That's Entertainment Lyrics

Song Facts:

• Genre: Show Tune/Musical Theatre


• Lyricists: The song's lyrics were written by Howard Dietz.


• Composer: The music was composed by Arthur Schwartz.


• Album/Show: "That's Entertainment" is from a musical called "The Band Wagon," which was first produced on Broadway in 1931. Dozens of cover versions and other recordings have since followed, with the most famous being from 1953.

Historical Facts: The set phrase, "That's Entertainment," was carried on by the entertainment industry when a compilation of MGM musical film used it as the series name. The series celebrated the golden age of the musicals, of course.

Annotations and Meaning:

"That's Entertainment!" is a lavish tribute to the gamut of emotions and stories that may play out on the stage. It comes as part of a medley of several "show tunes," all delivered by happy-go-lucky characters and represents a verbal salute to the magic of entertainments that run from funny and light-hearted to dramatically touching. The opening lines by Jeffrey are an assertion that everything in life can be mirrored by a show, capturing the real essence of theater like a mirror to human experiences.

This introduction thoroughly sets the stage for a rapid tour through the kinds of scenes that charm viewers, from slapstick comedy to poignant tragedy. "The clown with his pants falling down or the dance that's a dream of romance," shows an alternative variety of performances that can be comedy, drama, or something else, but are mostly in their extreme levels to an extent that would burst the audience with laughter, provoke some crying or sighs.

It rather acts as a strong point toward the implication that entertainment serves as a versatile medium in which any aspect of human emotion or experience can be tapped. Lily, Lester, and Tony throw in additional suggestions for the song, such as "The plot may be hot, purely teeming with sex," or "It could be 'Oedipus Rex,'" suggesting that the plot is either hot or maybe it is taken from the rather ancient play by Sophocles.

The inclusion of all of this diversity comprises the wide variety which theatrical story-telling affords, ranging from modern risqué topics to ancient tragedies that never seem to go out of style. The song is very clever in the way it refers to so many forms and types of entertainment—from Broadway musicals to classical theater à la Shakespeare and the Greek tragedies. It even tips its hat to American jingoism with "the gag might be waving the flag that began with a Mr. Cohan," a nod to the great George M. Cohan, himself.