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. It was introduced by
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...
in the 1930 musical ''
Girl Crazy
''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...
''. The song is an interpretation of the biblical story of
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
and
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...
in the
Book of Judges
The Book of Judges (, ') is the seventh book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. In the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it covers the time between the conquest described in the Book of Joshua and the establishment of a kingdom ...
of the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" ''
Setting
"Sam and Delilah" appeared late in the first act of the musical, surprising audiences who had assumed that Merman was a non-singing member of the cast. Merman was unknown at the time of her appearance in the musical, which made her a star on Broadway. The historian Robert Payne described Merman as being dressed in a "black satin skirt, a low-cut red blouse and bangles up her arms" when performing the song which "stopped the play" due to its popularity with the audience. Ira Gershwin's biographer,
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 ...
, described the song as the first "full-scale rhythmic number" of ''Girl Crazy'' which "bowled he audienceover". Merman subsequently recalled that "everybody screamed" in the audience in appreciation to her performance of the song on the opening night. Merman initially assumed the pandemonium was caused by something falling from the loft of the theater or the snapping of her
garter
A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...
. Ira Gershwin recalled that he was particularly relieved by the audience's appreciation of the song as he had not felt that his lyrics were his best work, but Merman had saved the song with her "ability to sustain any note for any human or humane length of time" feeling that "Few singers could give you ''koo''-for seven beats and come through with a terrifically-''tch'' at the end". Merman also performed "
I Got Rhythm
"I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the " rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes suc ...
" and " Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!" in the musical. George Gershwin visited Merman in her dressing room in the interval and told her never to " ... let anybody ever give you a singing lesson. It'll ruin you".
Context
In the musical the song is performed by Frisco Kate, a "
floozy
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...
" from the Barbary Coast of San Francisco, and the lyrics are resplendent with contemporary slang and
guttural consonants
Guttural speech sounds are those with a primary place of articulation near the back of the oral cavity, especially where it's difficult to distinguish a sound's place of articulation and its phonation. In popular usage it is an imprecise term for s ...
. Furia likened the tale told in the lyrics of "Sam and Delilah" to the story of the late 19th-century American ballad " Frankie and Johnny". George Gershwin's biographer Ean Wood describes the song as a "New York Jewish" version of "Frankie and Johnny". The musicologist Larry Starr describes the song as "dark, bluesy character with lyrics conveying an overtly sexual and ultimately violent story" and one of several songs in ''Girl Crazy'' that do not have earlier precedents in George and Ira Gershwin's musicals. In his 2009 book ''Daring, Disreputable and Devout: Interpreting the Hebrew Bible's Women in the Arts and Music'' the theologian Dan Clanton describes the song as being one of a number of songs that portray Delilah as being "completely responsible for Samson's demise" and that the motive of jealousy ascribed to Delilah in the lyrics of the song are absent in the Biblical account. The song also warns listeners against involvement with Delilah-like women, a theme later echoed in
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
's 1960 song "
Run Samson Run
"''Run Samson Run''" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield and sung by Neil Sedaka. It appears on his album '' Neil Sedaka Sings Little Devil and His Other Hits''. The song was included in '' Neil Sedaka Sings His Greatest Hits'' ...
". The song refers to Delilah seducing Sam with her
hoochie coochie
The hoochie coochie () is a catch-all term to describe several sexually provocative belly dance-like dances from the mid-to late 1800s. Also spelled hootchy-kootchy and a number of other variations, it is often associated with " The Streets of Ca ...
dancing, to rhyme with the slang term "hooch" for illicit alcohol.
Recordings
It was recorded by Louise Carlyle in Columbia Records's 1951 cast recording of ''Girl Crazy'' featuring
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...
and Eddie Chappell.
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 ...
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...
. Riddle's arrangement utilised an
oboe
The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range.
...