I Won't Dance (song)

General information
Writer(s)	Jerome Kern Oscar Hammerstein II Otto Harbach
Length	3:56
Cheek To Cheek track listing
	"Firefly"
	"Firefly"
	"They All Laughed"
	"They All Laughed"

"I Won't Dance" is a song composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, for the 1934 London musical Three Sisters. However, Three Sisters flopped and was quickly forgotten, so when the time came to film the Kern-Harbach musical Roberta, the song was interpolated into the film. It became such a hit that it is now included in all stage revivals and recordings of Roberta.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett covered the song for their jazz collaborative album, Cheek to Cheek.

Performances

• Television

Dates	Show	Channel

2014
October 24	Cheek to Cheek LIVE!	PBS

Lyrics

[Tony Bennett]
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, Madame with you

My heart won't let my feet do things that they should do
You know what? You're lovely

[Lady Gaga]
And so what? I'm lovely

But oh, what you're doing to me?
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor

[Tony Bennett]
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle

[Lady Gaga]
Especially when we do the Continental

[Tony Bennett]
But this feeling isn't purely mental

[Both]
For Heaven rest us, we are not asbestos

[Tony Bennett]
And that's why I won't dance, why should I?

[Lady Gaga]
I won't dance, how could I?

[Both]
I won't dance, merci beaucoup
We know that music leads the way to romance

So if I hold you in my arms
I won't dance

[Lady Gaga]
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Especially when we do the Continental

[Tony Bennett]
But this feeling isn't purely mental

[Lady Gaga]
Oh really

[Tony Bennett]
Oh Heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos

[Lady Gaga]
And that's why I won't dance, why should I?

[Tony Bennett]
I won't dance, how could I?

[Both]
I won't dance, merci beaucoup
We know that music leads the way to romance

So if I hold you in my arms

[Tony Bennett]
I won't dance

[Lady Gaga]
I won't dance

[Tony Bennett]
I won't dance

[Lady Gaga]
I won't dance

[Tony Bennett]
I won't

[Both]
Dance, dance, dance

[Lady Gaga]
I won't dance

[Tony Bennett]
Dance

Credits

Writer and composer	Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II
Piano	Tom Ranier
Tenor sax solo	Joe Lovano
	Brass
Brass arranged and conducted	Marion Evans
Alto Sax	Lawrence Feldman and Lou Marini
Tenor Sax	Dave Mann & Andy Snitzer
Baritone Sax	Ronald Janelli
Trumpets	Tony Kadleck, Bob Millikan, John Owens and Budd Burridge
Tenor Trombone	Mike Davis, Larry Farrell and Keith O'Quinn
Bass Trombone	George Flynn
Publishing	Aldi Music Co,pany (ASCAP), c/o Shapiro Bernstein & Co., Inc (ASCAP) Cotton Club Publishing (ASCAP) and Universal Polygram International Publishing inc. (ASCAP)

Era Discography Videography Performances Cheek to Cheek Tour Fashion Media "Anything Goes" "Cheek to Cheek" "Don't Wait Too Long" "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" "Nature Boy" "Goody Goody" "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" "Firefly" "I Won't Dance" "They All Laughed" "Lush Life" "Sophisticated Lady" "Let's Face the Music and Dance" "But Beautiful" "It Don't Mean a Thing" Bonus tracks: "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" "On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" "The Lady's in Love with You" "The Lady Is a Tramp"