Born in Gillespie, Illinois, to Navyman-turned-coalminer Homer Keel and his wife, Grace Osterkamp Keel, young Harry spent his childhood in poverty. After his father's death in 1930, he and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook High School at the age of 17 and took various odd-jobs until finally settling at Douglas Aircraft Company, where he became a traveling representative.
At the age of twenty, he was overheard singing by his landlady, Mom Rider, and was encouraged to take vocal lessons. One of his musical heroes was the great baritone Lawrence Tibbett and Howard would later say that finding out that his own voice was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his life. Nevertheless, his first public performance came in the summer of 1941 when he played the role of Samuel the Prophet in Handel's oratorio Saul and David (singing a duet with bass-baritone George London).
Just a couple years after this, in 1943, Harold met and married his first wife, actress Rosemary Cooper. In 1945 Harold briefly understudied for John Raitt in the Broadway hit Carousel, before being assigned to Oklahoma! by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It was during this time, he accomplished a feat that has never been duplicated. He performed the leads in both shows on the same day.
In 1947 Oklahoma! became the first American musical, post-war, to travel to London, England, and Harold went with it. Opening night , 30th April, at the Drury Lane Theatre, the capacity audience (which included the Queen) demanded fourteen encores. Harold Keel was hailed as the next great star and was the toast of the West End.
During the London run, the marriage of Harold and Rosemary ended in divorce, and Harold fell in love with a young member of the show's chorus, dancer Helen Anderson. They married in January 1949 and, a year later, Harold - now called Howard - became a father for the first time to daughter Kaija.
While living in London, Keel made his film debut as Howard Keel at the British Lion studio in Elstree, in The Small Voice (1948), released in the US as Hideout, playing an escaped convict, holding up a playwright and his wife in their English country cottage.
Additional Broadway credits include Saratoga, No Strings, and Ambasador. He appeared at The Muny in St. Louis, MO as General Waverly in White Christmas (2000), Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1996); Emile de Becque in South Pacific (1992), and Adam in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1978).
From London's West End, Howard ended up at MGM making his film musical debut as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun.
Howard's MGM career was to be a frustrating business. MGM never seemed to know quite what to do with him and, outside of plum roles in the films Show Boat, Kiss Me, Kate and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, he was forced into a stream of worthless musicals and B-films. On loan-out at Warner Bros., he played Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane, a highly popular, Oscar-winning musical filmed in 1953, starring Doris Day in one of her most famous screen roles. This was Warner's answer to Annie Get Your Gun, and the film that produced the smash hit number, "Secret Love".
There were two more children born to Howard and Helen, daughter Kirstine in 1952 and son Gunnar in 1955. Soon after, Howard was released from his contract and returned to his first love, the stage.
Sadly, as America's taste in entertainment changed, finding jobs became harder and harder for Howard. The 1960s held little chance for career advancement with a round of nightclub work, b-Westerns and summer stock. Under the strain, Howard began to drink heavily, and his marriage to Helen crumbled. They divorced in 1970.
But 1970 proved to be fortuitous for Howard after all. He was set up on a blind date with airline stewardess Judy Magamoll who was twenty-five years his junior and had never even heard of him. They were married in December 1970 and his drinking problem soon ceased.
By 1980 he had had enough of struggling to find work and he moved his family to Oklahoma, intending to join an oil company. They had barely settled there when Howard was called back to California to appear with Jane Powell on an episode of The Love Boat. While he was there, he was told that the producers of the smash hit television series Dallas wanted to talk to him. After several cameo appearances, Howard joined the show permanently as the dignified, if hot tempered, oil baron Clayton Farlow and his career reached heights it had never seen before.
With his renewed fame, Howard began his first solo recording career at age sixty-four, as well as a wildly successful concert career in the UK. He released an album in 1984 called "With Love", that sold poorly, thus indicating that though the American public were happy to see him as a supporting actor on hit TV show, they were not prepared for a full resumption of his previous stardom.
