"Puttin' On the Ritz" is a song by Irving Berlin, written in May 1927 and first published on 2 December 1929. Its title comes from the slang phrase "to put on the Ritz", meaning to dress very fashionably, and was inspired by the Ritz Hotel in London. Harry Richman and the chorus introduced it in the musical film Puttin' On the Ritz (1930). Richman's Brunswick recording was the best-selling record in America, and Fred Astaire is particularly associated with the song. Leo Reisman and His Orchestra also recorded it in 1930.
The song is in AABA form with a verse. Its A section has a delayed rhythmic resolution, and its B section is marchlike. Alec Wilder called its rhythmic pattern the most complex and provocative he had come upon. Clark Gable sang it in Idiot's Delight (1939), and Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle performed it in Young Frankenstein (1974). It ranks 84th in AFI's 2004 list 100 Years...100 Songs. Taco's 1982 synth-pop cover reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
