Isn't It Romantic?

"Isn't It Romantic?"
Song
Published1932 by Famous Music
Songwriter(s)Lorenz Hart
Composer(s)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

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Other film appearances

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References

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