Ascot Gavotte
Frederick Loewe Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ev'ry duke and earl and peer is here
Ev'ryone who should be here is here.
What a smashing, positively dashing
Spectacle: the Ascot op'ning day.
At the gate are all the horses
Waiting for the cue to fly away.
What a gripping, absolutely ripping
Moment at the Ascot op'ning day.
Pulses rushing! Faces flushing!
Heartbeats speed up! I have never been so keyed up!
And second now They'll begin to run. Hark!
A bell is ringing, They are springing Forward Look!
It has begun...! What a frenzied moment that was!
Didn't they maintain an exhausting pace?




'Twas a thrilling, absolutely chilling Running of the
Ascot op'ning race.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frederick Loewe's song, Ascot Gavotte, describe the excitement and anticipation surrounding the opening day of the Ascot race in England. The scene is set with every duke, earl and peer in attendance, creating a spectacle that is positively smashing and dashing. The horses are ready at the gate, with everyone waiting for the cue to fly away. As the moment approaches, the pulses of the attendees begin to race, their faces flushing and their heartbeats speeding up.


As the bell rings to begin the race, the frenzy reaches its peak. The horses spring forward, maintaining an exhausting pace throughout the thrilling and absolutely chilling running of the Ascot opening race. The lyrics capture the excitement and tension of the moment, with the underlying sense of awe and admiration for the horses and their riders.


Overall, the lyrics to Ascot Gavotte celebrate the spectacle and drama of horse racing, capturing the excitement and tension of the opening day at Ascot.


Line by Line Meaning

Ev'ry duke and earl and peer is here
All the important people expected at the event are present.


What a smashing, positively dashing Spectacle: the Ascot op'ning day.
The Ascot opening day is a spectacular and thrilling event that is nothing short of marvelous.


At the gate are all the horses Waiting for the cue to fly away.
The horses are ready to take off as soon as they are signaled.


What a gripping, absolutely ripping Moment at the Ascot op'ning day.
The Ascot opening day is a gripping, exhilarating moment that is absolutely thrilling.


Pulses rushing! Faces flushing! Heartbeats speed up! I have never been so keyed up!
Everyone is feeling excited and nervous, their hearts racing and their faces turning red with anticipation.


And second now They'll begin to run. Hark!
The horses will start running any moment now. Listen!


A bell is ringing, They are springing Forward Look!
The ringing bell signals the start of the race, and the horses begin to run forward.


It has begun...! What a frenzied moment that was!
The race has started, and it is a frantic, frenzied moment filled with excitement.


Didn't they maintain an exhausting pace?
Weren't the horses running at an incredibly fast and exhausting pace?


'Twas a thrilling, absolutely chilling Running of the Ascot op'ning race.
The Ascot opening race was a thrilling and chilling experience that left a lasting impression on everyone who witnessed it.




Contributed by Jack F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@thedandelion157

I have to say I dearly missed the lyrics so I thought it wouldn't hurt to put them here...

Every duke and earl and peer is here
Everyone who should be here is here
What a smashing, positively dashing spectacle
The ascot opening day

At the gate are all the horses
Waiting for the cue to fly away
What a gripping, absolutely ripping
Moment at the ascot opening day

Pulses rushing, faces flushing
Heartbeats speed up, I have never been so keyed up
And second now they'll begin to run,
Hark a bell is ringing, they are springing forward look, it has begun

What a frenzied moment that was
Didn't they maintain an exhausting pace?
'Twas a thrilling, absolutely chilling
Running of the ascot opening race



@zazassia

Ev'ry duke and earl and peer is here
Ev'ryone who should be here is here
What a smashing, positively dashing spectacle: the Ascot op'ning day
At the gate are all the horses
Waiting for the cue to fly away
What a gripping, absolutely ripping
Moment at the Ascot op'ning day
Pulses rushing!
Faces flushing!
Heartbeats speed up!
I have never been so keyed up!
Any second now
They'll begin to run
Hark! A bell is ringing, they are springing forward, look
It has begun!
What a frenzied moment that was!
Didn't they maintain an exhausting pace?
'Twas a thrilling, absolutely chilling running of the
Ascot op'ning race
Source: Musixmatch



@einsteinboricua

Once they start singing, it's safe to say that they're static in their spots. None of them move until they move forward to see the race. Below are bloopers:

0:30 look at the far left side...the wavy-hat lady is in the actual courtyard, with a gentleman in front and one behind her.
0:39 and now she's closer to the sides, with 4 gentlemen behind her (where did they come from)

Notice in that same scene (0:39) the lady in the background with the "teardrop" hat. Her body is facing the left side of the screen and her face is towards us (standing next to a gentleman)
Now look at 0:54...the teardrop hat lady is now next to a group of more women, and no gray gentleman next to her. At least in 1:06, she's still in her same spot.

