In part because of his expressive phrasing and graceful interpretation, Astaire was chosen to introduce many now-classic songs, including standards by Cole Porter (example, "Night and Day"), his friend Irving Berlin ("Let's Face the Music and Dance"), Jerome Kern ("The Way You Look Tonight"), Johnny Mercer ("One for My Baby") and George and Ira Gershwin ("They Can't Take That Away from Me").
Fred Astaire is interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery where Ginger Rogers, is located. (http://encyclopaediaoftrivia.blogspot.com/2011/09/fred-astaire.html)
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Fred Astaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our romance is growing flat,
For you like this and the other
While I go for this and that.
Goodness knows what the end will be,
Oh, I don't know where I'm at
It looks as if we two will never be one,
Something must be done.
You say either and I say ether,
You say neither and I say nether,
Either, ether, neither, nyther,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like potato and I like potahto,
You like tomato and I like tomahto,
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part.
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart!
So, if you like pajamas and I like pajahmas,
I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas.
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off.
Let's call the whole thing off!
You say laughter and I say lawfter,
You say after and I say awfter,
Laughter, lawfter, after, awfter,
Let's call the whole thing off!
You like vanilla and I like vanella,
You, sa's'parilla and I sa's'parella,
Vanilla, vanella, Choc'late, strawb'ry!
Let's call the whole thing off!
But oh! If we call the whole thing off,
Then we must part
And oh! If we ever part,
Then that might break my heart
So, if you go for oysters and I go for ersters
I'll order oysters and cancel the ersters
For we know we need each other,
So we better call the calling off off
Let's call the whole thing off
In Let's Call The Whole Thing Off, Fred Astaire laments that his relationship is in trouble as he and his partner cannot agree on anything. He sings that his romance is "growing flat" because his partner likes one thing and he likes another. As the song progresses, he lists various pairs of words that they pronounce differently, such as "either" and "ether", "potato" and "potahto", and "laughter" and "lawfter". He suggests that maybe they should "call the whole thing off" as they cannot seem to agree on anything, but then realizes that if they do, they will have to part ways and that would break his heart.
The song highlights how important it is to learn to compromise and work through differences in a relationship. Instead of calling it quits and giving up on their love, Astaire's character realizes that they need each other and should try to find a way to work through their disagreements. The catchy tune and playful lyrics make for an entertaining and relatable portrayal of relationship challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Things have come to a pretty pass, Our romance is growing flat
Our relationship is in a bad state and losing its spark
For you like this and the other While I go for this and that
We have different preferences and interests
Goodness knows what the end will be, Oh, I don't know where I'm at
I'm not sure where we're headed or what the future holds
It looks as if we two will never be one, Something must be done.
We seem to be incompatible and we need to take action
You say either and I say ether, You say neither and I say nether, Either, ether, neither, nyther
We pronounce words differently and can't seem to agree
Let's call the whole thing off!
We should end our relationship
You like potato and I like potahto, You like tomato and I like tomahto, Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!
We have different ways of saying the same things
But oh! If we call the whole thing off, Then we must part. And oh! If we ever part, Then that might break my heart!
Breaking up would be painful and heartbreaking
So, if you like pajamas and I like pajahmas, I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas.
I'm willing to compromise for the sake of our relationship
For we know we need each other, So we better call the calling off off. Let's call the whole thing off!
We realize that we need each other and should try to work things out
You say laughter and I say lawfter, You say after and I say awfter, Laughter, lawfter, after, awfter, Let's call the whole thing off!
We have different accents and pronunciation that cause confusion and conflict
You like vanilla and I like vanella, You, sa's'parilla and I sa's'parella, Vanilla, vanella, Choc'late, strawb'ry!
We have different tastes and preferences
So, if you go for oysters and I go for ersters I'll order oysters and cancel the ersters For we know we need each other, So we better call the calling off off Let's call the whole thing off
I'm willing to compromise and prioritize our relationship over my personal preferences
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRA GERSHWIN, GEORGE GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lindymckay
Can we all just appreciate that the majority of the dance was taken in ONE SHOT?!?
@Xenophaige_reads
Yup, right task master Mr Astair was. Practiced until he was certain it was perfect.
@ebonyavengerstevenson1321
I can !🤣
@tmeu
Many of Fred Astaire's movie sequences were taken in one whole shot. 😊
@romysales7188
No it took 15 takes to get this they were so bruised by the end that’s y they look the way they do but so fantastic
@PoofyKittyPants
With live sound
@joshcummins3916
Crazy how talented people were back then. The ability to skate, dance, sing, and act all at the same time.
@allglassbreaks
Nothing has changed some of us still are
@bigparl4869
Pure auto tune degenerate filth now. Behold what your generation has rejected and replaced with evil.
@Flamec45
People still are. This is such a boomer take