Get Me to the Church on Time
Encyclopedia
"Get Me to the Church on Time" is a song composed by Frederick Loewe, with lyrics written by Alan Jay Lerner
for the 1956 musical My Fair Lady
, where it was introduced by Stanley Holloway
.
It is sung by the cockney
character Alfred P. Doolittle, a dustman, the father of the show's main character Eliza Doolittle
. He has received a surprise bequest of four thousand pounds a year from an American millionaire, raising him to middle-class respectability. Consequently he feels he must marry Eliza's "stepmother", the woman he has been "living in sin
" with for many years. Doolittle and his friends have one last spree before the wedding and the song is a plea to his friends not to let his drunken merriment forget his good intentions and make sure he gets to his wedding
.
The song contains the memorable lines:
Alan Jay Lerner
Alan Jay Lerner was an American lyricist and librettist. In collaboration with Frederick Loewe, he created some of the world's most popular and enduring works of musical theatre for both the stage and on film...
for the 1956 musical My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, where it was introduced by Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
.
It is sung by the cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
character Alfred P. Doolittle, a dustman, the father of the show's main character Eliza Doolittle
Eliza Doolittle
Eliza Sophie Caird , better known by her stage name Eliza Doolittle, is an English singer–songwriter from London, who signed to the Parlophone record label in October 2008. Her debut self-titled album, Eliza Doolittle was released on 12 July 2010, where it debuted at number 3 in the UK...
. He has received a surprise bequest of four thousand pounds a year from an American millionaire, raising him to middle-class respectability. Consequently he feels he must marry Eliza's "stepmother", the woman he has been "living in sin
Living in Sin
Living in Sin is a song by American rock band Bon Jovi. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi. It was released in 1989 as the fifth single from the band's smash-album New Jersey. It also was the fifth single from New Jersey to chart in the Top 10, allowing Bon Jovi to bear the record for the most songs...
" with for many years. Doolittle and his friends have one last spree before the wedding and the song is a plea to his friends not to let his drunken merriment forget his good intentions and make sure he gets to his wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
.
The song contains the memorable lines:
- I'm getting married in the morning!
- Ding dong! The bells are gonna chime.
- Pull out the stopper!
- Let's have a whopper!
- But get me to the church on time!
Notable recordings
- Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
- Andy Williams Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein (1959) - Stanley HollowayStanley HollowayStanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
- My Fair LadyMy Fair LadyMy Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
(1964) - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- Sinatra at the SandsSinatra at the SandsSinatra at the Sands is a 1966 live album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live at the Copa Room of the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas....
(1966) - Mel TorméMel TorméMelvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
- Mel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dektette - ReunionMel Tormé and the Marty Paich Dektette - Reunion-Track listing:#"Sweet Georgia Brown" - 3:05#"When You Wish upon a Star"/"I'm Wishing" - 2:51#"Walk Between the Raindrops" - 5:44#"The Blues" - 5:18...
(1988)