THEY CAN´T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME
Music: George Gershwin- Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
Year: 1937
Origin of the song
The musical film Shall We Dance?, produced by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by Mark Sandrich, premiered in the United States on 7 May 1937. It was Astaire and Rogers' seventh collaboration in four years and, although the script was very tenuous, it was a great success, especially because of Gershwin's songs and the choreographies of Hermes Pan and Harry Losee. Five musical numbers from the film made it onto the hit charts: '(I've got) Beginner's Luck', 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off', 'Shall We Dance?', 'They All Laughed' and 'They Can't Take That Away From Me'. He reached the number one position sung by Astaire, and was nominated for the Oscar award for the best song, which won 'Sweet Leilani', a decision that continues to cause at least some perplexity today.
After the exhausting work of Porgy and Bess, which premiered in 1935, George and Ira Gershwin returned to Hollywood with the idea of writing music exclusively for film. There, they composed the songs of Damsel in Distress (1937) and The Goldwyn Follies (1938). George Gershwin died of a brain tumour in Beverly Hills, California, on 11 July 1937, a few months before the release of this latest film.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1937.03.12 |
1937.04.03 |
4 |
6 |
Ozzie Nelson (voc) |
|
|
1937.03.14 |
1937.04.17 |
11 |
1 (ten weeks) |
Fred Astaire (voc), Johnny Green Orchestra |
|
|
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra |
1937.03.20 |
1937.05.01 |
2 |
11 |
Jack Leonard (voc) |
|
Billie Holiday |
1937.04.01 |
1937.05.15 |
4 |
12 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Teddy Wilson Orchestra |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1950.07.05 |
Charlie Parker (as), Bernie Leighton (p), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d), Joe Lippman Orchestra |
|
|
1952.01.26 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Irving Ashby (g), Ray Brown (b) |
|
|
1952.04.05 |
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Arnold Ross (p), Jean-Jacques Tilche (g), Joe Benjamin (b), Bill Clark (d) |
|
|
Mary Lou Williams Quartet |
1953.01.23 |
Mary Lou Williams (p), Ken Napper (b), Allan Ganley (d), Tony Scott (bon) |
|
Dizzy Gillespie Quintet |
1953.02.09 |
Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Bill Graham (as, bars), Wade Legge (p), Lou Hackney (b), Al Jones (d) |
|
1955.09.19 |
Erroll Garner (p), Eddie Calhoun (b), Denzil Best (d) |
|
|
1955.10.10 |
Duke Jordan (p), Percy Heath (b), Art Blakey (d) |
|
|
1955.10.?? |
Ahmad Jamal (p), Ray Crawford (b), Walter Perkins (d) |
|
|
1957.11.15 |
Red Garland (p), Donald Byrd (tp), John Coltrane (ts), George Joyner (b), Art Taylor (d) |
|
|
1958.02.08 |
Lester Young (cl, ts), Roy Eldridge, Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Hank Jones (p), Herb Ellis (g), George Duvivier (b), Mickey Sheen (d) |
|
|
1979.02.17 |
Joe Pass (g) |
|
|
Denny Zeitlin Trio |
1997.12.?? |
Denny Zeitlin (p), Buster Williams (b), Al Foster (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1937.04.01 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Eddie Tompkins (tp), Joe Thomas (ts), Buster Bailey (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Carmen Mastren (g), John Kirby (b), Alphonso Steele (d) |
|
|
1937.06.30 |
Count Basie (p, dir), Buck Clayton, Ed Lewis, Bobby Moore (tp), George Hunt, Dan Minor (tb), Lester Young (ts, cl), Herschel Evans (ts), Jack Washington (bars), Freddy Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d), Billie Holiday (voc) |
|
|
Fred Astaire |
1952.12.?? |
Fred Astaire (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
1953.11.05 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
1954.04.02 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), John Malachi (p), Joe Benjamin (b), Roy Haynes (d) |
|
|
1956.01.06 |
Peggy Lee (voc), Sy Oliver Orchestra |
|
|
1956.08.16 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Louis Armstrong (tp, voc), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d) |
|
|
1956.11.11 |
Mel Tormé (voc), Marty Paich (p, dir), Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist (tp), Bob Enevoldsen (vtb, ts), Vince DeRosa (tpa), Herb Geller (as), Jack Dulong (bars), Max Bennett (b), Albert Pollan (tu), Alvin Stoller (d, per) |
|
|
1957.01.09 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Ben Webster (ts), Jimmy Rowles (p), Barney Kessel (g), Red Mitchell (b), Larry Bunker (d) |
|
|
1959.01.05 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Don Fagerquist, Manny Klein, Dale McMickle, Shorty Sherock (tp), Milton Bernhart, Richard Noel, Tommy Pederson, Karl DeKarske (tb), Vincent DeRosa (tpa), Ted Nash (as), Buddy Collette, Harry Klee, Joseph Koch, Champ Webb (ww), Paul Smith (p), Herb Ellis (g), Joe Comfort (b), Alvin Stoller (d), Nelson Riddle (dir) |
|
|
1997.10.21 |
Susannah McCorkle (voc), Randy Sandke (tp, fis), Conrad Herwig (tb), Jerry Dodgion (as, fl), Chris Potter (ts, fl), Allen Farnharn (p), Howard Alden (g), Steve Gilmore or Dick Sarpola (b), Rich DeRosa (d) |
|
|
1997.??.?? |
Diana Krall (p, voc), Russell Malone (g), Christian McBride (b) |
On cinemas
The song 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Shall We Dance? |
Ritmo loco |
1937 |
Fred Astaire; background music |
|
The Barkleys of Broadway |
Vuelve a mí |
1949 |
Fred Astaire; Astaire and Rogers (dance) |
|
That’s Entertainment! |
Érase una vez en Hollywood |
1974 |
Secuence of 'Shall We Dance?' |
|
Rain Man |
Rain Man |
1988 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Loverboy |
Loverboy |
1989 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Guilty by Suspicion |
Caza de brujas |
1991 |
Billie Holiday |
|
It Could Happen to You |
Te puede pasar a ti |
1994 |
Billie Holiday |
|
Mr. Holland’s Opus |
Profesor Holland |
1995 |
|
|
Picture Perfect |
Novio de alquiler |
1997 |
|
|
The Proposition |
Promesas incumplidas |
1998 |
|
|
B. Monkey |
B. Monkey |
1998 |
Peggy Lee |
|
Living Out Loud |
De ahora en adelante |
1998 |
Danny DeVito |
|
At First Sight |
A primera vista |
1999 |
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong; Diana Krall |
|
Corrina, Corrina |
Corina, Corina |
2000 |
Sarah Vaughan |
|
Love’s Labours Lost |
Trabajos de amor perdidos |
2000 |
|
|
Spanglish |
Spanglish |
2004 |
|
|
Take the Lead |
Déjate llevar |
2006 |
June Christy |
|
Man of the Year |
El hombre del año |
2006 |
Michael Bolton |