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]
[edit] Notable recordings
- Billie Holiday - Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944 (1937)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)[6] and on the 1983 Pablo release "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
- Fred Astaire with Johnny Green & His Orchestra (1937)[7]
- Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (2010)
The song has been re-used in filmmaking and television production, most notably in When Harry Met Sally and The Simpsons.
[edit] References
- ^ Shall We Dance (1937) - Soundtracks
- ^ "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off - Lyrics - Ella Fitzgerald". Bluesforpeace.com. http://www.bluesforpeace.com/lyrics/call-thing-off.htm. 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". http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/songs100.pdf?docID=244. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ "Ella Fitzgerald Discography - Part 2 - The Verve Years part 1". Ellafitzgerald.altervista.org. http://ellafitzgerald.altervista.org/discog_02.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
- ^ "Astaire on 78". America.net. http://www.america.net/~davdmock/astaire.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
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