Gershwin–Do it Again, Whiteman

For Part 2 of this series of posts about George Gershwin, we are going back to a song before the 1924 Rhapsody; it is called “Do It Again,” a semi-naughty title that sounds far worse than it is. “It” is a kiss. The song has an interesting genesis: according to both Wikdipedia and Howard Pollack, Gershwin recalled in 1934 that “I was in the office of Max Dreyfus, my publisher, one day when Buddy DeSylva walked in. DeSylva said jokingly to me, ‘George, let’s write a hit!’ I matched him by saying, ‘O.K.!’ I sat down at the piano, and began playing a theme which I was composing on other spot …. Buddy listened for a few minutes and then began chanting this title–‘Oh, Do It Again!,’ which he had just fitted to my theme.”

Pollack goes on to relate that, one night at a party given by Jules Glaenzer, “Irene Bordoni, with a true Gallic flourish, rushed across the room and cried, ‘I must’ have that song! It’s for me!’ Needless to say, Irene got what she wanted.”

However, Irene was correct in one regard: interpolating the song in the February 20, 1922 musical The French Doll, the song “brought down the house” according to Pollack. He relates that one review stated: “The star’s lips, puckered in provocative style, worked havoc with an admiring audience…”

We have a surplus of musical riches to share with you, so we are going to split off and cover the second song, “Somebody Loves Me” on Thursday.

Let’s start our exploration of “Do It Again” with an instrumental recording about one month later (March 28, 1922) by Paul Whiteman.