Puttin' On the Ritz

Puttin 'on the Ritz is the title of an American jazz standards, which was published in 1929 by Irving Berlin. The song was made famous by the eponymous film Puttin 'on the Ritz from 1930.

Genesis

Irving Berlin wrote the jazzy song in May 1927, reported him until 2 December 1929 on Copyright. In the composition is probably the rhythmically and lyrically complex of Berlin. Lyrics and melody have a very unusual meter. Because textual shifts cause recurrent dislocations which must be absorbed by the melody and can only be offset by fast song. Unlike the rest of Berlin compositions of the chorus in a minor key is held, namely at the beginning and end with F Minor. The title comes from the colloquial language and literally means " to dress for the Ritz "; this phrase goes back to the glamorous Ritz Hotel. Used the German vernacular " in shell throw " or " to make chic ". Lyrically, the song calls on the sad African American to go where you appear smartly dressed fashionably. These include perfect fitting stripe pants and tailcoat ( " pants with stripes and cutaway coat" ). Therefore you have to be dressed like a rich trooper, trying to look like Gary Cooper, and carry Rockefeller walking sticks or umbrellas with gloves.

The 1929 turned feature film Puttin 'on the Ritz Irving Berlin draws on composition and presented Berlin's first film scores ever. In addition to Puttin 'on the Ritz herein two other Berlin soundtracks came before. In the movie (premiere March 1, 1930 ) of the vaudeville singer Harry Richman sang the song without special empathy.

Original

The first recording session was designed by Leo Reisman and his orchestra, recorded on 20 January 1930 ( Victor Records 22306 ). Following the publication in April 1930, the single reached though only rank 20 of the U.S. charts, but sparked a wave of cover versions from. The original version of the song alludes to the popular fashion trends of the time, although well-dressed but poor blacks from Harlem, Lenox Avenue on - and abspazierten. It was released in 1939 with the original text of Idiot's Delight, with which it was performed by Clark Gable. This performance was legendary and has triggered many adaptations.

Cover versions

There are at least 30 cover versions. The first is by Jan Garber (24 January 1930), followed by the singer in the movie, Harry Richman (30 January 1930). Its version with Earl Burtnett & His Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel Orchestra took it for a week number -one hit. Fred Astaire took the title for the first time on 26 April 1930 (published in May 1930 ); in the film Blue Skies ( The sky is blue; U.S. Premiere: October 16, 1946) he made the song immortal on Evergreen - but with other text. From then on there were white people who were walking on Park Avenue in Manhattan, up and down. Fred Astaire's appearance during the song Puttin 'on the Ritz magazine Variety, according to which the outstanding moment of the film. Alone in this film are listening to 32 songs of Berlin. Clark Gable sang it in the film Idiot 's Delight (27 January 1939). The Benny Goodman Trio 1947 brought a swing version out.

A German version titled Love is (Text: Dieter Rasch ) took Heidi Brühl for her LP in love like you and me (1965 ) on.

Musical structure and interpretations

Irving Berlin wrote Puttin 'on the Ritz in the key of F minor and are as pace moderately (moderate) to. The piece has throughout the 4/4-time on and consists of a four-bar instrumental introduction, followed by a 16 -bar set with singing in F major ( Have you seen the well-to -do ... ), and finally repeated once 32 bars long verse with the text If you're blue and you do not know where to go to ... and the chorus Puttin 'on the Ritz. The piece takes the original piano version is only about one and a half minutes, most of the arrangements, however, extend it by repeating the individual motifs with instrumental solos and dancing on mostly about three minutes. Harry Richman brought the song in 1930 in about four minutes, Fred Astaire's famous sequence from the film Blue Skies ( The sky is blue ) from 1946 presents the play also in four minutes. Piano rolls for player pianos there was Puttin 'on the Ritz from April 1930.

Taco

The Dutch singer Taco took in September 1982 with music producer John David Parker in the Hamburg Peer Studios LP After Eight on, with the sound engineer Frank Reinke alone five synthesizers (guitar, Moog synthesizer, Poly 61, Poly Six and prophet ) einpegelte. Following the publication in November 1982, it sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. This was coupled out in June 1983, the single Puttin 'on the Ritz, which was sold in the United States alone, 1 million times and there penetrated up to Rank 4 in the charts. Rank One reached the synth pop version in Sweden and New Zealand, while they could penetrate into Germany only to No. 20.

Other cover versions (a selection)

Victor Talking Machine Company Blue Skies (film) Motif (music) Moog-Synthesizer List of number-one singles in 1983 (New Zealand)
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