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Song

Written by
Composition date
May 1927
Copyright date
December 2, 1929
Language
English
ISWC
T-070.167.001-0 ASCAP, GEMA, ISWC, JASRAC
Comments
Published with two different sets of lyrics, since Irving Berlin rewrote the lyrics in 1946 for the Fred Astaire movie Blue Skies.

The original 1930 version goes as follows:
Have you seen the well-to-do, up on Lenox Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare, white spats and fifteen dollars
Spending every dime for a wonderful time
Refrain:
If you're blue and you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where Harlem sits: puttin' on the Ritz
Spangled gowns upon a bevy of high browns
From down the levee, all misfits: puttin' on the Ritz
That's where each and ev'ry Lulu Bell goes
Ev'ry Thursday ev'ning with her swell beaus
Rubbing elbows
Come with me and we'll attend their jubilee
And see them spend their last two bits
Puttin' on the Ritz

The 1946 lyrics as first used by Fred Astaire:
Have you seen the well-to-do, up and down Park Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare, with their noses in the air
High hats and arrowed collars, white spats and lots of dollars
Spending every dime, for a wonderful time
Refrain:
If you're blue and you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where fashion sits: puttin' on the ritz.
Different types who wear a daycoat, pants with stripes
And cut away coat, perfect fits: puttin' on the Ritz .
Dressed up like a million dollar trouper
Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper (super duper)
Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks
Or umbrellas in their mitts: puttin' on the Ritz

Tips his hat just like an english chappie
To a lady with a wealthy pappy (very snappy)
You'll declare it's simply topping to be there
And hear them swapping smart titbits: puttin' on the Ritz!
Published by
BERLIN-IRVING-MUSIC CO GEMA
BERLIN IRVING MUSIC CORP ASCAP
Licensing
Request a synchronization license

Meta

Added by Denis
Managed by CarlDennis

Versions

written by English

Title Performer Release date Info
listen on Internet Archive  REC April 1930 First recording on January 20, 1930
 BRD First theatrical release on February 19, 1930
listen on Internet Archive   March 1930
listen on Internet Archive   1930 Hit song
listen on Internet Archive   (Harry Reser) 1930
  1930
listen on Internet Archive   1930
listen on Internet Archive   1930
  1930
  1930
  1930
Puttin' on the Ritz Bert Maddison & His Orchestra 1930 Unverified
  October 1946
listen on Internet Archive   1947
  1950 A cappella
  1957 Medley
  1958
  1959 Medley
  October 31, 1960
  October 1961
  November 1962
  1968 Medley
Puttin' on the Ritz Gene Wilder 1975 Unverified
  1976
  1979
  1979
  1979 Medley
  1980
  1980
  1980
  1982 Sampled by (2 artists)
Hit song
  1982
  1983
  1984
  1984
  1984 Live
Puttin' on the Ritz Ami Aspelund & DDT Jazzband (Ami Aspelund, DDT Jazzband) 1984 Unverified
  April 1986
  1987 Medley
  1987
  1987
  September 1, 1988
  1988
  1988
  1988
  1989
  1991
  1992
  1992
Puttin' on the Ritz The Australian Cotton Club Orchestra – (Australian Cotton Club Orchestra) 1992 Unverified
  1993 A cappella
  1993
  1994 Medley
Live
  1995
  1997 Medley
  1997
  October 26, 1998
  1998
  1998
  1998
  1999
  1999
  2000
  2000
  2001
  2001 Medley
  2001
  2002
  2002
  2002
  September 2003
  2003 Medley
  2003
  2003
  December 8, 2004
  2005
  2005
  2005 Medley
  November 2006
  2006
  (Planet Music Studio Artists) 2006
  December 7, 2007 Live
Puttin' on the Ritz The Cast of the New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein December 18, 2007 Unverified
  2007
Puttin' on the Ritz Janet Penfold 2007 Unverified
  2008
Puttin' on the Ritz Le Hot Club De Ma Rue 2008 Unverified
  May 15, 2009
  September 7, 2009
Puttin' on the Ritz Matthieu Boré October 22, 2009 Unverified
  2009
  August 17, 2010
  2010
  2010
  November 14, 2011
  2011
  2011
  April 16, 2012
  July 1, 2012 Mash-up
  2012
  October 19, 2013
  November 15, 2013
  November 19, 2013
Puttin' on the Ritz Jack's Cats May 1, 2014 Unverified
  May 24, 2014
  July 7, 2014
  July 29, 2014
  2014
  January 22, 2015
  October 23, 2015
  December 4, 2015
  May 2016
  August 2016
  September 21, 2016
Puttin' on the Ritz Apashe featuring Ariane Zita September 30, 2016 Unverified
  November 24, 2017
Puttin' on the Ritz Piero Dotti February 1, 2018 Unverified
  April 2018
  July 20, 2018 Live
  August 3, 2018
  October 13, 2018
Puttin' on the Ritz Alexander Thoma November 26, 2018 Unverified
  November 15, 2019 Medley
Puttin' on the Ritz Django's Tiger 2019 Unverified
  April 17, 2020
  November 3, 2020
Puttin' on the Ritz Heart of Dixie November 7, 2020 Unverified
Puttin' on the Ritz Eld Now 2020 Unverified
Puttin' on the Ritz Alex Mendham and His Orchestra 2020 Unverified
  October 15, 2021
  March 9, 2022
Puttin' On the Ritz James Stewart Unverified

