You Took Advantage of Me
| "You Took Advantage of Me" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1928 |
| Genre | Showtune |
| Composer(s) | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyricist(s) | Lorenz Hart |
"You Took Advantage of Me" is a 1928 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, for the musical Present Arms (1928), where it was introduced by Joyce Barbour and Busby Berkeley[1] as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwell.[2] The characters were formerly married, but still have romantic feelings for each other.[3] On opening night, Berkeley forgot the lyrics and had to scat and hum the entire second verse.[4] Berkeley also claimed that his nonsense lyrics for the improvised second verse left Hart "almost apoplectic", but the audience was amused and Hart later forgave him.[3] The song was subsequently included in the 1930 film Leathernecking, an adaptation of Present Arms.[5]
Rodgers described the song as a "sassy and unregretful number" which audiences liked far more than traditional contemporary love songs.[6] In his book The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Philip Furia wrote that the song depicted a "...wittily self deprecating character who was perfectly suited to lyrics that were at once intricately rhymed yet casually conversational."[6]
One of the earliest recordings of the song was Paul Whiteman's 1928 hit version, known especially for the performances of Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer.[7][8] The song was a particular favorite of the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII). In fact, he once asked singer Morton Downey to perform the song eleven times during a show at the Café de Paris in London.[9][10][11][12] The song can be sung by either gender, but has traditionally been sung by women.[6]
Notable recordings
- Irving Kaufman & Vaughn De Leath (1928)
- Paul Whiteman's Orchestra with Bing Crosby (recorded April 25, 1928)[13]
- Miff Mole and His Little Molars (1928)
- Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli (1937)
- Snoozer Quinn (1948)
- Keely Smith (1949)
- Anita O'Day (1950)
- Judy Garland in the "Born in a Trunk" sequence from A Star Is Born (1954)
- Elaine Stritch in the revival of the show On Your Toes for which it was added in 1954 and for her solo album Stritch.
- Carmen McRae (1956) CABU Jazz Masters - Une Anthologie 1954-1956 - used as the title credits role in the movie Real Genius (1985)
- June Christy - The Misty Miss Christy (1956)
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook (1956)[14]
- Billie Holiday - Last Recordings (1959)
- Rosemary Clooney - Rosie Solves the Swingin' Riddle! (1960)
- Tony Bennett - My Heart Sings (1961)
- Al Hirt - That Honey Horn Sound (1965)[15]
- Bobby Short - Bobby Short Celebrates Rodgers & Hart (1975) (Short sings both verses in this recording)
- Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass - Fitzgerald and Pass... Again (1976)
- Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle - Lush Life (1984)
- Roseanna Vitro - Listen Here (1984)
- Lee Wiley - Hot House Rose (1996)
- The Supremes - The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart (2002 expanded re-release edition)[16]
- The Hi-Lo's - A Musical Thrill (2006)
- Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio - My Foolish Heart (2007, live)[17]
- It has more recently been recorded by Megan Mullally in her 2007 album "Free Again!".[18] Megan's version is also featured on the 2009 Fame soundtrack.
References
- ^ Present Arms - IBDB: The official source for Broadway information
- ^ IBDB Home Page Present Arms Production Songs
- ^ a b Gary Marmorstein (16 July 2013). A Ship Without A Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart. Simon and Schuster. pp. 145–. ISBN 978-1-4165-9426-0.
- ^ Jeffrey Spivak, Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley (University Press of Kentucky, 2011), ISBN 978-0813126432, p. 37. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Gary Marmorstein (16 July 2013). A Ship Without A Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart. Simon and Schuster. pp. 502–. ISBN 978-1-4165-9426-0.
- ^ a b c Philip Furia (11 October 1990). The Poets of Tin Pan Alley : A History of America's Great Lyricists: A History of America's Great Lyricists. Oxford University Press. pp. 111–. ISBN 978-0-19-802288-6.
- ^ David A. Jasen, Tin Pan Alley: An Encyclopedia of the Golden Age of American Song Author (Routledge, 2003), ISBN 978-1135949013, p. 176. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Scott Yanow, Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years (Backbeat Books, 2003), ISBN 978-0879307554, p. 75. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ "Richard Rodgers: Stage Musicals", Billboard, October 7, 1950, p. 88.
- ^ Brian Kellow, The Bennetts: An Acting Family (University Press of Kentucky, 2004), ISBN 978-0813123295, p. 129. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ "Downey rises as TV Star". Long Beach Independent. 16 October 1949. p. 80. Retrieved 2 September 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Broadway". Fitchburg Sentinel. 2 April 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 2 September 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ allmusic ((( Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook [Vol. 1 - Overview ))) ]
- ^ Al Hirt, That Honey Horn Sound Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- ^ allmusic ((( The Supremes Sings Rodgers & Hart [The Complete Recordings > Overview ))) ]
- ^ Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette | My Foolish Heart
- ^ allmusic ((( Free Again! > Overview )))
