You Can't Get a Man with a Gun explained

"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" is a song from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun, written by Irving Berlin. It was originally performed by Ethel Merman.^[1]

Background

In the song, Annie Oakley sings about how a girl with talent as a sharpshooter nevertheless finds that her abilities do not help her attract men. She introduces herself with: "I'm quick on the trigger/with targets not much bigger/than a pinpoint I'm number one." The song is humorous in that she imagines different scenarios in which shooting a man will not make him fall in love with you, e.g. "A man may be hot/but he's not/when he's shot/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!" and "But you can't shoot a lover,/and use him for a cover/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!"

Recordings

• Doris Day - for her album Annie Get Your Gun (1963)^[2]
• Judy Garland - recorded for the film soundtrack but not used as Garland was subsequently dropped from the film.^[3]
• Eydie Gormé - for her album Gormé Sings Showstoppers (1959).^[4]
• Betty Hutton - included in the album Annie Get Your Gun (Original Soundtrack) (1950).^[5]
• Ethel Merman - included in Annie Get Your Gun [Original Cast Album] (1946).^[6]
• Mary Martin - released as part of album of a 1957 TV recording with John Raitt. ^[7]
• Björk - included in Gling-Gló (1990).
• Bernadette Peters - included in Annie Get Your Gun [1999 Broadway Revival Cast] (1999).^[8]
• Suzi Quatro – starred as Annie Oakley in the 1986 West End (London) production of Annie Get Your Gun. She sings the song in the album Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast (1986),^[9] and the associated single "I Got Lost in His Arms" (1986).^[10]

Notes and References

1. Book: Magee , J. . Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater. Oxford University Press. Broadway Legacies. 2012. 978-0-19-991163-9. 1 August 2018. 436.
2. Web site: www.discogs.com. discogs.com. March 14, 2024.
3. Web site: The Judy Room . The Judy Room . 27 April 2019.
4. Web site: Discogs.com . Discogs . 27 April 2019.
5. Web site: Discogs.com . Discogs . 27 April 2019.
6. Web site: allmusic . AllMusic . 27 April 2019.
7. Web site: Mary Martin, John Raitt - Annie Get Your Gun . . 1957 .
8. Web site: allmusic.com . AllMusic . 27 April 2019.
9. Web site: Ruhlmann. William. Annie Get Your Gun (Original London Cast Recording) – Original London Cast, AllMusic, Overview. AllMusic. Ann Arbor, USA. 11 May 2012.
10. Web site: Suzi Quatro Timeline. thecoverzone.com. Suzi Quatro Rocks – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Mission. Bristol, USA. 11 May 2012.