“Puttin’ On The Ritz” (1982) by Taco

TACO

Puttin’ On The Ritz

written by Irving Berlin

produced by David Parker

July 21st, 2021: the 66th birthday of Indonesia-born, everywhere

else-raised and Dutch-descended Taco Ockerse, who went only by

his first name when he began recording. Happy Birthday, T!!

Taco indeed relocated across much of the globe growing up. He ended up graduating from school in Belgium and studied interior design and acting in Germany, getting started in theater. His theater acting ascended to a professional level around the age of 20. A few years later, he formed a short-lived band called Taco’s Bizz, but was going solo by the early ’80s.

His recording career was handled by PolyGram’s Polydor Records in Germany, where he was making his music, and RCA in North America. Polydor released a couple of German singles in 1981, before Taco hit it especially big with this song, and its accompanying album After Eight the next year. He released four more albums throughout the ’80s, each promoted with singles, though none came close to the initial success he’d enjoyed with “Ritz”/After Eight. So what has Taco been doing all these years since? Well, new and updated versions of “Ritz,” for but one... and performing shows at German gala events. It is nice to know these artists can keep it up in show business eons later.

What I find really interesting about this particular song/version is that, well, obviously, Taco has a huge affinity for show tunes from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s. Just look at some of the other songs he recorded for his debut record: “Singin’ In The Rain,” “La Vie En Rose,” “I Should Care,” and another Irving Berlin classic, “Cheek To Cheek.” (Irving wrote this song, “Ritz,” back in 1927.) The fascinating part is that Taco clearly also favored the style of music he was professionally coming into at his age, new wave/synth-pop. And so that’s the genre reserved for this cover, concocting quite a unique combination. Perfectly 1982.

The After Eight album version runs about 4:45, while the 7” single version is cut down closer to 3:30.

Have notes to add? Let me know!

YT:

full version

music video

1982

Lyrics

If you’re blue, and you don’t know / Where to go to, why don’t you go where fashion sits / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Different types who wear a day coat / Pants with stripes, and cut-away coat, perfect fits / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Dressed up like a million-dollar trouper / Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper (super-duper) / Come, let’s mix, where Rockefellers walk with sticks / Or umb-r-ellas in their mitts / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Have you seen the well-to-do, up and down Park Avenue / On that famous thoroughfare, with their noses in the air / High hats and Arrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars / Spending every dime, for a wonderful time / x1 / x1 / x1 / x1 / x1 / x1 / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Puttin’ on the Ritzzz / Puttin’ on the Ritzzzzzz / Downtown, uptown / Get your kicks, at the Ritz / Dine and wine, but not till nine / The time is right, for us tonight / We can move, move to the rhythm, we can / Moooooove, dance to the rhythm, nice and easy / I want’cha to moooove / Put it on, puttin’ it on, puttin’ it on, puttin’ it on the / R-I-T-Z, how ’bout you and me says / Gotta dance! / Gotta dance! / (If you’re blue, and you don’t know / Where to go to, why don’t you go where fashion sits / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Puttin’ on the Ritz / Puttin’ on the Ritz)/[fade]

first release: After Eight (1982)

audio treated sample

This page was originally made on July 22nd, 2021 and last edited on July 28th, 2021