Ask Me Again

Ask Me Again is an obscure George & Ira Gershwin song. To borrow a bit of history from the Gershwinfan.com site, it was written in the late 1920s or early 1930s.

It's said that Rosemary Clooney was likely the first one to have sung it. But the sheet music was buried until about 1983.

Michael Feinstein, who is credited in finding rediscovering this tune, says that Ira Gershwin considered this song the best of the unpublished George and Ira Gershwin collaborations.

Introduced on Broadway in David Merrick's 1990 revival of Oh, Kay! by Brain Mitchell (Jimmy) and in the 'new' 1991 version of the Merrick "Oh,Kay" by directed by on Richardson.

In 1991 it was published in sheet book called "Rediscovering Gershwin", and the book I have checked out of one of my libraries in town is The New 50 Golden Rediscovered Gershwin Classics.

Recently, on Satellite Radio, we heard Nancy LaMott's rendition of "Ask Me Again". My spouse had me listen to it, and I had to concur, that it was a lovely song. Many of you know who read my blog a couple of weeks ago that I asked Elizabeth if she had heard of LaMott, and she had, but not her music formally. LaMott is no longer with us, but she recorded a lot of music before surcoming to ovarian cancer 10 years ago in December. And the next LaMott CD is supposed to include this song, "Ask Me Again", as the title cut.

I am going to hand type the words here.

Ask Me Again
Who's the One I've Begun to Adore
Ask Me Again
Who's the partner my clamors for

Who is the one who has me tied in a bow tie know
So that I know not
Just where I'm at

Who is it makes my friends find
that I've a one track heart and mind?

Ask me again
Let me tell how I fell from the start
One Look and then
Couldn't govern the love in my heart

Who is it
I looked high and low
for whom I will care for my whole life through

Please ask me again, let me shout to the world--It's you--you!

This post is dedicated to all who have found such people in their lives, but mostly to John and Elizabeth, who are visible to us in this way. Just like the Gershwins and Nancy LaMott, they have engaged our hearts and minds. I will be traveling on JRE's birthday , so this is my early b-day wish for him. I hope he gets to play this song on his and Elizabeth's upcoming 30th anniversary next month too.

Note: this was originally posted at OAC, but I removed it and decided to put it here. Other than JRE News Roundup volumes, ranting diaries are in vogue at OAC at the moment. It's good time to take a break from there.