“Oh, Lady Be Good!” is the title of a popular song, and a jazz standard written by George Gershwin (music) and Ira Gershwin (lyrics) in 1924. It was originally introduced in the Broadway musical Lady, Be Good!, which starred Fred and Adele Astaire, that would run for 330 performances. It opened to generally favourable reviews, with the critics raving about the Astaires’ footwork and the “jazzy” Gershwin score. In 1925 “Oh, Lady Be Good!” went on to become a pop chart hit three times with Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra (1925, instrumental, #2) Carl Fenton and his Orchestra (1925, instrumental, #9) Cliff Edwards (1925, #13)T
he song’s lyrics are quite different from the bouncy, jazz-influenced music. The song’s meaning is open to interpretation, but it generally conveys a sentiment of appreciation or a desire for something to be better. In the context of the musical, it may refer to the characters’ desires for their situation to improve or for a specific person or relationship to be more positive. While not a literal phrase with a fixed meaning, the song’s title and lyrics have a lasting impact on the jazz world and continue to inspire interpretations of its meaning through different performances.
As improvisational vehicles, many songs could not endure the transition from the loose Dixieland style of the “Roaring Twenties” to the smooth, swing sound of the 1930’s. They were dropped from jazz musicians’ catalogues, performances, and recordings and relegated to period collections and speciality bands. There are, however, a handful of songs written in the mid-twenties or earlier that have persisted as the topmost jazz standards: WC Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” (1914); the Ken Casey, Maceo Pinkard, Ben Bernie composition “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1925); and George and Ira Gershwin’s “The Man I Love” (1924) and “Oh, Lady Be Good” (1924). Walter Catlett introduced “Oh, Lady Be Good!” on the stage of the Liberty Theater December 1st 1924.
Lady Be Good was one of several shows in 1924 that represented a significant departure from the romantic operetta style. According to Edward Jablonski’s book Gershwin: A Biography, these pioneering productions were “… brittle in tone, ‘smart,’ characterised by athletic dances, tongue-in-cheek love songs”; in other words, forerunners of the modern musical comedy. “Oh, Lady Be Good!” was one of a dozen songs in the all-Gershwin Broadway score. Also becoming hits were “So Am I,” “Little Jazz Bird,” “The Half of It, Dearie, Blues,” and “Fascinating Rhythm.”
Lady Be Good was also a turning point in the career of Cliff Edwards. Edwards’ ukulele rendition of “Fascinating Rhythm” stole the show and would prove to be the beginning of a string of Broadway appearances for him. Weak dialogue and poor direction spoiled MGM’s 1941 musical, Lady, Be Good! The producers gambled on a number of changes and lost with a different cast (such greats as Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young, and Lionel Barrymore), a different plot, and a different score (except for “Oh, Lady Be Good!” and “Fascinating Rhythm.”)
