Let's Face The Music And Dance

Album: Follow The Fleet (1936)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written by Irving Berlin, this was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Follow The Fleet. Astaire plays a Navy sailor who tries rekindle a romance with his former dance partner, played by Ginger Rogers. "Let's Face The Music And Dance" soundtracks a memorable scene in the film as Astaire uses the cautionary love song to woo Rogers into an elegant dance routine. He convinces her to give into the passion of the present moment in the face of an uncertain future, singing:

    There may be trouble ahead
    But while there's moonlight and music
    And love and romance
    Let's face the music and dance
  • This was a #3 hit for Astaire in 1936. That same year, a version by Ted Fio Rito & His Orchestra (with singer Stanley Hickman) peaked at #9.
  • Follow The Fleet yielded two other hit singles written by Berlin: "Let Yourself Go" (#3) and "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket" (#2).
  • Several artists have recorded this, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Mel Tormé, Doris Day, Diahann Carroll, Sammy Davis Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Diana Krall, and Willie Nelson, among others. Tony Bennett also recorded the tune a few times in his career, including a 2014 version with Lady Gaga for their duets album Cheek To Cheek. In 2019, Jeff Goldblum released it as the first single from his jazz album I Shouldn't Be Telling You This, featuring vocalist Sharon Van Etten.
  • This was featured in the 1981 musical drama Pennies From Heaven, starring Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters as Depression-era lovers. At one point, they go to the movies to see Follow The Fleet and imitate the Astaire/Rogers dance number, with Martin lip-synching to Astaire's vocal.
  • Nat King Cole's version (recorded in 1961 for his 1964 album Let's Face The Music! received a lot of attention in the '90s when it was featured in a popular commercial for the British insurance company Allied Dunbar and was used by ice dancers Torvill and Dean in the 1994 Winter Olympics. As a result, the re-issued single peaked at #30 in the UK in 1994.

    Cole's rendition was also used in a 2020 advert for Amazon Prime's two-hour grocery delivery. The ad, titled "Trouble Ahead," shows folks who could benefit from the speedy service in the midst of their culinary mishaps.
  • In 2018, a duet version by jazz singers Todd Gordon and Sunny Kim was used on the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in the episode "Let's Face The Music And Dance."
  • This was used in several movies, including Sing (2016), The Tailor of Panama (2001), Love's Labour's Lost (2000), Meet Joe Black (1998), Faithful (1996), Forget Paris (1995), and Radioland Murders (1994).

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.