Origins: There's No Business Like Show Business

Subject: RE: Origins: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Mar 20 - 12:25 AM

And then that governor became President Reagan.

Subject: RE: Origins: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 07:15 PM

Hi, Jim - Irving Berlin died in 1989 at the age of 101. It's my understanding that Irving Berlin held the rights to his songs VERY tightly during his lifetime, which is why his songs weren't found in fakebooks and such. It may be that Allan Sherman encountered resistance from Irving Berlin, and gave up and chose another tune. Sure seems like "Our New Governor" was meant to be a parody of the Irving Berlin song.
-Joe-

On the legalities of parodies: https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/does-a-parody-require-a-license-or-royalty-payment-142603.html

Subject: RE: Origins: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 06:42 PM

I was once in a production of "Annie Get your Gun" and still have my vocal score. Jim's transcription of the lyrics is very very close: 3 very minor differences, but not worth worrying about!

Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S NO GOVERNOR LIKE OUR NEW GOVERNOR
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 05:35 PM

Although this song is obviously inspired by "There's No Business Like Show Business," it is not sung to the same tune. (Maybe Allan Sherman didn't want to pay royalties to the estate of Irving Berlin?) And it doesn't seem like it could fit to that tune, either.


THERE'S NO GOVERNOR LIKE OUR NEW GOVERNOR
As recorded by Allan Sherman on "Togetherness" (1967)

The man I chose to govern me and twenty million others
Is not from Yale or Harvard; he's from dear old Warner Brothers.
Yesterday they told him he would not go far.
Today in our state capitol we've stuck a movie star.

There's no governor like our new governor.
He sings, he dances; he acts.
He legislates our cares away.
We stand in line to pay
Our income tax.

There's no capitol like our state capitol.
It's lit up like Broadway,
And where our state house used to be,
They've got a big marquee
That seems to say:

He's a star and he's thrilling
And he's humble and he's great
And his agent said he was willing
To give equal billing to the name of our state.
It's in his contract.

There's no governor like our new governor.
He smiles when we are low.
The governor of Michigan's a real nice Joe,
But no one's ever seen him on the late, late show.
There're governors all over who have college degrees.
Ah, but have they got their footprints down at Grauman's Chinese?
There's governors galore in all the newsreel pics.
Ah, but were they in Gold Diggers of 1936?

There's no governor like our new governor.
Stupendous! Colossal! Gee whiz!
And if our state's a turkey and it fades away,
Our new governor's gonna say:
"Movie fans, we're all seceding from the USA!"
Well, that's show biz!

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qDTmfSZ-X0

Subject: RE: Origins: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 05:16 PM

One of my favorite versions was recorded by Mary Hopkin back in the '60s. It's done at a much slower pace.

From the album Post Card

Live version from TV

I think a couple of the lyrics are different, but I still find it haunting and quite memorable.

Jay

Subject: Lyr Add: THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Mar 20 - 04:49 PM

I've pieced the following lyrics together from 3 different recordings. None of them contains all 3 verses and all 3 choruses, but every line appears in at least 2 of the 3 recordings. You can hear them all at the Internet Archive:

by Mel Tormé and his Mel-Tones and Orchestra under the direction of Ray Linn, Musicraft (15099), 1946.

by Bing Crosby, Dick Haymes, and The Andrews Sisters with orchestra directed by Vic Schoen, Decca (40039 A), 1947.

by Betty Hutton, Howard Keel, Louis Calhern, and Keenan Wynn with MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by Adolph Deutsch, MGM (MGM 6071), 1950.


THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS
From the Broadway show "Annie Get Your Gun" by Irving Berlin

The cowboys, the wrestlers, the tumblers, the clowns,
The roustabouts that move the show at dawn,
The music, the spotlights, the people, the towns,
Your baggage with the labels pasted on,
The sawdust and the horses and the smell,
The towel you've taken from the last hotel.

There's no bus'ness like show bus'ness,
Like no bus'ness I know.
Ev'rything about it is appealing,
Ev'rything the traffic will allow.
Nowhere could you have that happy feeling
When you are stealing
That extra bow.
There's no people like show people.
They smile when they are low.
Yesterday they told you would not go far.
That night you opened and there you are.
Next day on your dressing room they've hung a star.
Let's go on with the show!

The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props,
The audience that lifts you when you're down,
The headaches, the heartaches, the backaches, the flops,
The sheriff who escorts you out of town,
The op'ning when your heart beats like a drum,
The closing when the customers won't come.

There's no business like show business,
Like no business I know.
You get word before the show has started
That your fav'rite uncle died at dawn.
On top of that, your pa and ma have parted.
You're brokenhearted,
But you go on.
There's no people like show people.
They don't run out of dough.
Angels come from ev'rywhere with lots of jack,
And when you lose it, there's no attack.
Where could you get money that you don't give back?
Let's go on with the show!

The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause.
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye
For anything theatrical, and why?

There's no business like show business,
If you tell me it's so.
Trav'ling through the country will be thrilling,
Standing out in front on op'ning nights,
Smiling as you watch the benches filling,
And see your billing
Up there in lights.
There's no people like show people.
They smile when they are low.
Even with a turkey that you know will fold,
You may be stranded out in the cold.
Still, you wouldn't change it for a sack of gold.
Let's go on with the show!
Let's go on with the show!

Subject: RE: There's No Business Like Show Business
From:
Date: 09 Jun 99 - 04:21 PM

Copies unavailable in Levy collection.

Subject: RE: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: Marion
Date: 09 Jun 99 - 10:52 AM

Here's how I remember it:

The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye
For anything theatrical and why?...

There's no business like show business,
Like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing
Anything the traffic will allow
Nowhere can you get that happy feeling
When you are stealing
That extra bow, there's...
No people like show people
They smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold
You may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn't trade it for a sack of gold
Let's go on with the show!

It's been a long time since grade school choir when I learned this, so I can't guarantee the lyrics, but it's mostly right.

Subject: RE: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: Frank
Date: 09 Jun 99 - 02:43 AM

Does anyone have the lyrics for this great song?

Subject: There's No Business Like Show Business
From: Frank
Date: 09 Jun 99 - 02:41 AM

Subject: RE: There's no business like show business
From: Peter T.
Date: 10 Oct 98 - 02:09 PM

It is all words and music by Irving Berlin, from Annie Get Your Gun (late 1940s). Ethel Merman sang it first on Broadway (not to be confused with the various film ripoffs). Yours, Peter T.

Subject: There's no business like show business
From: Barb
Date: 10 Oct 98 - 01:48 PM

Is this a Gershwin tune??