Today’s song is the 1936 Ira Gershwin / Vernon Duke song I Can’t Get Started (With You). It was first heard in the theatrical production Ziegfeld Follies where it was performed by Bob Hope.

The song tells the tale of a man who is successful in every aspect of his life other than his ability to get the attention of the woman he loves. One of the interesting things about this song is the fact that the Gershwin lyrics broke the mould for ballads at the time, using very topical references: “I’ve flown around the world in a plane … Settled revolutions in Spain … Been consulted by Franklin D … Greta Garbo has asked me to tea”. Frank Sinatra tried to update the lyrics with “designed the latest IBM brain”, but it tends to be the original which is performed by most artists as a result of its charm.

I hope you enjoy today’s song. For more songs from the 1930s, click here, and to find out why I’m playing a tune a day click here. You can see all of my November songs here.

https://soundcloud.com/mark-pentleton/i-cant-get-started