Even after Dallas he continued to sing, and kept his voice in remarkable shape. In 1994, he and Judy moved to Palm Desert, CA. The Keels were always active in charity events, helping their community and were well loved amongst the residents. In particular, Howard and Judy attended the annual Howard Keel Golf Classic at Mere Golf Club in Cheshire, England, which raised money for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). He attended for many years, up until the year of his death.
Howard died at his home in Palm Desert on November 7, 2004, six weeks after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He is survived by Judy, his wife of thirty-four years, his four children, ten grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. He was cremated and his ashes scattered at various favorite places including Mere Golf Club, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, and in Tuscany, Italy.
Anything You Can Do
Howard Keel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can do anything better than you.
No you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Anything you can be, I can be greater.
Sooner or later I'm greater than you.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
Yes, I am.
No, you're not!.
Yes, I am, Yes, I am!
I can shoot a partridge, with a single cartridge.
I can get a sparrow, with a bow and arrow.
I can live on bread and cheese.
And only on that?
Yes.
So can a rat!
Any note you can reach, I can go higher.
I can sing anything higher than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I CAN!
Anything you can buy, I can buy cheaper.
I can buy anything cheaper than you.
Fifty cents?
Forty cents!
Thirty cents?
Twenty cents!
No, you can't!
Yes, I can,
Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say softer.
I can say anything softer than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
YES, I CAN!
I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker.
I can drink it quicker and get even sicker!
I can open any safe.
Without bein' caught?
Yes.
That's what I thought you crook!
Any note you can hold, I can hold longer.
I can hold any note longer than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can
No, you can't.
Yes, I can
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I CA-A-A-A-N!
Yes, you ca-a-a-an!
Anything you can wear, I can wear better.
In what you wear I'd look better than you.
In my coat?
In your vest!
In my shoes?
In your hat!
No, you can't!
Yes, I can.
Yes, I can!
Anything you can say, I can say faster.
I can say anything faster than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No,you can't.
Yes I can!
I can jump a hurdle.
I can wear a girdle.
I can knit a sweater.
I can fill it better!
I can do most anything!
Can you bake a pie?
No.
Neither can I.
Anything you can sing, I can sing sweeter.
I can sing anything sweeter than you.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't.
Yes, I can.
No, you can't, can't, can't.
Yes, I can, can, can.
Yes, I can!
No, you can't!
The lyrics to Howard Keel's song "Anything You Can Do" are a playful and competitive back-and-forth between two people trying to one-up each other in various tasks such as shooting, singing, buying, and even drinking. Each time one person claims they can do something, the other person responds that they can do it better. The song culminates in a final showdown where each person declares they can do "anything" better than the other.
The lyrics can be interpreted as a playful and fun argument between two people, possibly a romantic couple or close friends, who enjoy teasing each other and trying to one-up each other in a lighthearted way. The song showcases their competitive spirits and desire to prove themselves, but ultimately ends with a friendly resolution as they both realize they have their own unique talents.
Overall, "Anything You Can Do" is a classic song that has been covered by many artists and has become a beloved musical theater number. Its catchy melody, witty lyrics, and playful tone make it a fun and entertaining song to listen to and perform.
Line by Line Meaning
Anything you can do, I can do better.
I'm better than you and can do everything you can, but better.
I can do anything better than you.
I'm superior, so I can outperform you in everything.
No you can't.
You're not capable enough to do it better than me.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I am really capable of doing things better than you.
No, you can't.
You're just not good enough to beat me.
Yes, I can.
Yes, I am really good enough to beat you.
Yes, I can, Yes, I can!
I'm really confident that I can do anything you can do and better.
Anything you can be, I can be greater.
I can be greater than you in whatever it is that you are trying to do or be.
Sooner or later I'm greater than you.
Eventually, I will surpass you in everything.
No, you're not.
You're not greater than me, definitely not.
Yes, I am.
Yes, I am a lot greater than you.
No, you're not!.
You're just not at par with me.
Yes, I am, Yes, I am!
