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Ira Gershwin Quotes

Ira Gershwin 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 20th century.With George he wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows, featuring songs such as "I Got Rhythm", "Embraceable You", "The Man I Love" and "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was also responsible, along with DuBose Heyward, for the libretto to George's opera Porgy and Bess.

The success the Gershwin brothers had with their collaborative works has often overshadowed the creative role that Ira played. His mastery of songwriting continued, however, after the early death of George. He wrote additional hit songs with composers Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen.

His critically acclaimed 1959 book Lyrics on Several Occasions, an amalgam of autobiography and annotated anthology, is an important source for studying the art of the lyricist in the golden age of American popular song.



Wikipedia  

✵ 6. December 1896 – 17. August 1983
Ira Gershwin: 12 quotes0 likes

Famous Ira Gershwin Quotes

“S wonderful! 'S marvelous!
That you should care for me!”

Ira Gershwin

“The way you wear your hat,
The way you sip your tea,
The mem'ry of all that –
No, no! They can't take that away from me!”

Ira Gershwin

"They Can't Take That Away from Me", Shall We Dance.

“In time the Rockies may crumble,
Gibraltar may tumble,
They're only made of clay,
But our love is here to stay.”

Ira Gershwin

"Our Love Is Here to Stay", The Goldwyn Follies (1938).

“It ain't necessarily so,
It ain't necessarily so.
De t'ings dat yo' li'ble
To read in de Bible,
It ain't necessarily so.”

Ira Gershwin

"It Ain't Necessarily So", Porgy and Bess, Act II, sc. ii.

“Summertime and the livin' is easy,
Fish are jumpin', and the cotton is high.
Oh yo' daddy's rich, and yo' ma is good lookin',
So hush, little baby, don' yo' cry.”

Ira Gershwin

"Summertime", Porgy and Bess, Act I, sc. i (1935). Lyric written in collaboration with DuBose Heyward.

Ira Gershwin Quotes

“Nice work if you can get it,
And you can get it if you try.”

Ira Gershwin

"Nice Work If You Can Get It", A Damsel in Distress (1937).

“You've made my life so glamorous,
You can't blame me for feeling amorous.
'S wonderful, 's marvellous
That you should care for me.”

Ira Gershwin

"'S Wonderful", Funny Face, Act I (1927).

“Poor Jenny, bright as a penny!
Her equal would be hard to find.
She lost one dad and mother,
A sister and a brother--
But she would make up her mind.”

Ira Gershwin

"The Saga of Jenny", Lady in the Dark

“You like potato and I like po-tah-to,
You like tomato and I like to-mah-to;
Potato, po-tah-to, tomato, to-mah-to –
Let's call the whole thing off!”

Ira Gershwin

"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", Shall We Dance (1937).

“They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round;
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound.”

Ira Gershwin

"They All Laughed", Shall We Dance.

“I got rhythm,
I got music,
I got my man
Who could ask for anything more?”

Ira Gershwin

"I Got Rhythm", Girl Crazy, Act I (1930).

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