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“An
interesting comparison is the
contrasting styles of pianists
Art Tatum and Erroll Garner in
their versions from 1949.” |
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- Chris Tyle
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On November 8, 1926, the musical
Oh Kay! opened at the Imperial
Theater, and during that memorable
performance
Gertrude Lawrence introduced
the audience to a song entitled
“Someone to Watch over Me.” Oh
Kay! would enjoy great success
on Broadway, running for 256 performances
before crossing the Atlantic for
a London version in 1927. The musical
would again court success in a 1960
Off-Broadway revival and again on
Broadway in 1990.
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It is little wonder the musical
was such an enduring hit. With a
libretto written by Guy Bolton and
P.G. Wodehouse and music and lyrics
by George and Ira Gershwin the score
included songs such as “The Woman’s
Touch,” “Don’t Ask!” “Dear Little
Girl,” “Maybe,”
“Clap Yo’ Hands!” “Do, Do, Do,”
“Bride and Groom,” “Fidgety
Feet,” “Heaven on Earth,” “Oh,
Kay!” and, of course, “Someone to
Watch over Me.” Joining
Gertrude Lawrence in the original
cast were Oscar Shaw, Victor Moore,
Harland Dixon, The Fairbanks Twins,
Gerald Oliver Smith, Betty Compton,
and Constance Carpenter.
While the musical did have many
things going for it, competition
was fierce on Broadway. Ira Gershwin
was quick to point out that “Oh,
Kay!” was one of eleven shows
opening that night and one of over
240 shows opening that year.
The working title for the
production was Mayfair and
then Cheerio, before it became
“Oh, Kay!” It is widely believed
that “Kay” refers to George’s romantic
and musical colleague, Kay Swift
(1897–1993), an accomplished pianist
and composer and the first woman
to write a complete Broadway musical,
Fine and Dandy (1930).
Publicist and lyricist
Howard Dietz is credited with
helping write the lyrics to the
songs “Oh, Kay!” and “Heaven on
Earth” during Ira’s six-week hospitalization
for an appendectomy. In his autobiography,
Dancing in the Dark, Dietz
comments that George gave him credit
for an undistinguished song, “Oh,
Kay!” written by Ira and no credit
for “Someone to Watch over Me,”
for which Dietz claims credit for
naming the tune and assisting with
the lyrics. Dietz said, “George
paid me next to nothing. It was
decided I was to get one cent for
every copy of sheet music sold.
When Ira sent me my first paycheck
it was for 96 cents.”
“Someone to Watch over Me” was
a hit three times over in 1927.
In February,
Gertrude Lawrence’s recording
with Tom Waring at the piano was
on the charts for 11 weeks, peaking
at number two. In March,
George Olsen and His Orchestra,
with vocalists Fran Frey, Bob Borger,
and Bob Rice, took an upbeat version
to number three. Also
in March George Gershwin’s own version
rose to number seventeen.
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“Someone to Watch over Me” was
originally written as an up-tempo
rhythm song. While experimenting
one day, George played it at a slower
pace, and the brothers immediately
recognized it as the wistful, warm
song that we know today. The song
became a highlight of “Oh Kay!”
as a forlorn
Gertrude Lawrence, alone on
stage and dressed in a maid’s uniform,
sang “Someone to Watch over Me”
to a rag doll. Broadway critic Percy
Hammond wrote that Lawrence’s performance
had “wrung the withers of even the
most hard-hearted of those present.”
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George Gershwin’s use of repeated
notes is widely recognized and found
in many of his songs, including
“Oh,
Lady Be Good!” (1924), “That
Certain Feeling” (1925), “They
Can’t Take That Away From Me”
(1937), and “A
Foggy Day” (1937). In Wayne
Schneider’sThe
Gershwin Style: New Looks at the
Music of George Gershwin,
contributor C. Andre Barbera says,
“[Repeated notes] build melodic
tension while emphasizing rhythm
and holding the door open for harmonic
ingenuity…the ear is simply drawn
to the harmonic progressions.” The
opportunity to showcase harmonic
ingenuity makes these songs compelling
to many jazz musicians. And shifting
the complexity to the bass line
increases the likelihood the song
will be a hit because more artists
can sing it.
Gershwin wasn’t the first or
the last to use the repeated notes
device. Examples are common, ranging
from Chopin’s “Prelude in E minor”
to
Cole Porter’s “Every
Time We Say Goodbye” (1944).