Yes, I am very sure that I am greater than you.
I can shoot a partridge, with a single cartridge.
I can accurately shoot birds with just one bullet.
I can get a sparrow, with a bow and arrow.
I can catch birds using a bow and arrow.
I can live on bread and cheese.
I can sustain myself on just bread and cheese.
And only on that?
Seriously, you can only live on bread and cheese?
Yes.
Yes, just bread and cheese and nothing else.
So can a rat!
Even a rat can live like that, no big deal.
Any note you can reach, I can go higher.
My vocal range is higher than yours, and I can sing higher notes than you.
I can sing anything higher than you.
I can outperform you in singing any high pitch note.
No, you can't.
There's no way you're better at singing higher notes than me.
Yes, I CAN!
Yes, I am superb at singing higher notes than you.
Anything you can buy, I can buy cheaper.
I can get anything you get at a cheaper price.
I can buy anything cheaper than you.
Whenever it comes to buying anything, I always find an option that is more affordable than your pick.
Fifty cents?
Can you get it for 50 cents?
Forty cents!
Actually, I can get it for 40 cents.
Thirty cents?
Yeah, I can get it even for 30 cents.
Twenty cents!
And you bet, I can get it for 20 cents.
No, you can't!
I don't think you can get it that cheap.
Yes, I can,
Yes, I can and yes, I will.
Yes, I can!
There's no denying that I am sure about my capability to outdo you here.
Anything you can say, I can say softer.
I can speak anything you say, but in a softer tone.
I can say anything softer than you.
Whenever you speak, I can match your words while making my voice much softer.
YES, I CAN!
Yes, I surely can make it sound even softer.
I can drink my liquor faster than a flicker.
I can gulp down my drink with extreme speed, and even faster than a flicker of an eye.
I can drink it quicker and get even sicker!
I can down my drinks even faster and get even more drunk than you.
I can open any safe.
I'm an expert safe-cracker and can open any safe without getting caught.
Without bein' caught?
Wait, you can do it without being caught?
That's what I thought you crook!
You thought I was a crook, but I'm just an expert at opening safes.
Any note you can hold, I can hold longer.
I can hold any note longer than you.
I can hold any note longer than you.
Whenever you hold a note, I can hold that note for an even longer period.
Yes, I can
Yes, it's absolutely possible for me to do that.
Yes, I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I CA-A-A-A-N!
Definitely and surely yes, I definitely can.
Yes, you ca-a-a-an!
Oh yes, you can too.
Anything you can wear, I can wear better.
I can always wear anything you put on much better than you.
In what you wear I'd look better than you.
Even if you wear something that looks good, I can guarantee it will look better on me.
In my coat?
What about my overcoat?
In your vest!
I'd look better in your vest than you!
In my shoes?
Would I look better in your shoes too?
In your hat!
I'm pretty sure I would look better in your hat than you do.
Anything you can say, I can say faster.
I can always speak faster than you, no matter what.
I can say anything faster than you.
Whatever you say, I can take it up a notch and say it much quicker.
No,you can't.
There's just no way you can beat me at this.
Yes I can!
Yes, I am more than capable of outrunning you in this too.
I can jump a hurdle.
I can jump over hurdles without any mistake.
I can wear a girdle.
I can wear tight belts and still be comfortable and look good.
I can knit a sweater.
I can knit sweaters and any knitwear with ease.
I can fill it better!
Moreover, I can also fill the knitwear better than you.
I can do most anything!
I'm an expert in many things and can accomplish most things.
Can you bake a pie?
How about baking pies?
No.
I may not excel at baking pies.
Neither can I.
Neither can I, don't worry.
Anything you can sing, I can sing sweeter.
I can make anything you sing sound way sweeter.
I can sing anything sweeter than you.
Getting you outdone with singing is my superpower.
No, you can't, can't, can't.
You cannot sing sweeter than me, not even close.
Yes, I can, can, can.
And the more you challenge me, the more I am certain that I can outdo you in singing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind