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 - A tribute to the lady
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
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