I Won't Dance
Eddy Duchin & His Orchestra, Jerome Kern
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[He] I won't dance, don't ask me. I won't dance, don't ask me. I won't dance, madame, with you. My heart won't let me do things they should do. You know what? You're lovely. [She]And so what? I'm lovely. [He] But, oh what you do to me. I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore; I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor. [She]When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle, 'Specially when you do the Continental. [He] But this feeling isn't purely mental, For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos. And that's why I won't dance, why should I? I won't dance, how could I? I won't dance. Merci beaucoup. I know that music leads the way to romance, So if I hold you in my arms, I won't dance.
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Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern, Jimmy Mc Hugh, Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Otto Harbach
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Song CreationThe song "I Won't Dance" was composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh in the year 1934.
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Movie AppearanceThe song first made its appearance in a London stage musical called "Three Sisters" but did not gain much popularity at that time.
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Reputation Growth"I Won't Dance" gained fame when it was performed by Fred Astaire in the film adaptation of "Roberta" in 1935, a year after its first appearance.
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Oscar Hammerstein II's ContributionAlthough the original composers were Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh, Oscar Hammerstein II later revised the lyrics for its big-screen rendition by Astaire.
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Song LyricsThe lyrics of the song depict a man who refuses to dance, essentially due to fear of falling in love. The song creatively utilizes dance as a metaphor for love and romance.
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Award NominationThe song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
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Song's AdaptationsBesides Astaire, the song has been covered and performed by various artists in different eras, including Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.
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Jazz StandardOver the years, "I Won't Dance" has become a jazz standard, being recorded numerous times by artists from around the world.
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Unique WisdomThis song is specially remembered for its unique blending of humor, wisdom and romance in its lyrics, matched by Kern's harmonically complex music.
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Notable PerformancesOne of the most memorable performances of the song is Fred Astaire's duet with Ginger Rogers in the movie version of "Roberta". Another notable rendition is Astaire's solo performance in the 1955 film "The Towering Inferno".
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Pop CultureThe song continues to be popular in pop culture. It has been included in the soundtracks of several modern movies and TV shows, including "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985) and "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle" (1994).
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Citation
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"I Won't Dance Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Sep. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/15704308/Jerome+Kern/I+Won%27t+Dance>.
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