Boy Wanted

Song by George and Ira Gershwin

"Boy Wanted" is a 1921 song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the musical A Dangerous Maid (1921). Philip Furia in his 1997 book Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist describes "Boy Wanted" as featuring "by far the most ambitious lyric" in A Dangerous Maid and likens the song to a 'catalog gue song' reminiscent of the work of Gilbert and Sullivan.[1]

The lyrics recount the efforts of four girls describing the ideal qualities of a future partner; in the style of a newspaper advertisement.[1]

The song was reused by the Gershwins for the 1924 British musical Primrose. Ira had heavily revised the lyric in the three years since he had written it, Furia felt this reflected his evolution from an "apprentice to a journeyman lyricist".[1]

Musicologist David Schiff in his 1997 book Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue, wrote that the essence of "Boy Wanted" was its "simplicity". Schiff felt the song was less obviously syncopated than the Gershwins previous efforts yet still "keeps the voice off the downbeat".[2]

## Notable recordings

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* Ella Fitzgerald \- Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959) (first recording)

## References

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1. ^ a b c Philip Furia (24 July 1997). Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist. Oxford University Press. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-0-19-535394-5.
2. ^ David Schiff (25 September 1997). Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue. Cambridge University Press. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-0-521-55953-9.

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George Gershwin

Albums|

* Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Ballets|

* An American in Paris
* Gershwin Piano Concerto
* Three Preludes
* Who Cares?

Operas|

* Blue Monday (1922)
* Porgy and Bess (1935)

Orchestral works|

* Rhapsody in Blue (1924)
* Concerto in F (1925)
* An American in Paris (1928)
* Second Rhapsody (1931)
* Cuban Overture (1932)
* Strike Up the Band (1934)
* Hoctor's Ballet (1937)

Piano compositions|

* Three Preludes (1926)
* French Ballet Class (1937)

Songs|

* "Aren't You Kind of Glad We Did?"
* "(I've Got) Beginner's Luck"
* "Bidin' My Time"
* "Blah Blah Blah"
* "Boy Wanted"
* "Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!"
* "But Not for Me"
* "By Strauss"
* "Clap Yo' Hands"
* "Do It Again"
* "Doin' Time"
* "Embraceable You"
* "Fascinating Rhythm"
* "A Foggy Day"
* "For You, For Me, For Evermore"
* "Funny Face"
* "'The Half of It, Dearie' Blues"
* "He Loves and She Loves"
* "How Long Has This Been Going On?"
* "I Can't Be Bothered Now"
* "I Got Rhythm"
* "I Was Doing All Right"
* "I've Got a Crush on You"
* "Isn't It a Pity?"
* "Just Another Rhumba"
* "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"
* "Let's Kiss and Make Up"
* "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)"
* "Looking for a Boy"
* "Lorelei"
* "Love Is Here to Stay"
* "Love Is Sweeping the Country"
* "Love Walked In"
* "The Man I Love"
* "My Cousin in Milwaukee"
* "My One and Only"
* "Nice Work If You Can Get It"
* "Of Thee I Sing"
* "Oh, Lady Be Good!"
* "Oh, So Nice!"
* "The Real American Folk Song (is a Rag)"
* "'S Wonderful"
* "Sam and Delilah"
* "Slap That Bass"
* "Somebody from Somewhere"
* "Somebody Loves Me"
* "Someone to Watch Over Me"
* "Soon"
* "Stairway to Paradise"
* "Stiff Upper Lip"
* "Strike Up the Band"
* "Summertime"
* "Swanee"
* "That Certain Feeling"
* "They All Laughed"
* "They Can't Take That Away from Me"
* "Things Are Looking Up"
* "Tra-la-la"
* "Treat Me Rough"
* "Walking the Dog"
* "Who Cares?"
* "You've Got What Gets Me"

Tribute albums|

* Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
* By George
* Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book
* Ella Sings Gershwin
* Gershwin Live!
* Gershwin's World
* The Glory of Gershwin
* Ira, George and Joe
* Nice Work If You Can Get It
* Oscar Peterson Plays the George Gershwin Songbook
* Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove
* Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin

Related articles|

* Gershwin Prize
* Ira Gershwin (brother)
* Arthur Gershwin (brother)
* Frances Gershwin (sister)
* Gershwin Theatre

List of compositions by George Gershwin Category:George Gershwin

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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