Music TheoryPrint

George Gershwin

'The Half of It, Dearie' Blues

"The Half of it, Dearie' Blues" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire and Kathlene Martyn in the 1924 musical Lady be Good. In his 1959

Recordings#

  • Fred Astaire with George Gershwin at the piano - Fred Astaire - Complete London Sessions. In this first ever recording of the number, on April 19, 1926, Astaire includes a short tap-dancing section and asks Gershwin: “How’s that, George,” to which Gershwin replies: “That’s fine, Freddy, keep going.”
  • Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)

*Original sheet music Digitized copy in the Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection, Sheridan Libraries and University Museums, Johns Hopkins University.

Composer
George Gershwin