I Get a Kick Out of You

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"I Get a Kick Out of You" is a song by Cole Porter, which was first sung in the 1934 Broadway musical Anything Goes, and then in the 1936 film version. Originally sung by Ethel Merman, it has been covered by dozens of prominent performers, including Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga. A cover in 1995 won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s) for arranger Rob McConnell while Bennett and Gaga's version is nominated for three awards at the 2022 ceremony.

Alterations to the song[]

The lyrics were first altered shortly after being written. The last verse originally went as follows:

I get no kick in a plane
I shouldn't care for those nights in the air
That the fair Mrs. Lindbergh goes through
But I get a kick out of you.

After the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping,[1] Porter changed the second and third lines to:

Flying too high with some guy in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do

In the 1936 movie version, alternative lyrics in the second verse were provided to replace a reference to the drug cocaine, which was not allowed by Hollywood's Production Code of 1934.

The original verse goes as follows:

Some get a kick from cocaine
I'm sure that if
I took even one sniff
That would bore me terrif-
Ically, too
Yet, I get a kick out of you

Porter changed the first line to:

Some like the perfume in Spain

Sinatra recorded both pre-Code and post-Code versions (with and without the cocaine reference): the first in 1953[2] and the second in 1962. On a recording live in Paris in 1962 (not released until 1994), Sinatra sings the altered version with the first line as "Some like the perfume from Spain". Other Porter-approved substitutions include "whiff of Guerlain." There is also a version with the lines "Some like the bop-type refrain, I'm sure that if I heard even one riff..." on Sinatra and Swingin' Brass.

All three of the above alternatives are mentioned in the liner notes to Joan Morris and William Bolcom's CD, Night and Day; on the recording, Morris sings the original second verse.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga version[]

"I Get a Kick Out of You"
Single by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
from the album Love for Sale
ReleasedAugust 3, 2021
StudioElectric Lady (New York City)
GenreJazz
Length3:33
Label
Songwriter(s)Cole Porter
Producer(s)Dae Bennett
Tony Bennett singles chronology
"I Can't Give You Anything but Love"
(2014) 		"I Get a Kick Out of You"
(2021) 		"Love for Sale"
(2021)
Lady Gaga singles chronology
"Free Woman"
(2021) 		"I Get a Kick Out of You"
(2021) 		"Love for Sale"
(2021)
Music video
"I Get a Kick Out of You" on YouTube

Background and composition[]

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for their second collaborative album, Love for Sale. It was released as the first single from the album on August 3, 2021, to digital retailers.[3] The recording sessions for the song took place at Electric Lady Studios in downtown New York City.[4] AARP the Magazine revealed that Bennett was a "considerably more muted presence during the recording of the new album with Gaga", as he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, before the sessions began.[5]

The duo's version is "a campy take" on "I Get a Kick Out of You".[6] They are backed by "jaunty piano" at the beginning of the track,[7] with Gaga slowly starting the song with the line "My story is much too sad to be told, but practically everything leads me totally cold." Bennett then picks up with "The only exception I know is the case..." line, and when he says “Then, I see your fabulous face", Gaga jokingly asks Bennett, "Are you talking about me?"[4] The big band arrangement then commences, and accompanies the two for the rest of the song.[4]

Critical reception[]

Rolling Stone's Jon Blistein described the song as "delightfully classic", and thought that "the two vocalists exude plenty of chemistry".[8] Heran Mamo of Billboard opined that while Gaga's "portion of the first verse does anything but leave us totally cold", Bennett's "beautifully raspy vocals leave his counterpart emotional", and thought that "the full band breathes new life into Cole Porter's classic tune".[9] Helen Brown of The Independent thought that the song revolves around "the mutual appreciation" of the pair for each other, "on which Bennett nails the dizzying internal rhyme scheme of lines such as: 'Flying too high with some girl in the sky is my idea of nothing to do...'"[7] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph found Gaga and Bennett sounding the happiest on the album when they are "diving into the witty wordplay" of "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top".[10] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian thought that the song was evidence that Bennett's health condition didn't seem to affect the chemistry between the duo.[11] Athena Serrano from MTV noted that "Bennett doesn't fail to deliver his strong vocals even at 95."[12] While reviewing the album, Robin Murray of Clash wrote that "Love For Sale hinges on the neat chemistry between the two, their nimble performances fuelling a later turn on 'I Get A Kick Out Of You'."[13] The song is nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[14]

Music video[]

The accompanying music video premiered on MTV on August 6.[15] It begins with Bennett saying "All set", and Gaga laughing and stating that "Tony's always ready".[4] It then shows Bennett and Gaga recording the song, while they smile at each other and hug several times emotionally.[9][16] Gaga appears wearing a simple black dress, while Bennett wears a blue suit and tie.[4][17] The video shows Bennett snapping his fingers, lending several thumbs up to the instrumental proceedings, and winking at Gaga.[4] At one moment of the video, Gaga rests her head on Bennett's shoulder, while another part shows a closeup of Gaga, revealing tears in her eyes.[17] The video had a positive reception, with critics calling it "heartwarming", "emotional" and "sweet".[9][16][18] It received a nomination in the Best Music Video category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[14]

Release history[]

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various August 3, 2021 (2021-08-03)
[3]
Italy September 17, 2021 (2021-09-17) Contemporary hit radio Universal
[19]

Other covers[]

  • In 1968 schlager singer Hildegard Knef released a version of the song with German lyrics by Mischa Mleinek called "Nichts haut mich um, aber du" ("Nothing knocks me over but you").[20]
  • In 1974, Australian singer Gary Shearston released a very '20s/30s style' version. Issued on the Charisma label it entered the UK singles chart on October 5, 1974, and had an eight week run the charts with a peak position on No.7.

