"Boy Wanted" is a 1921 song composed by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, with lyrics by

Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...

. It was introduced in the musical ''

A Dangerous Maid ''A Dangerous Maid'' is a musical with a book by Charles W. Bell, music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin (writing under the pseudonym "Arthur Francis"). The script is based on Bell's 1918 play ''A Dislocated Honeymoon''. The story ...

'' (1921).

Philip Furia Philip George Furia (November 15, 1943 – April 3, 2019) was an American author and English literature professor. His books focus on the lyricists of the Tin Pan Alley era. Biography Furia was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Ethel Rose Sz ...

in his 1997 book ''Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist'' describes "Boy Wanted" as featuring "by far the most ambitious lyric" in ''A Dangerous Maid'' and likens the song to a 'catalog gue song' reminiscent of the work of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

. The lyrics recount the efforts of four girls describing the ideal qualities of a future partner; in the style of a newspaper advertisement. The song was reused by the Gershwins for the 1924 British musical ''Primrose''. Ira had heavily revised the lyric in the three years since he had written it, Furia felt this reflected his evolution from an "apprentice to a journeyman lyricist". Musicologist David Schiff in his 1997 book ''Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue'', wrote that the essence of "Boy Wanted" was its "simplicity". Schiff felt the song was less obviously syncopated than the Gershwins previous efforts yet still "keeps the voice off the downbeat".

Notable recordings

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

- ''

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book'' is a box set by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald that contains songs by George and Ira Gershwin with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. It was produced by Norman Granz, Fitzgerald' ...

'' (1959) (first recording)

References

Songs with music by George Gershwin Songs with lyrics by Ira Gershwin 1921 songs Songs from George and Ira Gershwin musicals {{Show-tune-stub