It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (song)

General information
Writer(s)	Duke Ellington Irving Mills
Length	2:23
Cheek to Cheek track listing
	"But Beautiful"
	"But Beautiful"
	—
	—

"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard. The music was written and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at Chicago's Lincoln Tavern and was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett covered the song for their jazz collaborative album, Cheek to Cheek, and is set to be released as a single on December 29, 2014.

Performances

• Live
• Television

Dates	Location	City

2014
July 1	Montreal International Jazz Festival	Montreal
September 5	Harper's Bazaar: NYFW Fete	New York City, NY

Dates	Show	Channel

2014
October 16	Strictly Come Dancing	BBC 1
December 3	Christmas in Rockefeller Center	NBC

Lyrics

It don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It don't mean a thing
All you got to do is sing
(Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It makes no diff'rence
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Ev'rything you got
Oh, it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)

Studio Video

Premiere date November 25, 2014 Director(s) Nicole Ehrlich and Harvey White Fashion director Choreographer N/A Director of photography

Credits

Writer and composer	Duke Ellington and Irving Mills
Piano	Tom Ranier
Tenor sax solo	George Rabbai
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	Sony/ATV Harmony (ASCAP) and EMI Mills Music 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"