Talk:I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby

Lady Gaga?!
I realize that for many under the age of 30, Lady Gaga is the be-all-and-end-all of popular music, but that does not merit half of this article being devoted to her duet rendition with Tony Bennett. This song is a staple of the Great American Songbook, and has been for the better part of a century. As such, some of the greatest American singers have put their stamp on it — in many cases, singers whose talents marked watershed moments in the interpretation of the American popular song (regarding this song, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald are merely the tip of the iceberg). And yet, half the article is devoted to Lady Gaga. This smacks of the worst of the word, fan: fanatic, slavish devotion to a particular celebrity. It is hardly representative of an encylopedic approach to the subject matter. — Spike  Toronto  04:04, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett released the song as a single, that warrants enough inclusion and material. It is the rest of the article which is crap and that should be expanded. There is a recentism tag placed until such development takes place. So calm your nerves. — Indian: BIO  · [ ChitChat ] 04:09, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * My nerves are quite calm, thank you. If the Wikipedia jazz editors are content with this version of the article, I can surely live with it. Notice I didn’t revert or alter the text? But, editorially, the Lady Gaga stuff is overly long and overly representative of one performance of the song, a rendition that, in time, will most likely be but a footnote in the history of the Great American Songbook. — Spike  Toronto  04:18, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Good to know that, and the Great American Songbook is not the end-be-all for complete representation. And FYI its not just a Lady Gaga version, there's a much acclaimed artist Tony Bennett also. And they officially released it as a single, for retail sale as well promoted it. Enough reason to warrant a sizable section per WP:NSONGS. As I said, it is the previous versions which require expansion, check the song "Fever" or "Nature Boy". — Indian: BIO  · [ ChitChat ] 04:22, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Nope. Recourse to the alphabet soup of Wikipedia rules and guidelines won’t justify the space given to Gaga. It’s not that I have anything against the performer: She’s been awesome, both for her impact in the music industry and even for furthering social change. Moreover, when I first became aware of the Bennett/Gaga duets, my immediate reaction was to be extremely chuffed over the impact it could have reviving the Great American Songbook — much as Ella Fitzgerald’s Songbook albums had done when they began in the mid-1950s. But, objectively, the space given to this one performance has the effect of dimishing the importance of those that came before, and from artists who lived in jazz, who didn’t just visit it from time to time. For example, the Gaga section, as it currently stands has info that is not needed (e.g., the background section). Even the critical response section could be reduced to one or two short sentences with links via references to several actual reviews that the reader can click to follow, on his/her own. It just seems that, in terms of balance, the “recent” side breaks the teeter totter. Thanks for listening, IndianBio. — Spike  Toronto  04:44, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * I understand your point, but could you not wait and see how it develops? I linked you to "Nature Boy" or "Fever" above and I'm working on this article plus "Anything Goes". This is not a case of WP:UNDUE when we give importance without backing it up with third party representation in media. I will reiterate my point, it is Frank Sinatra and Ella's versions and the other per songbook which needs expansion. And FYI, instead of all these discussion I would appreciate if you can help with the expansion. I can do only so much and books are not always available in Google. — Indian: BIO  · [ ChitChat ] 04:52, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

It’s a Wikipedia ethos that any possibly controversial changes to an article should be discussed first. That’s why I’m here on the talk page: I figured any change to Lady Gaga material could cause a riot. — Spike  Toronto  05:02, 12 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Thanks, so lets see how it develops. — Indian: BIO  · [ ChitChat ] 05:14, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Cat Food Commercial?
I seem to remember a cat food commercial (late 1970s) with the actor Frank Campanella singing the song to a cat. Cannot find any confirmation of this online. Does anyone remember the commercial, or have any other evidence of it?Lafong (talk) 23:46, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Steinway Tunnel
This makes no sense to me: "...McHugh and Fields rushed to a nearby Steinway Tunnel...". In 1937 Tiffany's was at 37th street and the Steinway Tunnel ran under 42d, so I guess you could say it was nearby. But why would they rush off to a subway tunnel to write a song? Wouldn't it make more sense to run off to a Steinway piano? Or maybe to a subway station that would take you through the Steinway tunnel to get to a place where you could write? But if that's the case it's a really strange way to put it. Most people would say "rush off to the Grand Central to catch a crosstown train" for example. GA-RT-22 (talk) 00:37, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

And another one: What is a "vocal both"? Is that a typo or does it refer to "both" Gaga and Bennett? GA-RT-22 (talk) 19:13, 25 October 2021 (UTC)

Sheet Music
The song was renewed in 1956, but here is sheet music for it for a violin available at the Cleveland Public Library. Should be free to upload to Wikimedia Commons come January 1, 2024. SDudley (talk) 01:23, 13 November 2023 (UTC)