanie Bryson (voc), Terence Blanchard (tp), Bruce Barth (p), Chris Thomas (b), Troy Davis (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Nice Work If You Can Get It' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
A Damsell In Distress |
Señorita en desgracia |
1937 |
Betty Rome, Jan Duggan, Mary Dean, Fred Astaire, Pearl Amatore; instrumental; danced by Fred Astaire while playing the drums |
|
An American In Paris |
Un americano en París |
1951 |
Georges Guétary |
|
Jeffrey |
Jeffrey |
1995 |
Steven Weber & Nancy Ticotin |
|
Forget Paris |
Olvídate de París |
1995 |
Anita Baker and James Ingram |
|
Run Fatboy Run |
Corredor de fondo |
2007 |
Bing Crosby (voc), Buddy Bregman Orchestra |