Getting to Know You (song)

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"Getting to Know You"
Song
Published1951
Composer(s)Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s)Oscar Hammerstein II

"Getting to Know You" is a show tune from the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I. It was first sung by Gertrude Lawrence in the original Broadway production and later by Marni Nixon who dubbed for Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film adaptation. In the show, Anna, a British schoolteacher who has been hired as a governess, sings the song as she strikes up a warm and affectionate relationship with the children and the wives of the King of Siam.

This song is one of the cases during the Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership when Rodgers re-used a melody he had written for an earlier show and then discarded. In this case the melody was a tune he wrote for South Pacific, called "Suddenly Lovely", which he originally intended for the character of Nellie to sing but replaced it with the song "(I'm in Love with) a Wonderful Guy". Mary Martin, the star of South Pacific, who had proposed that Rodgers should cast Yul Brynner as the King, reminded Rodgers of this tune, and so Hammerstein wrote new lyrics to it.

Notable recordings[edit]

Other appearances[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Rodgers and Hammerstein Present Gertrude Lawrence". Discogs.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
  2. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". Bingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "Dinah Shore - Getting To Know You". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  4. ^ "The King and I [Original Movie Soundtrack Recording] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Della Reese With The Kirk Stuart Trio – A Date With Della Reese At Mr. Kelly's In Chicago (Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. ^ "The King and I [1964 Columbia Studio Cast] - 1964 Columbia Studio Cast | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. ^ "For Our Children - Disney | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  8. ^ "The King and I [1992 Studio Cast] - Julie Andrews, John Mauceri, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  9. ^ "The King and I [2000 London Cast] - 2000 London Cast | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 May 2021.

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