"I Won't Dance" is a song with music by

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

that has become a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

. The song has two different sets of lyrics: the first written by

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...

and

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

in 1934, and second written by

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

(though

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...

was also credited) in 1935. Kern, Hammerstein and Harbach originally wrote "I Won't Dance" for the 1934 London musical '' Three Sisters''. However, ''Three Sisters'' flopped and was quickly forgotten. The next year, Fields was hired to help with the music for a film version of the 1933 Kern-Harbach musical ''

Roberta Roberta is a feminine version of the given names Robert and Roberto. It is a Germanic name derived from the stems *hrod meaning "famous", "glorious", "godlike" and *berht meaning "bright", "shining", "light". People with the name *Roberta Achtenbe ...

''. The writing team decided to make use of "I Won't Dance" for the film, also named ''

''. However, Fields rewrote nearly all of the lyrics, making the song more playful and suggestive by having the narrator refuse to dance because "I know that music leads the way to romance". The song became such a hit, largely because it was performed by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz, May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, actor, singer, musician, choreographer, and presenter, whose career in stage, film, and television spanned 76 years. He is widely regarded as the "g ...

, that it is now included in all stage revivals and recordings of ''Roberta''.

Notable recordings

*1952: Kaye Ballard and Jack Cassidy – ''Roberta'' studio cast recording *1956:

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

– '' Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day'' *1956:

Carmen Cavallaro Carmen Cavallaro (May 6, 1913 – October 12, 1989) was an American pianist. He established himself as one of the most accomplished and admired light music pianists of his generation. Music career Carmen Cavallaro was born in New York City, Uni ...

– ''Eddy Duchin Remembered'' *1957:

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

– '' A Swingin' Affair!'' (and '' Sinatra-Basie'', 1962) *1957: Blossom Dearie - '' Blossom Dearie'' and ''Et Tu Bruce''; (1984) *1960;

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American singer of popular music who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard'', January 12, ...

– '' Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook'' *1962;

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

- '' Live It Up!'' *1961:

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, 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, phra ...

– '' Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson'' *1963:

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

– '' Mink Jazz'' *1970: Jula de Palma – ''Jula al Sistina'' *1973: The Pasadena Roof Orchestra – ''The Best of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra'' *1993: David Silverman Trio (I Have Dreamed CD) Chase Music Group – Los Angeles, CA *1994: Sylvia McNair with

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

and David Finck – ''Sure Thing: The Jerome Kern Songbook'' *1997: Susannah McCorkle – ''The People That You Never Get To Love'' *1997: Barbara Cook – ''Oscar Winners: The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein, II'' *1999: Stacey Kent – '' Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire'' *1999: Busdriver – "I Won't Dance" *2002:

Will Young William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...

– '' Pop Idol: The Big Band Album'' *2004: Jane Monheit and

Michael Bublé Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Regarded as a pop icon, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American ...

– '' Taking a Chance on Love'' *2007: Richard Rodney Bennett – ''Words and Music'' *2009:

Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange (; born April 20, 1949) is an American actress. With a career spanning over five decades, she is known for her roles Jessica Lange on screen and stage, on stage and screen. She has received List of awards and nominati ...

and Malcolm Gets – their duet recorded in common for the soundtrack '' Grey Gardens'' *2010: Sarah McKenzie – ''Don't Tempt Me'' (2011), ''We Could Be Lovers'' (2014). *2013: The King's Singers - Great American Songbook *2014:

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

and

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

– '' Cheek to Cheek'' *2015: Jamie Parker with John Wilson Orchestra - ''Celebrating Frank Sinatra'' (DVD) *2021:

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

and

Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, ''Billboard (magazi ...

- '' That's Life''

In film and television

The song was added to the 1935 film version of "

", sung by

and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

, danced to (solo) by Fred Astaire, then reprised as a dance by both. The song is anachronistically used as a musical number performed by Felicia Day in the

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

biography of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, '' Warm Springs'', which largely takes place in the year 1924. The song was also performed by

Lucille Bremer Lucille Bremer (February 21, 1917 – April 16, 1996) was an American film actress and dancer. Biography Bremer was born in Amsterdam (city), New York, Amsterdam, New York, but soon moved to Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where ...

and Van Johnson for the 1946 Kern

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

Till the Clouds Roll By ''Till the Clouds Roll By'' is a 1946 American Technicolor musical film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a fictionalized biopic of composer Jerome Kern, portrayed by Robert Walker (actor, born 1918), Robert Walker. Kern was involved with the ...

''. Since the scene takes place in a 1920s nightclub, its appearance in the chronology of the film is, again, anachronistic. The song was sung and danced to by

Marge Champion Marjorie Celeste Champion ( Belcher; September 2, 1919October 21, 2020) was an American dancer and actress. At fourteen, she was hired as a dance model for Walt Disney Studios animated films. Later, she performed as an actress and dancer in film ...

and Gower Champion in the 1952 film "

Lovely to Look At ''Lovely to Look At'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, based on the 1933 Broadway musical ''Roberta''. Plot Broadway producers Al Marsh, Tony Naylor, and Jerry Ralby are desperately searching for invest ...

". The version of the song by

was in a scene in the movie '' What Women Want'', where the character Nick, played by

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

, is dancing with a coat hanger. The song was performed on ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a variety sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and starring the Muppets. It is presented as a variety show, featuring recurring sketches and musical numbers interspersed with ongoing plot-lines with ru ...

'' Episode 34 in a scene where

Miss Piggy Miss Piggy is a The Muppets, Muppet character known for her Breakthrough role, breakout role in the sketch comedy television series ''The Muppet Show''. She is notable for her temperamental diva superstar personality, her tendency to use French l ...

asks Kermit the Frog to dance. The song was performed in the 2000 film

Love's Labour's Lost (film) ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is a 2000 British musical romantic comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kenneth Branagh. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s early comic play of the same name and marks the first feature-length ...

. The song was performed as a duet by

and Malcolm Gets playing the roles of "Big Edie" Edith Bouvier Beale and George Gould Strong in HBO's 2009 dramatization '' Grey Gardens'''' Grey Gardens (2009 film)'' at IMDb. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0758751/ .

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

. Retrieved 20 May 2021. based on the 1975 documentary '' Grey Gardens''.

References

{{authority control Pop standards Songs with music by Jerome Kern Songs with lyrics by Otto Harbach Songs with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Ella Fitzgerald songs Frank Sinatra songs Fred Astaire songs 1934 songs Songs about dancing