Jump to content

You Took Advantage of Me

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"You Took Advantage of Me"
Song
Published1928
GenreShowtune
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

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Present Arms - IBDB: The official source for Broadway information
  2. ^ IBDB Home Page Present Arms Production Songs
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Scott Yanow, Jazz on Record: The First Sixty Years (Backbeat Books, 2003), ISBN 978-0879307554, p. 75. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  9. ^ "Richard Rodgers: Stage Musicals", Billboard, October 7, 1950, p. 88.
  10. ^ Brian Kellow, The Bennetts: An Acting Family (University Press of Kentucky, 2004), ISBN 978-0813123295, p. 129. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  11. ^ "Downey rises as TV Star". Long Beach Independent. 16 October 1949. p. 80. Retrieved 2 September 2014 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  12. ^ "Broadway". Fitchburg Sentinel. 2 April 1951. p. 7. Retrieved 2 September 2014 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  13. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  14. ^ allmusic ((( Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook [Vol. 1 - Overview ))) ]
  15. ^ Al Hirt, That Honey Horn Sound Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  16. ^ allmusic ((( The Supremes Sings Rodgers & Hart [The Complete Recordings > Overview ))) ]
  17. ^ Keith Jarrett / Gary Peacock / Jack DeJohnette | My Foolish Heart
  18. ^ allmusic ((( Free Again! > Overview )))