"Fine and Dandy" is a

popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

from the 1930

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

musical of the same name.

Composition

The music was written by

Kay Swift Katharine Faulkner "Kay" Swift (April 19, 1897 – January 28, 1993) was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a hit musical completely. Written in 1930, the Broadway musical '' Fine and Dandy'' includes s ...

, the lyrics by Paul James (a pseudonym of James Paul Warburg). The song was published in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

. The song was introduced in the musical of the same name in 1930, by the characters Joe Squibb and Nancy Ellis. It has since become a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

. A take-off using the same chord structure but a different melodic line was recorded by

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

and called "Keen and Peachy".

Recordings

*1930 Arden-Ohman Orchestra (vocal by

Frank Luther Frank Luther (born Francis Luther Crow, August 4, 1899 – November 16, 1980) was an American country music singer, dance band vocalist, playwright, songwriter and pianist. Early life Born on a farm near Lakin, Kansas, 40 miles from the Colorad ...

) *1930

the Dorsey Brothers The Dorsey Brothers were an American studio dance band, led by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording in 1928 for OKeh Records. History The Dorsey Brothers recorded songs for the dime store labels (Banner, Cameo, Domino, Jewel, Oriole ...

Orchestra (vocal:

Scrappy Lambert Harold "Scrappy" Lambert (May 12, 1901 – November 30, 1987) was an American dance-band vocalist who appeared on hundreds of recordings from the 1920s to the 1940s. At Rutgers University, he was a cheerleader and played piano for a jazz gr ...

) *1950

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and His All Stars - recorded on April 26, 1950 for Decca Records, catalog No. 27189. *1951

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

- included in the album '' Lullaby of Broadway''. *1955 Ralph Gari - included in the album Ralph Gari - EmArcy (MG-36019) https://archive.org/details/lp_ralph-gari_ralph-gari/disc1/01.06.+Fine+And+Dandy.mp3 *1955

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self-proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

- for her album, ''

This Is Anita ''This is Anita'' is a reissue of ''Anita'', a 1956 album by Anita O'Day that was re-released in 1962.Neal Umnphred, ''Goldmine's Price Guide to Collectible Jazz Albums, 1949-69'', Iola, WI: Krause, 1994, pp. 378, 379. It was arranged and conduc ...

'' (1955) *1956

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

recorded the song in 1956 for use on his

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

and it was subsequently included in the box set ''The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56)'' issued by

Mosaic Records Mosaic Records is an American jazz record company and label established in 1982 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie. It produces limited-edition box sets. The sets recordings are leased from the major record companies, usually for a three- or f ...

(catalog MD7-245) in 2009. *1957

Eydie Gormé Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who achieved notable success in pop, Latin, and jazz genres. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on a ...

- for her album ''Eydie Gormé''. *1958

Jane Russell Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, model, and singer. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s and starred in more than 20 films throughout her career. R ...

- included on her album ''Jane Russell''. *1964

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

recorded it for her album, ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

''.

In popular culture

New York weatherman

Tex Antoine Herbert John Antoine Jr. (April 21, 1923 – January 12, 1983), known professionally as Tex Antoine, was an American weatherman on New York City television for nearly three decades. He also served for many years as a radio announcer. Early l ...

used this as his theme music for many years. The tune was used by

Art Metrano Arthur Metrano (September 22, 1936 – September 8, 2021) was an American actor. He was noted for his role as Lt./Capt./Cmdt. Mauser in '' Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment'' and '' Police Academy 3: Back in Training''. Career Metrano's f ...

(as the Great Metrano) in his act, which consisted of an inept magician performing inane tricks while chanting the refrain over and over. The arcade game ''

Blueprint A blueprint is a reproduction of a technical drawing or engineering drawing using a contact print process on light-sensitive sheets introduced by Sir John Herschel in 1842. The process allowed rapid and accurate production of an unlimited number ...

'' uses this song as one of the level soundtracks, starting with the first level. The ''

Newhart ''Newhart'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 25, 1982, to May 21, 1990, with a total of 184 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons. The series stars Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as an author and his wife, respe ...

'' Season 4 episode "Will the Real Dick Loudon Please Shut Up?" ends with a quick song and dance performance.

References

External links

"Fine and Dandy" at jazzstandards.com
{{Authority control Songs with music by Kay Swift Songs with lyrics by James Warburg 1930 songs Barbra Streisand songs