Steppin' Out with My Baby
Encyclopedia
"Steppin' Out With My Baby" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin
and introduced in the 1948 musical film
Easter Parade. There it was sung by Fred Astaire
as part of a dance number involving Astaire on stairs and three different dance partners.
Since then the song has been recorded and performed by several artists, most notably Tony Bennett
, in whose treatment it has become a jazz standard
. Introduced as the title song on his 1993 Astaire-themed album Steppin' Out
, a stylish music video
for it garnered some MTV
airplay and was part of Bennett's commercial resurgence at the time. In concert Bennett often turns the song into an instrumental showcase for his band and for his own jazz-influenced singing style, varying the dynamic between the soft, semi-scat
patter and a loud, soaring finish. One such performance was included on his high-selling 1994 MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett
album. Later Bennett recorded it as bonus tracks duets with Michael Bublé
and Delta Goodrem
for his 2006 Duets: An American Classic
album; performed it three times with Christina Aguilera
on his NBC
special An American Classic, Saturday Night Live
, and the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards
in 2007; and in 2011 with Haley Reinhart
in the finale show of American Idol season 10
.
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
and introduced in the 1948 musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
Easter Parade. There it was sung by Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
as part of a dance number involving Astaire on stairs and three different dance partners.
Since then the song has been recorded and performed by several artists, most notably Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, in whose treatment it has become a jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
. Introduced as the title song on his 1993 Astaire-themed album Steppin' Out
Steppin' Out (Tony Bennett album)
Steppin' Out is an album by Tony Bennett, released in 1993.Backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio and themed as a tribute to Fred Astaire, the album continued Bennett's commercial comeback; like the previous year's Perfectly Frank, it achieved gold record status in the United States and in 1994 won the...
, a stylish music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for it garnered some MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
airplay and was part of Bennett's commercial resurgence at the time. In concert Bennett often turns the song into an instrumental showcase for his band and for his own jazz-influenced singing style, varying the dynamic between the soft, semi-scat
Scat singing
In vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. Scat singing gives singers the ability to sing improvised melodies and rhythms, to create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using their voice.- Structure and syllable choice...
patter and a loud, soaring finish. One such performance was included on his high-selling 1994 MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett
MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett
MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett is a live album by Tony Bennett, released in 1994.Backed by his usual Ralph Sharon Trio, Bennett appeared on MTV Unplugged, which despite being a superfluous platform , showcased the Great American Songbook. Rock stars Elvis Costello and k.d...
album. Later Bennett recorded it as bonus tracks duets with Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
and Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
for his 2006 Duets: An American Classic
Duets: An American Classic
-Personnel:* Tony Bennett, guest artists - vocals* Bill Charlap - piano* Pinchas Zukerman - violin* Lawrence Feldman - flute* Chris Botti - trumpet* Paul Langosch - double bass* Gray Sargent - guitar* Harold Jones - drums* Johnny Mandel - arranger, conductor...
album; performed it three times with Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
on his NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
special An American Classic, Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, and the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
in 2007; and in 2011 with Haley Reinhart
Haley Reinhart
Haley Reinhart is an American singer from Wheeling, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois who placed third in the tenth season of American Idol. Reinhart is currently signed to 19 and Interscope Records.-Early life:...
in the finale show of American Idol season 10
American Idol (season 10)
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
.