At 0:30 (again) notice the wavy-hat lady in the front. Move two people to her left (lady with the pointed black hat). Now look to the two ladies behind her (one of them is blocked by the hat but the other, in striped dress, isn't). That BFF pair only has two couples on the sides...notice the one to THEIR left (in between the pointed-hat lady and the lady next to her) and how far they are from the BFF pair.
At 1:09, that couple is suddenly close to the BFF pair. But at 1:17, after they begin moving, the couple next to the BFF pair has disappeared.

Finally:
At 1:24 after they say "Look", they're frozen in place once again. Notice that teardrop-hat lady is just behind and to the left of one of the BFF pair ladies (the one with the "fuzzy Christmas tree hat and stick binoculars).
But, at 1:25 when they remark that it has begin, the BFF pair is nowhere near teardrop-hat lady, even though at 1:38 the BFF pair is now at the fence and should have been visible in the previous scene and the next one.

Of course, magic happens because one of the BFF pair ladies (the one with an umbrella) managed to make it from the courtyard into the roofed part of the courtyard (2:26) in a matter of seconds. And she is clearly popular, what with grabbing champagne with a gentleman and then walking with another lady.

:)



@KimmyQueen

Tidbits for those who care:

1. Gavotte is a French folk dance which adds another dimension to this satirical scene.
2. The Royal Ascot is still ongoing but perhaps not as flamboyantly and yet with much more enthusiasm than in this scene.
3. Audrey Hepburn tried the red headed lady's dress in 1:10 Perhaps as they were trying to see what would fit her great for this scene. They eventually created the famous dress that we all know her in.
4. This is a made up scene for the movie/play, in the original play "Pygmalion" which "My Fair Lady" is based on, the Small Talk moment is conducted in a private home. (Freddy Mother's home). MFL decided that Eliza needed to embarrass herself in a more public arena.
5. Freddy and Eliza end up together in the original play... when the original author heard that in "My Fair Lady" play they have her end up with Higgins he was angry.
6. This was set during the Edwardian Era after the Victorian Era.
7. George Bernard Shaw (the original Pygmalion playwright) in which the MFL play and movie are based on was a bit of a fascist politically and he really did not have great regard for people and humanity. He could be a bit of an asshole and so Higgins and the satire on both the rich and the poor depicted even in this remodeled light hearted version of his play is visible.



All comments from YouTube:

@JenneeWren

I love how Henry is the only one not wearing gray and the only one who ever bumps into anyone. He's totally out of step with high society, awkward, and out of place. And yet HE is the one coaching Eliza. hahahahaha! Perfect. Just perfect symbolism/characterization in this scene. Love it, love it, love it!

@Teddybearboy

It's this sudden realisation of how he himself is a misfit in his own society that makes me love this scene and these old musicals. If this were shot today Henry would be 28, handsome, a total ladies' man and his slight misogyny would be entirely written off purely because of his irreproachable good looks.

@stephaniegittinger7980

And that he needs her as much as she needs him, because what he teaches her isn't nearly as valuable as what she teaches him.

@saxongirl2054

@Dandylion Henry couldn't be 28 because in the original play by Bernard Shaw he was 42. If it was a older woman with a younger man i'm sure you wouldn't mind.

@saxongirl2054

He accepted teach her because he saw as a challenge i don't think he care about high society.

@sarahwarfield7458

@Saxon Girl -given that Shaw meant the play to be a satire of the class system, I suspect part of the appeal to Higgens was the opportunity to make a mockery of high society.

3 More Replies...

@ashtonhatter5179

My favorite part is 2:55 when the two ladies spot one another wearing the same outfit and the lady on the right gives the lady on the left the up down, summarily concludes that she pulled the outfit off better than her counterpart, and turns away in the most superior manner. Utterly iconic.

@SordidGuy

Personally, this is my ABSOLUTE favorite scene from any film ever! The music, choreography, music, wardrobe, music, ALL!!! I'm now 60 and haven't enjoyed any movie scene more......yet!

@kathleenzepeda5713

Absoblumenlutely

@chriss1519

Agreed.

More Comments

More Versions