Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" is a song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film Shall We Dance where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers as part of a celebrated dance duet on roller skates.[1] The song is most famous for its “You like to-may-toes /təˈmeɪtoʊz/ and I like to-mah-toes /təˈmɑːtoʊz/” and other verses comparing their different regional dialects.[2]
The differences in pronunciation are not simply regional, however, and serve more specifically to identify class differences. At the time, typical American pronunciations were considered less "refined" by the upper-class, and there was a specific emphasis on the "broader" a sound.[3] This class distinction with respect to pronunciation has been retained in caricatures, especially in the theater where the longer a pronunciation is most strongly associated with the word "darling."[4]
The song was ranked No. 34 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs.[5]
Notable recordings
- Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944 (1937)
- Ella Fitzgerald - on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959),[6] on the 1983 Pablo release Nice Work If You Can Get It, and in a 1957 duet with Louis Armstrong on Ella and Louis Again.
- Fred Astaire with Johnny Green & His Orchestra (1937)[7]
- Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (2010)
- Sam Cooke - Tribute to the Lady (1959)
The song has been re-used in filmmaking and television production, most notably in When Harry Met Sally... – where it is performed by Harry Connick, Jr. – and The Simpsons. It was featured in the 2012 Broadway Musical Nice Work If You Can Get It.
References
- ↑ Shall We Dance (1937) - Soundtracks
- ↑ "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - Lyrics - Ella Fitzgerald". Bluesforpeace.com. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ↑ Flexner, Stuart Berg (1982). Listening to America: an illustrated history of words and phrases from our lively and splendid past. Simon and Schuster. p. 511.
- ↑ Dunkling, Leslie (1990). A dictionary of epithets and terms of address. Routledge. p. 86.
- ↑ "America's Greatest Music in the Movies" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ↑ "Ella Fitzgerald Discography - Part 2 - The Verve Years part 1". Ellafitzgerald.altervista.org. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ↑ "Astaire on 78". America.net. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
External links
- Let's Call The Whole Thing Off Lyrics at metrolyrics.com/