A Couple of Swells
"We're a Couple of Swells" is an American comedy duet song performed by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in the film Easter Parade (1948). It was written by Irving Berlin. Berlin originally wrote the song "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk" for the scene, but the film's producer, Arthur Freed, persuaded Berlin to change this for a song that would highlight Garland's comedic talent. Berlin wrote the song in about an hour drawing on his experience as a Tin Pan Alley popular songwriter.[1][2][3][4]
Description
The film is set in 1912 in the New York Broadway Vaudeville business in which hobo acts depicting down and outs were popular with audiences. Astaire and Garland appear as tramps in worn out clothing cast off by the very rich. A swell is slang for a wealthy, elegant person.[5] The song and dance explores the fantasy that they really are wealthy and have been invited for tea with the extremely wealthy Vanderbilt family. They have the invitation but no means of getting to the appointment.[6]
The song lyrics suggest ways they might travel up the Avenue, (most likely the opulent Fifth Avenue on which the Vanderbilts had 10 mansions[7]), to the club where the Vanderbilts are waiting. These are: to drive a car, skate on ice, ride on a bicycle, sail a yacht, drive a carriage, ride on a trolley car, or swim. All are rejected with a reason and the only way left to the two tramps is to walk up the Avenue.
The song verses close with the refrain:
So we'll walk up the avenue
Yes we'll walk up the avenue
And to walk up the avenue's what we like
Verses in the song also satirize aspects of the lifestyle of the rich; 'sports' who play tennis all summer, Wall Street bankers who are too drunk to find the key to the safe, and wealthy playboys who are adored and chased by photographic models.
References
- ^ Berlin, Irving. "We're a Couple of Swells". Google.
- ^ Robinson, Mark A. (2014-04-17). The World of Musicals: An Encyclopedia of Stage, Screen, and Song [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 204. ISBN 9781440800979.
- ^ Mueller, John E. (1985). Astaire dancing: the musical films. Knopf. p. 283. ISBN 9780394516547.
- ^ Billman, Larry (1997-01-01). Film Choreographers and Dance Directors: An Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia, with a History and Filmographies, 1893 Through 1995. McFarland & Company, Publishers. pp. 64, 124. ISBN 9780899508689.
- ^ "swell - Dictionary Definition". Vocabulary.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
- ^ Furia, Philip; Patterson, Laurie (2010-04-07). The Songs of Hollywood. Oxford University Press. pp. 151. ISBN 9780199792665.
we're a couple of swells garland.
- ^ "A Guide to the Gilded Age Mansions of 5th Avenue's Millionaire Row | 6sqft". 6sqft. Retrieved 2018-05-20.
- v
- t
- e
Theatre |
|
---|---|
Film |
|
- "Alexander's Ragtime Band"
- "All Alone"
- "All by Myself"
- "All of My Life"
- "Always"
- "Any Bonds Today?"
- "Anything You Can Do"
- "At the Devil's Ball"
- "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)"
- "Blue Skies"
- "Change Partners"
- "Cheek to Cheek"
- "Count Your Blessings"
- "A Couple of Swells"
- "Daddy, Come Home"
- "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly"
- "Easter Parade"
- "Follow the Crowd"
- "For Your Country and My Country"
- "Get Thee Behind Me Satan"
- "The Girl That I Marry"
- "God Bless America"
- "Goodbye, France"
- "Happy Holiday"
- "Heat Wave"
- "Heaven Watch the Philippines"
- "How About Me?"
- "How Deep Is the Ocean?"
- "How's Chances?"
- "I Got Lost in His Arms"
- "I Got the Sun in the Mornin' (and the Moon at Night)"
- "I Love a Piano"
- "I Never Had a Chance"
- "I Used to Be Color Blind"
- "I Want To Go Back To Michigan"
- "I'm an Indian Too"
- "I'm Gonna Pin My Medal on the Girl I Left Behind"
- "I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket"
- "I've Got My Captain Working for Me Now"
- "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"
- "Isn't This a Lovely Day?"
- "It's a Lovely Day Today"
- "It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow"
- "Lazy"
- "Let Yourself Go"
- "Let's All Be Americans Now
- "Let's Face the Music and Dance"
- "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee"
- "Let's Take an Old-Fashioned Walk"
- "Mandy"
- "Moonshine Lullaby"
- "My Defenses Are Down"
- "The Near Future"
- "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)"
- "Now It Can Be Told"
- "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning"
- "Play a Simple Melody"
- "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody"
- "Puttin' On the Ritz"
- "Reaching for the Moon"
- "Remember"
- "San Francisco Bound"
- "Say It Isn't So"
- "Say It with Music"
- "Someone Else May Be There While I'm Gone"
- "Sisters"
- "Slumming on Park Avenue"
- "The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)"
- "Stay Down Here Where You Belong"
- "Steppin' Out with My Baby"
- "Supper Time"
- "That International Rag"
- "That Mysterious Rag"
- "There's No Business Like Show Business"
- "They Say It's Wonderful"
- "They Were All Out of Step But Jim"
- "This Year's Kisses"
- "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails"
- "What'll I Do"
- "When I Lost You"
- "White Christmas"
- "Who Do You Love, I Hope?"
- "With You"
- "You Can Have Him"
- "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun"
- "You Keep Coming Back Like a Song"
- "You'd Be Surprised"
- "You're Just in Love"
- "You're Laughing at Me"
- Ellin Berlin (wife)
- Mary Ellin Barrett (daughter)
This 1940s song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e