Great American Songbook Saturday – They Can’t Take That Away From Me

Today we celebrate the birthday of George Gershwin and the lovely Julie London

Gershwin wrote “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 1937 and it was introduced by Fred Astaire in the movie “Shall We Dance.”

From Wiki:

The song is performed by Astaire on the lonely foggy deck of a ferry from New Jersey to Manhattan. It is sung to Ginger Rogers, who remains silent listening throughout. No dance sequence follows, which was unusual for the Astaire-Rogers numbers. The song, in the context of Shall We Dance, notes some of the things that Peter (Astaire) will miss about Linda (Rogers). The lyrics include “the way you wear your hat, the way you sip your tea”, and “the way you hold your knife, the way we danced till three”. Each verse is followed by the line “no, no, they can’t take that away from me”. The basic meaning of the song is that even if the lovers part, though physically separated the nostalgic memories cannot be forced from them. Thus, it is a song of mixed joy and sadness.

George Gershwin died two months after the film’s release.

In honor of his birthday, here is They Can’t Take That Away From Me, by the gal who shares his birthday – Julie London.

A very early version here from Billie Holiday

Bing Crosby did a version in 1947

Ella Fitzgerald, first backed by the London Symphony Orchestra (which is excellent)……and then followed bby her well known version with Louis Armstrong.

Even The Velvet Fog, Mel Torme, took a turn with it

Here is the Frank Sinatra cut

And a later version by Tony Bennett

I love the sultry voice of Diana Krall

Happy Birthday, George and Julie!