The song is in AABB form, with a verse.[1] According to John Mueller, the central device in the A section is the "use of delayed rhythmic resolution: a staggering, off-balance passage, emphasized by the unorthodox stresses in the lyric, suddenly resolves satisfyingly on a held note, followed by the forceful assertion of the title phrase." The marchlike B section, which is only barely syncopated, acts as a contrast to the previous rhythmic complexities.[1] According to Alec Wilder, in his study of American popular song, the rhythmic pattern in "Puttin' on the Ritz" is "the most complex and provocative I have ever come upon."[2]
The original version of Berlin's song included references to the then-popular fad of flashily-dressed but poor black Harlemites parading up and down Lenox Avenue,
"Spending ev'ry dime / For a wonderful time". The song was featured with the original lyrics in the
1939 film
Idiot's Delight, where it was performed by
Clark Gable and chorus, and this routine was selected for inclusion in That's Entertainment (
1974). Columbia released a 78 recording of Fred Astaire singing the original lyrics in
1930. For the film
Blue Skies (
1946), where it was performed by
Fred Astaire, Berlin revised the lyrics to apply to affluent whites strutting "up and down Park Avenue."[3]
Hit phonograph records of the tune in its original popularity of
1929-1930 were recorded by
Harry Richman and
Fred Astaire, with whom the song is particularly associated.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttin%27_on_the_Ritz