Puttin' on the Ritz

About this song

Irving Berlin wrote the song in the 1920s, and it was first used in the 1930 Edward Sloman film of the same name. Fred Astaire made it popular again in the 1940s through the film Blue Skies. Taco Ockerse recorded his version in 1982 with some of the lyrics changed, and it reached the top 10 in several countries, including number one in Switzerland and New Zealand and number four in the US, where it is his only charting single. The music video drew controversy for its use of blackface, and it was banned on several TV networks before an edited version was released.

What it's about

The song is about dressing in expensive clothes to look wealthy and heading out to the town as if you were rich, when you are not. Taco's revised lyrics place this in the expensive areas of a city, such as Park Avenue in Manhattan, rather than Berlin's original Harlem setting.

Fun facts

• It's actually a cover of “Puttin’ on the Ritz by Harry Richman with Earl Burnett and His Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel Orchestra”.
• Sampled in 4 other songs, like “Love In Motion by SebastiAn (FRA) (Ft. Mayer Hawthorne)”.
• Covered 3 times, including “Ritz by Shiny Toy Guns”.
• Written by Irving Berlin.
• Produced by David Parker.