References in popular culture[]

The popular children's television show Sesame Street once did a parody of this song about the letter U performed by Ethel Mermaid, a fishy spoof of Ethel Merman. In the song, Ethel sings about how none of the other letters in the alphabet give her more joy than the letter U, backed up by a school of fish. A shark gets too close to her while she sings and is continuously smacked away by her tail.[21]

The 1974 film Blazing Saddles features the song (called "I Get No Kick from Champagne") led by Bart (Cleavon Little) and his fellow railroad workers at the request of Lyle (Burton Gilliam) for a work song, but Lyle interrupts and suggests that "Camptown Races" is a better work song. Bart sings the first line of the controversial "cocaine" verse before being interrupted.

In 1982, Swedish rock group Gyllene Tider released the song Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång (The Girl In A Cole Porter Song) on the album Puls, written by frontman Per Gessle. That song contains the title riff from I Get A Kick Out Of You at the start and end. It reached the top of the music charts in Denmark, for all the lyrics were in Swedish; the song's popularity was such that it was a mainstay on compilations and concerts, including Gyllene Tider's 40th anniversary.

In Kenneth Branagh's 2000 musical film adaptation of Love's Labour's Lost, Don Armado, played by Timothy Spall, sings the song in an exaggerated Castilian accent.

In the song "One Beer" from his 2004 album Mm..Food, rapper MF Doom parodies the first verse of the song, concluding it with "I get a kick out of brew."

In Kenneth Branagh's 2017 version of Murder on the Orient Express the song is used without lyrics, starting from the scene where the train is exiting the tunnel into the mountains in the morning, to the passengers dining and sipping champagne. Although most famously sung by Ethel Merman this Leo Reisman version from 1935 was sung by Sally Singer but is never heard unless searched online.

In The Rotters' Club TV Mini-Series (2005) made by the BBC the song was used as The Birmingham pub bombings were carried out on 21 November 1974 by the IRA.

References[]

  1. ^ Cole. Robert Kimball, ed. and Brendan Gill. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1973. p. 122.
  2. ^ Frank Sinatra. The Best of the Capitol Years, Capitol Records, 1992. This compilation has the "cocaine" lyric.
  3. ^ a b Young, Alex (August 3, 2021). "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga announce new collaborative album Love For Sale". Consequence. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Amorosi, A.D. (August 6, 2021). "Tony Bennett Croons as Lady Gaga Coos in Video for Cole Porter Classic 'I Get a Kick Out of You'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  5. ^ Colapinto, John (February 1, 2021). "Tony Bennett's Battle With Alzheimer's". AARP the Magazine. Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  6. ^ Cragg, Michael (October 3, 2021). "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Love for Sale review – a fond farewell". The Observer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Brown, Helen (May 30, 2020). "Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett review, Love for Sale: Duo's chemistry crackles against the odds". The Independent. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Blistein, Jon (August 3, 2021). "Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga Tease New Album With Classic Rendition of 'I Get a Kick Out of You'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c Mamo, Heran (August 6, 2021). "Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett Take Us Inside the Studio With Sweet 'I Get a Kick Out of You' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  10. ^ McCormick, Neil (September 30, 2021). "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Love for Sale, review: where jazzy riffing meets velvety purring". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  11. ^ Petridis, Alexis (September 30, 2021). "Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett: Love for Sale review – jazz interloper livens up crooner's swan song". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Serrano, Athena (August 3, 2021). "Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett Are Finally Dropping the Cheek to Cheek Sequel the World Needs". MTV. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  13. ^ Murray, Robin (October 1, 2021). "Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett - Love For Sale". Clash. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  14. ^ a b "2022 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Nominations List". The Recording Academy. November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  15. ^ Wilman, Chris (August 3, 2021). "Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Reveal 'Love for Sale,' Cole Porter Tribute Album Said to Be Bennett's Last". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Nolfi, Joey (August 6, 2021). "You'll cry watching Lady Gaga's emotional new music video with Tony Bennett". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Weisholtz, Drew (August 6, 2021). "Lady Gaga gets teary-eyed in new music video with Tony Bennett". Today. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Daly, Rhian (August 6, 2021). "Watch Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett's heartwarming new video for 'I Get A Kick Out Of You'". NME. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Fontana, Stefano (August 4, 2021). "Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - I Get A Kick Out Of You (Radio Date: 17-09-2021)" (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  20. ^ Hildegardknef.de
  21. ^ "I Get a Kick Out of U"
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