You Can't Get a Man with a Gun
"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" is a song from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun, written by Irving Berlin. It was originally performed by Ethel Merman.[1]
In the song, Annie Oakley sings about how a girl with talent as a sharpshooter nevertheless finds that her abilities do not help her attract men. She introduces herself with: "I'm quick on the trigger/with targets not much bigger/than a pinpoint I'm number one." The song is humorous in that she imagines different scenarios in which shooting a man will not make him fall in love with you, e.g. "A man may be hot/but he's not/when he's shot/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!" and "But you can't shoot a lover,/and use him for a cover/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!"
Recordings
- Doris Day - for her album Annie Get Your Gun (1963)
- Judy Garland - recorded for the film soundtrack but not used as Garland was subsequently dropped from the film.[2]
- Eydie Gormé - for her album Gormé Sings Showstoppers (1959).[3]
- Betty Hutton - included in the album Annie Get Your Gun (Original Soundtrack) (1950).[4]
- Ethel Merman - included in Annie Get Your Gun [Original Cast Album] (1946). [5]
- Björk - included in Gling-Gló (1990).
- Bernadette Peters - included in Annie Get Your Gun [1999 Broadway Revival Cast] (1999).[6]
- Suzi Quatro – starred as Annie Oakley in the 1986 West End (London) production of Annie Get Your Gun. She sings the song in the album Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast (1986),[7] and the associated single "I Got Lost in His Arms" (1986).[8]
References
- ^ Magee, J. (2012). Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater. Broadway Legacies. Oxford University Press. p. 436. ISBN 978-0-19-991163-9. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- ^ "The Judy Room". The Judy Room. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "allmusic". allmusic. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Annie Get Your Gun (Original London Cast Recording) – Original London Cast, AllMusic, Overview". www.allmusic.com. Ann Arbor, USA: Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ "Suzi Quatro Timeline". www.thecoverzone.com. Bristol, USA: Suzi Quatro Rocks – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Mission. Retrieved 11 May 2012.