Published 1928 Composer(s) Richard Rodgers | Writer(s) Lorenz Hart | |
"You Took Advantage of Me" is a 1928 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, for the musical Present Arms (1928), where it was introduced by Joyce Barbour and Busby Berkeley as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwell. The characters were formerly married, but still have romantic feelings for each other. On opening night, Berkeley forgot the lyrics and had to scat and hum the entire second verse. Berkeley also claimed that his nonsense lyrics for the improvised second verse left Hart "almost apoplectic", but the audience was amused and Hart later forgave him. The song was subsequently included in the 1930 film Leathernecking, an adaptation of Present Arms.
Rodgers described the song as a "sassy and unregretful number" which audiences liked far more than traditional contemporary love songs. In his book The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Philip Furia wrote that the song depicted a "...wittily self deprecating character who was perfectly suited to lyrics that were at once intricately rhymed yet casually conversational."
One of the earliest recordings of the song was Paul Whiteman's 1928 hit version, known especially for the performances of Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer. The song was a particular favorite of the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII). In fact, he once asked singer Morton Downey to perform the song eleven times during a show at the Café de Paris in London. The song can be sung by either gender, but has traditionally been sung by women.