Stairway to Paradise

Song
"Stairway to Paradise"
Song
LanguageEnglish
Published1922
GenreBroadway song
Composer(s)George Gershwin
Lyricist(s)Ira Gershwin (written under pen name Arthur Francis) and Buddy DeSylva (publishing under pen name B.G. DeSylva)

"Stairway to Paradise", also known as "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", is a song composed in 1922 by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin (under the name Arthur Francis) and Buddy DeSylva (under the name of B. G. De Sylva) for the Broadway revue George White's Scandals.[1][2] Popular recordings in 1922–23 were by Carl Fenton; Paul Whiteman; and by Ben Selvin.[3]

Background

The lyrics make it clear that the "steps" on the stairway are dance steps.

Other recordings

Popular culture

  • In the 1951 American film musical An American in Paris it was performed by Georges Guétary, where it was entitled "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise".
  • The song is heard in the 2004 Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, being sung by Rufus Wainwright, in a scene at the Cocoanut Grove night club set in 1927.[7]

References

  1. ^ "(I'll build a) Stairway to Paradise". Great American Songbook. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  2. ^ "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 520. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  4. ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  6. ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  7. ^ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
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