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1937 song by George and Ira Gershwin
"Nice Work If You Can Get It " is a
popular song and
jazz standard composed by
George Gershwin with lyrics by
Ira Gershwin .
Background
It began life in 1930 as a nine-bar phrase with the working title "There's No Stopping Me Now". Its title phrase "Nice work if you can get it" came from an English magazine.
[6]
[7] It was one of nine songs the Gershwin brothers wrote for the movie
A Damsel in Distress in which it was performed by
Fred Astaire with backing vocals by
The Stafford Sisters . The song was published in 1937.
First recordings
The first jazz recording of the work was by
Tommy Dorsey three weeks after the release of the film.
[7] Early chart versions were by
Shep Fields ,
Teddy Wilson with
Billie Holiday ,
[7]
Fred Astaire ,
Maxine Sullivan , and
The Andrews Sisters .
[8] The song was recorded by many jazz singers and adopted by
bebop instrumentalists; Jerry Newman recorded pianist
Thelonious Monk performing the tune in 1941 at
Minton's Playhouse , a nightclub closely connected with early bebop, and he subsequently recorded it several times.
[7]
Other recordings
Popular culture
See also
References
^
" "Nice Work If You Can Get It": Song history, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video" . greatamericansongbook.net . Retrieved 2021-08-04 .
^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1937).
Catalog of Copyright Entries 1937 Musical Compositions New Series Vol 32 Pt 3 For the Year 1937 . United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
^
"BRUNSWICK 78rpm numerical listing discography: 7500 - 8000" . www.78discography.com . Retrieved 2021-08-04 .
^
"Cover versions of Nice Work if You Can Get It by Fred Astaire with Ray Noble and His Orchestra | SecondHandSongs" . secondhandsongs.com . Retrieved 2021-08-04 .
^
Fred Astaire With Ray Noble And His Orchestra – Things Are Looking Up / Nice Work If You Can Get It (1937, Shellac) , retrieved 2021-08-04
^
a
b
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" . Jazz Standards. Retrieved August 31, 2018 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire . New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 295–297.
ISBN
978-0-19-993739-4 .
^ Whitburn, Joel (1986).
Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954 . Wisconsin: Record Research. p.
558 .
ISBN
0-89820-083-0 .
^
"A Swingin' Affair!" .
AllMusic . Retrieved June 14, 2021 .
^ Everett, Todd (July 26, 1995).
"Cybill Shepherd" .
Variety . Retrieved May 10, 2018 .
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