written by instrumental

Title Performer Release date Info
i Puttin' on the Ritz Paul Estabrook 1930 Unverified
i   August 1947
i   1956
i   July 1957
i   1957
i   1957
i   1957
i   1958 Medley
i Puttin' on the Ritz Al Goodman and His Orchestra 1958 Unverified
i   1959 Live
i   September 15, 1960
i   1961
i   1962
i   1963 Medley
i   1967
i   1973
i   1974
i   1978
i   1979
i   1981
i   1982
i   1982 Medley
i   1982
i   1983
i   1985 Medley
i   1986
i   1986
i   1988
i   1988
i   1988
i   1989
i   April 1992
i   1992
i   1992
i   1992 Medley
i   1992
i   June 1993
i   September 1993
i   1993 Medley
i   1993
i   1993
i   1994
i   1995
i   1995 Medley
i   1995
i   1996
i   1996
i   1997
i Puttin' on the Ritz Dixie Bubbles Jazz Band 1997 Unverified
i   1998
i   August 1999
i   October 1999 Medley
i   1999
i   2000 Vocalise version
i   2000
i   2001 Live
i Puttin' on the Ritz Dick Cary's Tuesday Night Friends 2001 Unverified
i   2002
i   2002
i   2003
i   2003
i Puttin' on the Ritz Carolina Brass 2004 Unverified
i   2005 Live
i   2006
i   2006
i   2006
i   October 1, 2007
i   2007
i   2007
i   2007
i   2007 Live
i   2007
i   July 2008
i   September 2008
i   2008 Live
i   October 2009
i   2009 Medley
i   2009
i   2009
i   2010
i   2010
i   2010
i   2011
i   2011
i   2012
i Puttin' on the Ritz La Petite Manouche April 18, 2013 Unverified
i   June 11, 2014
i   2014 Live
i   July 2015
i   August 7, 2015
i Puttin' on the Ritz The Bawling Cats February 2016 Unverified
i   June 30, 2016
i Put It on the Ritz Les Tire-Bouchons November 2016 Unverified
i   2017
i   2017
i   April 2018
i Puttin' on the Ritz Pete Smyser & Ted Lis (Pete Smyser) January 2, 2019 Unverified
i   2019
i   2019
i Puttin' on the Ritz Bill Hearnshaw Trio December 2020 Unverified
i Putting on the Ritz Flying Jazzman Quintet 2020 Unverified
i   February 4, 2022
i Puttin' on the Ritz Club Django Sextet of Toronto July 11, 2023 Unverified

{Lekh lesfat ha-yam} written by Hebrew

Title Performer Release date Info
{Lekh lesfat ha-yam} (Hakol Over Habibi) 1984 First release