Begin the Beguine

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"Begin the Beguine" is a song written by Cole Porter and introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee (1934). It was popularized and made famous by a best-selling record in 1938 by Artie Shaw and his orchestra (Bluebird). Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell created a celebrated dance to an instrumental version in Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940), and the song was featured in the closing moments of Night and Day (1946). The song was revived in 1981 by Julio Iglesias and became a major hit across Europe. The Andrews Sisters also had a major hit with this song

Since "begin" and "beguine" are often pronounced the same by some people, it is common to see the song's title misspelled as "Begin the Begin" - this was used by R.E.M. as the title to a track on Lifes Rich Pageant. In the movie De-Lovely about Cole Porter, the song was also featured.

"Begin the Beguine" was referenced in the 1968 animated movie, "Yellow Submarine":

   Jeremy: I must complete my bust, two novels, finish my blueprint, begin my beguine.
   John: Hey, Jeremy, must you always talk in rhyme?
   Jeremy: Ha-ha! If I spoke prose, you'd all find out, I don't know what I talk about! 

Preceded by: "Under Pressure" by Queen & David Bowie

UK number one single (Julio Iglesias version) November 29, 1981

Succeeded by: "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League