Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:15, 13 October 2006

Revision as of 22:29, 23 October 2006

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''Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man'' was extremely associated with 1920's [[torch singer]] [[Helen Morgan]], who played Julie in the original [[1927]] stage production of ''Show Boat'', as well as the 1932 revival and the [[1936]] film version. While Morgan was alive, she "owned" the song as much as [[Judy Garland]] "owned" ''[[Over the Rainbow]]''. However, Morgan died prematurely in [[1941]], her recordings are seldom played, and the 1936 film version of ''Show Boat'' was taken completely out of circulation in 1942 to make way for [[MGM]]'s 1951 [[remake]] which featured [[Ava Gardner]] as Julie (singing dubbed by Annette Warren). Therefore, modern audiences unfamiliar with the 1936 film have most likely never heard Helen Morgan's performance of the song. Another singer who had a big hit with it was [[Lena Horne]], who sang it in the [[Jerome Kern]] biopic ''Till the Clouds Roll By'', and could have easily played Julie in [[MGM]]'s ''Show Boat'' had the studio not been nervous about casting her in the role.

In it'sits own way, the song is almost as controversial as ''Ol' Man River'', though its lyrics have caused less of an uproar because the "offensive" portion is sung not by Julie but by Queenie, and is therefore not usually heard outside the show. In her section of the song, Queenie has the lyric:<br>

''My man is shiftless,<br>

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==Reference==

Kreuger, Miles ''[[Show Boat: The Story of a Classic American Musical]]'' Oxford, 1977

[[Category:Songs from musicals]]

[[Category:American songs]]