Isn't It Romantic? Explained

Isn't It Romantic?
Type:song
Published:1932 by Famous Music
Composer:Richard Rodgers

"Isn't It Romantic?" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It has a 32-bar chorus in A–B–A–C form. Alec Wilder, in his book American Popular Song: The Great Innovators 1900–1950, calls it "a perfect song."[1]

It was introduced by Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald in the Paramount film Love Me Tonight (1932). It has since been recorded numerous times, with and without vocals, by many jazz and popular artists. The song has also since been featured in a number of other movies.

In Love Me Tonight, the song is used in a sequence in which it is first sung by Maurice Chevalier, a tailor, and then taken up by others (his customer, a cabby, a composer, a troop of soldiers, a band of gypsies) and is finally heard and sung by a princess, played by Jeanette MacDonald.[2] The lyrics in the film are not the same as those in the published version. In 2004 this version finished at #73 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

The title is often used in headlines in The New York Times, such as "The Recession. Isn't It Romantic?",[3] "Italy: Isn't It Romantic?",[4] and "In Madrid, Isn't It Romantic?".[5] [6]

Notable recordings

Other film appearances

Notes and References

  1. Book: Wilder. Alec. American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950. 1990. Oxford University Press. New York. 0195014456. 190.
  2. Web site: Review/Cabaret; Rodgers and Hart Spiced By Parody of an Old Film. Stephen. Holden. 8 February 1993. The New York Times. 13 December 2017.
  3. Web site: The Romance of Recession: Dating Is on the Rise. Abby. Ellin. 11 February 2009. The New York Times. 13 December 2017.
  4. Web site: Italy: Isn't It Romantic?. Associated Press. 14 March 2009. The New York Times. 13 December 2017.
  5. Web site: In Madrid, Isn't It Romantic?. Andrew. Ferren. 23 December 2009. The New York Times. 13 December 2017.
  6. Web site: Search. Query.nytimes.com. 13 December 2017.
  7. Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 412.
  8. Web site: The Online Discographical Project. 78discography.com. February 27, 2018.
  9. Web site: The Online Discographical Project. 78discography.com. February 27, 2018.
  10. News: Race. Steve. November 26, 1948. The Sound Track. 3. Musical Express. 3 October 2021.
  11. Web site: The Online Discographical Project. 78discography.com. February 27, 2018.
  12. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. February 27, 2018.
  13. Web site: www.allmusic.com. www.allmusic.com. August 8, 2024.
  14. Web site: www.allmusic.com. allmusic.com. July 7, 2024.
  15. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. February 27, 2018.
  16. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. 1969 . February 27, 2018.
  17. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. February 27, 2018.
  18. Web site: Discogs.com. Discogs.com. 1976 . February 27, 2018.
  19. Web site: allmusic.com. allmusic.com. February 27, 2018.
  20. Web site: www.allmusic.com. www.allmusic.com. July 7, 2024.
  21. Web site: Turn Up the Quiet – Diana Krall. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. AllMusic. 2017-11-15.
  22. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 27, 2018.
  23. Web site: Internet Movie Database. .
  24. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 27, 2018.
  25. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 27, 2018.
  26. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 27, 2018.
  27. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 27, 2018.