In the October, 1998, issue of
Atlantic Monthly, David Schiff
points out in his article, “Misunderstanding
Gershwin,” that “Gershwin
may have taken some of his most
distinctive musical touches from
Chopin’s ‘Prelude in E minor’…Chopin’s
melody emphasizes numerous repetitions
of the same pitch…Each time a note
is repeated, the harmony under it
changes…making the melodic notes
sound ever more intense.” Schiff
suggests to the reader, “Listen
to the Chopin and then to ‘Someone
to Watch over Me’; Gershwin’s song
is virtually a paraphrase of the
prelude.” -JW
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Musical analysis of
“Someone to Watch Over Me”
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| Original
Key |
Eb major |
| Form |
A – A – B
– A |
| Tonality |
Major throughout |
| Movement |
“A” is a
rising pentatonic scale, descending in a
step-wise pattern before ending by leaping
up a fifth and down an octave. “B” is primarily
step-wise with some upward and downward
skips. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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The “A” section displays an interesting
example of a standard chord progression
used in an unusual way, and it is a virtual
showcase, demonstrating the usefulness of
the vii˚ chord. Every other chord in this
initial progression is preceded by a vii˚
that includes the melody note, making for
a smooth transition. The surprise comes
at the end of “A,” when the ii-vii˚-IV sequence
resolves not to I, as the ear might expect,
but to vi (in the original key, C minor).
From there it completes the cycle of ii
– V7 –I. The tricky part of the tune is
here; because of the following I – VI –
ii –V7 turnaround, Gershwin adds an extra
measure, thus creating a NINE-bar phrase
instead of the usual eight bars. It is important
to listen and COUNT at this point, because
the overwhelming tendency is to go back
to the rising pentatonic lead-in to the
second “A” in measure eight, instead of
measure nine where it belongs. (This does
not happen at the end of the second “A”.)
The same holds true in the “B” section;
because the harmonic progression requires
eight full measures to complete, “B” contains
an extra measure for the lead-in to the
last “A”. The best recommendation here is
to simply “read the ink” until the nine-measure
phrases are comfortable.
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K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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“Someone to Watch Over Me”
was included in these films:
- Rhapsody in Blue
(1945)
- Young at Heart (1955,
Frank Sinatra)
- Three for the Show
(1955, Marge Champion)
- Beau James (1957,
Vera Miles)
- The Helen Morgan Story
(1957, Gogi Grant dubbing for
Ann Blyth)
- Star! (1968, A
Gertrude Lawrence biography;
sung by Julie Andrews)
- Someone to Watch Over
Me (1987, Sting)
- Cider House Rules
(1999, played by George Gershwin)
And on Broadway:
- Crazy for You (1992,
Jodi Benson)
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Blossom Dearie
My Gentleman Friend
2003, Verve
Original recording, 1959
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| This rendition may just be the definitive
vocal version. Dearie’s wistful delivery
leaves listeners feeling as if they are
eavesdropping on her deepest desires. |
Donald Byrd
Timeless
2002, Savoy
Original recording, 1957
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| Trumpeter Byrd is at the top of
his game on this rendition with warm rich
tone and flawless technique. |
Stephane Grappelli
Improvisations
2001, Universal
Original recording, 1956, Verve
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| Violinist Grappelli departs from
his trademark gypsy swing and explores the
realm of the intimate jazz trio. The song
allows him to step to the forefront and
exercise musical chops that had previously
been overshadowed by Django Reinhardt. |
Dave Brubeck
One Alone
2000, Telarc
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| Late in a long and illustrious career
pianist Brubeck continues to astound. His
solo take on the song is distinguished by
its wit, elegance and taste. |
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Vocalist Lee Wiley recorded an album of all Gershwin
tunes in 1939 featuring various small groups associated
with guitarist Eddie Condon. On her version of “Someone
to Watch over Me,” she was accompanied only by
Fats Waller on organ, an instrument he was as
easily at home with as piano. Their version is a
marvelous example of simplicity.
The tune began to pick up momentum in the mid-1940s
with recordings by: trumpeter
Billy Butterfield (formerly with
Bob Crosby,
Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw); Eddie Condon,
in an album of Gershwin favorites (1944); and tenor
saxophonists Coleman Hawkins (1945) and Ike Quebec
(1946). An interesting comparison is the contrasting
styles of pianists Art Tatum and
Erroll Garner in their versions from 1949.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “Someone to Watch Over Me” may be found in:
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
3 pages including the following types of information: music analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: anecdotal.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: summary and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
4 pages including the following types of information: anecdotal, history and song lyrics.
3 pages including the following types of information: history and lyric analysis.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
2 paragraphs including the following types of information: history.
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