Treat Me Rough

"Treat Me Rough" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by William Kent in the 1930 musical Girl Crazy.[1] It was later sung by June Allyson in the 1943 film version.[2]

As Larry Starr wrote in his 2010 book on Gershwin, "'Treat Me Rough,' essentially a throwaway comic number that in another composer's hands might have called forth a minimal effort, becomes through Gershwin's artistry a celebration of aggressive rhythmic virtuosity.".[3] The song's lyrics ask a lover to dominate the singer, even to the point of violence ("Keep on beatin' me");[4] writer Dan Dietz referred to it as "perhaps the first musical comedy ode to masochism."[5]

Notable recordings

• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)

References

1. "Girl Crazy". IBDB. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
2. Dick, Bernard F. (2018). That Was Entertainment: The Golden Age of the MGM Musical. University Press of Mississippi. p. 37. ISBN 978-1496817365.
3. Starr, Larry (2010). George Gershwin. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300168624.
4. Kimball, Robert (1993). The Complete Lyrics Of Ira Gershwin. Knopf. ISBN 0394556518.
5. Dietz, Dan (2021). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 426. ISBN 9781538150283.