Peggy Lee - Why don't you do right
The song tells the narrative of a woman who is complaining about her partner's apparent financial insolvency. She states that he was financially well off in 1922, but now has nothing. She claims it is because he wasted it on other women, and that these lovers will no longer show any interest in him now that he's poor. She claims that he tricked her into a relationship where all he has to offer her is 'a drink of gin'. She ends each verse asking why the man doesn't 'do right' by her, and then throws him out, insisting that he go earn a living in order to support her.
The song has its roots in blues music and deals with themes that were common following the Great Depression and prohibition: the narrator is suggesting that the man is destitute because he has been used by other women, then demands money from him for her benefit.
Peggy Lee recorded this American Blues and Jazz-influenced Pop song on July 27, 1942 in New York with Benny Goodman. It was Lee's first hit single, selling over 1 million copies and bringing her to national attention.
The song was written in 1936 by Kansas Joe McCoy, who originally recorded it as "The Weed Smoker's Dream." McCoy later rewrote the song, refining the composition and changing the lyrics entirely. The new version was titled "Why Don't You Do Right?" and was recorded by Lil Green in 1941.
It was Lil Green's version that prompted Peggy Lee to cover the song. In a 1984 interview she recalled, "I was and am a fan of Lil Green, a great old blues singer, and Lil recorded it. I used to play that record over and over in my dressing room, which was next door to Benny's (Goodman). Finally he said, 'You obviously like that song.' I said 'Oh, I love it.' He said 'Would you like me to have an arrangement made of it?' I said, 'I'd love that,' and he did."
The song tells of a woman who is complaining about her destitute partner's lack of ability to make some money. The topic of financial woes was a common theme following the Great Depression and prohibition.
Other artists who have covered this include Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Johnny Otis, Mel Torme, Kiri Te Kanawa, Ashlee Simpson and, Sinéad O'Connor.
The song was performed by the animated character Jessica Rabbit (voiced by actress Amy Irving) in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
A dance version titled "Why Don't You" by Serbian producer and DJ Gramophonedzie was a 2010 chart hit in the UK.
The lyrics:
You had plenty money, 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
You're sittin' there and wonderin' what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will put you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
If you had prepared twenty years ago
You wouldn't be a-wanderin' from door to door
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
I fell for your jivin' and I took you in
Now all you got to offer me's a drink of gin
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Like some other men do
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