Today I listened to "I've Got Rhythm" by George and Ira Gershwin. The piece was composed by George Gershwin and the lyrics were written by his brother Ira Gershwin. I already had heard of this song before taking this class, but listening to Ethel Merman sing this song never gets old. I love how unique and powerful Ethel Merman's voice is.
The song evokes various emotions including happiness and being carefree. I think that those emotions are achieved through Merman's voice and upbeat, driving rhythm of the song. Like the song I listened to last week, ("Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin) I could listen to this song all day. The music and the words go very well together, especially considering the tempo.
A surprising part about this piece was the section, "...who could ask for anything more?" It's faster than I would expect and is a nice ending to the phrase preceding that. It's fun to listen to the music at that section, it sounds like the song is running down some stairs for a dramatic effect. And it works. The music fits very nicely with the rest of the piece, and "I've Got Rhythm" has withstood the effects of time very well.
The target audience of the time was most likely middle-class Americans. The song was published in 1930, and was included in a Broadway show titled "Girl Crazy." After that, the song was featured in many more shows and has appeared in some movies as well, including one of my favorites, "American in Paris."
I love this song as well! I heard it from An American in Paris, too. This song is incredible and I love your analysis on it! It has definitely withstood time.
ReplyDeleteIt had never dawned on me the imagery you brought up about the song running down the stairs. It totally fits!
ReplyDeleteThis is what I wrote my week's blog on as well! I really enjoyed this song and feel like you did a great job on your analysis of the song! Ethel Merman's voice is very powerful and in my opinion makes this piece so great!
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