I Got Rhythm

Jazz era anthem

"I Got Rhythm" is a 1930 song by George and Ira Gershwin, introduced by Ethel Merman in the musical *Girl Crazy*.

Its chord progression became so foundational to jazz that musicians call it "rhythm changes"—a harmonic framework second only to the blues as a basis for improvisation and new compositions.

They're playing rhythm changes in B-flat.

GershwinComposing brothers' surname
jazzImprovisational American music genre
swingSuspended recreational seat
big bandLarge jazz ensemble
swing era1930s-40s jazz dominance

George Gershwin · syncopation · beat · tempo · groove · finger snapping · toe tapping · melody · Broadway · standards · improvisation · bebop · pulse · snapping · tapping · scat · piano · horns

Opposites

musical tempo and energy

I Got Rhythmballad

Narrative poem or song

torch song · dirge · funeral march · My Funny Valentine · lament

emotional tone and mood

I Got RhythmStrange Fruit

Song about Southern lynchings

Mood Indigo · Ain't No Sunshine · tears · despair · blues

rhythmic confidence vs. awkwardness

I Got Rhythmtwo left feet

Inability to dance

arrhythmia · offbeat · stumbling · uncoordinated · rhythmless

Family

got, rhythm, gotten, rhythmic, rhythmical, rhythmically, rhythms, polyrhythm, arrhythmia

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Mostly American · Timeless · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G