They Can't Take That Away from Me

George Gershwin

General Info

Year: 1937 / 2001
Duration: c. 3:35
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Alfred Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts - $87.00 | Score Only - $9.00

Instrumentation

Full Score
Vocal/Piano score
Solo E-flat Alto Saxophone (optional)
Solo B-flat Tenor Saxophone (optional)
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Percussion I-II-III, including:

Drum Set
Suspended Cymbal
Vibraphone

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

They Can't Take That Away from Me is a 1937 popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film Shall We Dance. The song is performed by Astaire on the lonely foggy deck of a ferry from New Jersey to Manhattan. It is sung to Ginger Rogers, who remains silent listening throughout. No dance sequence follows, which was unusual for the Astaire-Rogers numbers. Astaire and Rogers did dance to it later in their last movie The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) in which they played a married couple with marital issues. The song, in the context of Shall We Dance, notes some of the things that Peter (Astaire) will miss about Linda (Rogers). The lyrics include "the way you wear your hat, the way you sip your tea", and "the way you hold your knife, the way we danced till three". Each verse is followed by the line "no, no, they can't take that away from me". The basic meaning of the song is that even if the lovers part, though physically separated the nostalgic memories cannot be forced from them. Thus, it is a song of mixed joy and sadness.

George Gershwin died two months after the film's release, and he was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1937 Oscars but lost out to Sweet Leilani which had been made tremendously popular by Bing Crosby.

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Central Iowa Wind Ensemble (Des Moines) (Christian Carichner, conductor) - 7 May 2023
Charlottesville (Va.) Municipal Band (Stephen R. Layman, conductor) – 18 June 2019
Charlottesville (Va.) Municipal Band (Steve Layman, conductor; Jessica Wiseman, vocal) – 1 November 2016
Arkansas Winds Community Concert Band (Fayetteville) (Michael Ferguson, conductor; Katie Young, vocal) – 4 July 2015
Sinfonisches Blasorchester Böhler Düsseldorf (Germany) 29 November 2014

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

I Got Rhythm (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Story) (1930/2020)
Rhapsody in Blue (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (1924/2020)
Summertime (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Wada) (1934/2018)

All Wind Works

An American in Paris (tr. Krance) (1929/1959)
An American in Paris (arr. Brubaker) (1929/1994)
An American in Paris (arr. Hoshina) (1929/1980)
An American in Paris (arr. Nowlin) (1929/2016)
An American in Paris (arr. Satone) (1929)
An American in Paris (arr. Tamanini) (1929/2015)
An American in Paris (orch. Van Gils) (1929/1994)
But Not for Me (arr. Barker) (1930/1995/2006)
Catfish Row (arr. Hunsberger) (1934/2000)
Concerto for Piano in F (tr. Grofé) (1925/1928)
Concerto in F (arr. Jorge) (1925/2017)
Concerto in F for Piano and Wind Band (arr. Bulla) (1925/2009)
Cuban Overture (arr. Koekelkoren) (1925/1987)
Cuban Overture (arr. Milburn) (1925/)
Cuban Overture (arr. Rogers) (1933/2001)
Embraceable You (arr. Barker) (1930 / 1999)
Fascinatin' Gershwin (arr. Murtha)
Fascinating Rhythm (arr. Bulla) (1924)
Fascinating Rhythm (arr. Del Borgo) (1924/1994)
Fascinating Rhythm (arr. Taylor) (1924/1961/2006)
A Foggy Day in London Town (arr. Ninmer) (1937/)
George by Fred (arr. Frenkel)
George Gershwin (arr. Chase) (1971)
George Gershwin Selection (tr. Bennett) (1947)
Gershwin! (arr. Barker) (1997)
Gershwin: A Medley (arr. Bennett) (1972)
Gershwin by George! (arr. Brubaker) (2015)
A Gershwin Fantasy (arr. Martino) (1991)
Gershwin on Broadway (arr. Moss) (1991)
A Gershwin Portrait! (arr. Higgins) (1985)
A Gershwin Tribute to Love (arr. Heisinger) (2014)
The Great Gershwin (arr. van der Beek) (2018)
How Long Has This Been Going On? (arr. Barker) (1927/2000)
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' (arr. Wagner) (1935/2008)
I Got Rhythm (arr. Davis) (1930)
I Got Rhythm (arr. Story) (1930/2020)
I Got Rhythm (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Story) (1930/2020)
Japanese (arr. Wagner; scored Sandler) (c. 1918/2006)
Liza (arr. Teague) (1929/1944)
The Man I Love (arr. Bergman) (1924)
March from "Strike Up the Band" (arr. Hearshen) (1927/1987)
Overture to "Strike Up the Band" (arr. Matsushiro) (1927)
Porgy and Bess: Selections (arr. Bennett) (1934/1942)
Porgy and Bess (arr. Barnes) (1934/2002)
Porgy and Bess Medley (arr. Hermann) (1934/)
Porgy and Bess Medley (arr. Lowden) (1934/1984)
Rhapsody in Blue (tr. Grofe) (1924/1938)
Rhapsody in Blue (arr. Hunsberger) (1924/1998)
Rhapsody in Blue (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Murtha) (1924/2020)
Rhapsody in Blue (arr. Verrier) (1924/1998)
Rhapsody in Blue (ed. Bañagale) (1924/2023)
Rhapsody in Blue (jazz band) (arr. Grofe) (1924)
Rhapsody in Blue (tr. Tamanini) 1924/2010)
Rialto Ripples (arr. Di Scala) (1917/2013)
'S Wonderful (arr. Barker) (1919/1996)
Second Prelude (arr. Krance) (1927/1964)
Someone to Watch Over Me (arr. Barker) (1926/1995)
Someone to Watch Over Me (arr. Rumbelow) (1926/2006)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Barker) (1927/1981/1997)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Brubaker) (1927/1994)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Moss) (1927/1967)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Nestico) (1927)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Paynter) (1927)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Pegram) (1927/1979)
Strike Up the Band (arr. Schoenfeld) (1927/1956)
Summertime (arr. Custer) (1934/1995)
Summertime (arr. Garcia; ed. Shaw) (1934)
Summertime (arr. Lang) (1934/1959)
Summertime (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Wada) (1934/2018)
Summertime from "Porgy and Bess" (arr. Longfield) (1934/2015)
Swanee (arr. Holcombe) (1919)
The Symphonic Gershwin (arr. Barker) (2011)
They Can't Take That Away from Me (arr. Barker) (1937/2001)
Three Preludes (arr. Norris) (1927/)
Three Preludes (tr. Williams) (1927/2015)
A Tribute to Gershwin (arr. Bullock) (20098)
Walking the Dog (arr. Bourgeois) (1937/2007)

Resources

Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "George Gershwin." Accessed 5 July 2015.
They Can't Take That Away from Hem, Wikipedia Accessed 17 June 2019