Michael Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, a pianist… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, a pianist, music revivalist, and an interpreter of, and anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. The Library of Congress elected him to the National Sound Recording Advisory Board, an organization dedicated to safeguarding America’s musical heritage.

Change Partners
Michael Feinstein Lyrics

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Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man?
You have danced with him since the music began.
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Can't you see
I'm longing to be in his place?
Won't you change partners and dance with me?

Ask him to sit this one out.
While you're alone,
I'll tell the waiter to tell
him he's wanted on the telephone.

You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.

Won't you change partners and then,
you may never want to change partners again.

Overall Meaning

The song "Change Partners" by Michael Feinstein is a plea from a man to a woman to dance with him instead of her usual dance partner. He asks her if she must dance every dance with the same fortunate man she has been dancing with since the music began. He then pleads with her to change partners and dance with him, as he is longing to be in her current dance partner's place. He questions why she dances so close to her current partner, with their lips touching, and asks if she can't see that he wants to be there instead. The man suggests that she ask her current partner to sit this one dance out, while he takes his place.

In the second verse, the man reveals that the woman has been locked in her current partner's arms for what seems like an eternity. He urges her to change partners just once and see how it feels. He even suggests that she may never want to change partners again after dancing with him.

Overall, the song speaks to the experience of wanting someone who is already taken, and the desire to be with that person even if it means changing partners. The lyrics are emotive and timeless, making the song a classic romantic ballad.

Line by Line Meaning

Must you dance every dance with the same fortunate man?
Do you really have to dance every single dance with that one lucky guy?

You have danced with him since the music began.
You have been dancing with him since the very beginning of the music.

Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Why not give me a chance and partner up with me for a dance?

Must you dance quite so close with your lips touching his face?
Do you really need to dance so intimately that your lips touch his face?

Can't you see I'm longing to be in his place?
Don't you see that I desire to be in his position?

Ask him to sit this one out.
Urge him to take a break from dancing for this particular song.

While you're alone, I'll tell the waiter to tell him he's wanted on the telephone.
While you're dancing with me, I'll have the server inform him that he has a phone call.

You've been locked in his arms ever since heaven-knows-when.
You've been conjoined with him in a dance since nobody knows how long.

Won't you change partners and then, you may never want to change partners again.
Why not alter your dancing partner once and for all, and then maybe you'll never want to swap again?

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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