Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (I Get a Kick Out of You)

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I Get a Kick Out of You (1934)

Origin and Chart Information

Rank	139

Words and Music	Cole Porter

JazzStandards.com documents the standards that jazz musicians play and record. Click on Songs to see the full list.

Music and Lyrics Analysis

Musical analysis of “I Get a Kick Out of You”
Original Key	Eb major
Form	A1 - A2 - B - A3
Tonality	Primarily major
Movement	90% of the melody moves scale-wise by step, initially rising, then falling. Mostly diatonic; few altered tones.
Comments (assumed background)
Although the melody is fairly simple, the hemiola (triplets over a two-beat) gives it rhythmic vitality and forward movement. Porter’s original chord progression over “A” was equally simple: ii - V7 -I - vi. Most players today use various substitutions (iii for I, ii°7 for vi, etc). In “B” the progression is less predictable. The initial Bbm7 sounds like a ii7 of a new, subdominant key but never quite settles into a new tonic. This keeps with the equally unsettled spirit of the lyric, just as the rising melodic movement toward the end of “A3” reflects the anguish of the singer who regards flying as “nothing to do.” Like the vast majority of Cole Porter’s works, this melody is inextricably wedded to the lyric and thus more appealing for the vocalist.
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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CD Recommendations for This Tune

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Randy Weston

Solo, Duo and Trio
2000 Milestone Records 47085
Original recording 1954

Tinkering with both rhythm and harmony, pianist Weston manages to produce a thoroughly dissonant yet engagingly comprehensive interpretation of the song.

Ernie Henry

Seven Standards and a Blues
1993 Original Jazz Classics 1722
Original recording 1957

Both Henry’s inventive phrasing and the energy of the rhythm section seem inexhaustible as the saxophonist bops and weaves through this infectious rendition.

Clifford Brown/Max Roach

Brown and Roach Inc
1990 Emarcy 814644
Original recording 1954

Drummer Roach and bassist George Morrow set a blistering pace over which trumpeter Brown practically rockets. It is a jaw-dropping display of exuberance and technique from both lead musicians.

Tony Bennett

The Beat of My Heart
1997 Sony 66502
Original recording 1957

This track was added to the CD reissue of the original LP which featured the vocalist with various jazz drummers and percussionists, but it fits in perfectly. A young and muscular Bennett is at his jazziest here.

Ahmad Jamal

Chamber Music of the New Jazz
2004 GRP
Original recording 1955

Pianist Jamal was taking jazz piano in a new direction with this 1955 recording, his first. His reading of this song is delicate and rhythmic.

Jazz History Notes

Clarinetist Artie Shaw “retired” from music in 1946 but returned in 1949 and formed what he claimed was his best band; critics agreed, but the public didn’t. Before he “quit” music again, however, the band recorded a session of radio transcriptions, including a bold arrangement of “I Get a Kick Out of You.” Shaw’s playing illustrates that he was keeping up with the changes in jazz, and his band is superb.

Charlie Parker, the genius of the alto saxophone and one of the founding fathers of bop, romps through a masterful version of “Kick” with his quintet for Verve in 1954.

Trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach’s Quintet version of Cole Porter’s tune is a tour-de-force, featuring deftly executed ensemble passages and played at a whirlwind tempo. Brownie smokes and Roach is showcased on an extended drum solo.

Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian

Artie Shaw

Stardust
BMG International 651419

Charlie Parker

The Cole Porter Songbook
Polygram Records 23250

Clifford Brown/Max Roach

The Best Of Max Roach And Clifford Brown In Concert
GNP Crescendo 5-18

Written by the Same Composer or Team...

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.

Cole Porter
Year	Rank	Title
1930	8	“What Is This Thing Called Love?”
1930	30	“Love for Sale”
1932	33	“Night and Day”
1935	74	“Just One of Those Things”
1944	119	“I Love You”
1936	122	“Easy to Love”
1934	139	“I Get a Kick Out of You”
1936	160	“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”
1942	188	“You’d Be so Nice to Come Home To”
1937	209	“In the Still of the Night”
1944	220	“Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”
1935	247	“Begin the Beguine”
1953	279	“It’s All Right with Me”
1939	290	“I Concentrate on You”
1954	356	“All of You”
1950	390	“From This Moment On”
1938	410	“Get Out of Town”
1948	443	“So in Love (Am I)”
1934	509	“All Through the Night”
1953	553	“I Love Paris”
1938	584	“My Heart Belongs to Daddy”
1929	734	“You Do Something to Me”
1934	754	“Anything Goes”
1941	773	“Ev’rything I Love”
1928	797	“Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)”
1937	909	“At Long Last Love”
1941	910	“Dream Dancing”
1937	939	“Rosalie”
1934	940	“You’re the Top”