I Got Rhythm

"I Got Rhythm" is a piece composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes. The Residents covered the song on their 1984 album George & James (dedicated to the works of Gershwin and James Brown).

History

The song came from the musical Girl Crazy. It was originally written as a slow song for Treasure Girl in 1928 and found another, faster setting in Girl Crazy. Throughout The Residents' youth, several cover versions of the song had mainstream success, most notably a version by Gene Kelly in the 1951 musical An American in Paris, and a version sung by Ella Fitzgerald for her 1959 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook.

Live version

"I Got Rhythm" is the only song from George & James to be performed live by The Residents (although the often-performed single "This is a Man's World" is often associated with the album, and they have quoted the Gershwin tune "Summertime" on other recordings). The song was performed in 1985–1987 during a section of the 13th Anniversary Show dedicated to their more contemporary mid-1980s material. It was left off the first album of the tour, recorded in Japan, and that performance of the song would only surface on a Residents product 40 years later in 2025 with the release of the American Composers Series pREServed set.

List of releases

• George & James (1984)
• Heaven? (1986)
• Live in the USA! 13th Anniversary Tour (1986)
• 13th Anniversary Show - Live in Holland (1987)
• 13th Anniversary Show - Ritz NY - Jan 16, 1986 (2010)
• The 13th Anniversary Show - Cleveland (2014)
• American Composer's Series 1982–1987 (2025)

External links and references

• "I Got Rhythm" on Wikipedia