"Shall We Dance"

Deborah Kerr Sings
"Shall We Dance"
from The King and I (1956)

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

The King and I
Film Poster (1956)

Deborah Kerr sings
"Shall We Dance"

Anna (Deborah Kerr) dancing with King (Yul Brenner) in King and I

The King and I
Music Album (1956)

Preface: For Song #22, I've selected "Shall We Dance" sang by Deborah Kerr (dubbed by Marni Nixon) from The King and I (1956), one of my favorite musical movies. The music was written by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1956. It is sung by the characters of Anna Leonowens & the King of Siam, originated on Broadway by Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner respectively. In the 1956 film adaptation of the musical, the song was sung by Marni Nixon, dubbing Deborah Kerr's voice. Anna tries to explain the idea of romance in a simple way to the King. The song is most famous for a sequence charged with romantic tension in which Anna teaches the King to polka. In 2004, Marni Nixon's version finished at #54 in "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs" survey of top tunes in American cinema. Lyrics

We've just been introduced
I do not know you well
But when the music started
Something drew me to your side

So many men and girls
Are in each others arms
It made me think we might be
Similarly occupied

Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music
shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Shall we then say, goodnight
and mean goodbye

Oh perchance
When the last little star
has left the sky
Shall we still be together?
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?

On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance? Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?

Shall we dance?
On a bright cloud of music
shall we fly?
Shall we dance?
Shall we then say, goodnight
and mean goodbye?

Oh perchance
When the last little star
has leave the sky
Shall we still be together?
With our arms around each other
And shall you be my new romance?

On the clear understanding
That this kind of thing can happen
Shall we dance? Shall we dance?
Shall we dance?