Ella Fitzgerald - It Don't Mean a thing (If it ain't got that swing) [1974]

[Namine215]

I feel the need to boast that this is my cousin!!

[superugly75]

Fantastic!

[dopedgod]

Her vocal lines and chord phrasings were better than most guitarists today. The pitch bends she can pull off naturally, are to die for. Bless her soul, she was incredible.

[LionRoseProductions]

AMEN!

it don't mean

give me, as long as it's complete!!!

[BrittanyLeona97]

If you add up all of the talent of today's artists and multiply it by 5, it still wouldn't add up to all the talent Ella possesses in her little finger.

[tacoandpie]

if she could hear justin bieber and lady gaga now she would have probably shoot herself

[gcpropertymanagement]

One in a million...how lucky we are to have videos of this artist. Thanks for posting this one. Simply fantastic.

[keithhemari]

Ahh, tingles in my spine, they don't make musicians like this anymore...

[jousney16]

Great music

[deweegirl]

there would be no beyonce if there were no ella. you yungins geez

[mileymandyaimee]

i looove this so much ELLA FITZGERALD my idol ! <3

[Crazyrfl25]

WHY COULDN'T I BE BORNED 60 YEARS AGO?! music from today is so commercial...

[TromboneMachine]

@Crazyrfl25 actually, music from today just totally sucks...We want Classical + Jazz music.

We want Tchaikovsky/Shostakovich/Mahle­r

We want Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington.

[electrolove87x]

If i had a Hat right now, i'll take it off....extraordinary!

[BuckledPOTATOS]

Wow, im 16 years old and once i got introduced to jazz music and miss fitzgerald

i never forgot them, and i was like 9!!! i really dont get why people my age dont get this kind of music, you could ask someone who lil wayne isand everybody but no one knows who louis armstrong, Duke ellington or ella fitzgerald....i swear people have to start appreciate real music........

[GiantMarkirs]

I wasn't into swing until I heard this song :)

am in love w/ it

[LunaMoonStellaStar]

@GiantMarkirs Nope. This isn't Swing... this is jazz. Ellington once said that Swing was bussines... Jazz is music. :) Try Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, and Benny Goodman for some AMAZING Swing. For some Jazz... well—besides the Duke—Dizzy, and Armstrong are a good place to start if you want to go back to the basic. This feels border line beabop to me, though, so that's something to look into, too.

[Istuckonroof]

I may be only 12, but this is one of the best songs I have ever heard. :D Then again, though, I still think cylinder phonographs are revolutionary, lol

[robertdevera]

it always seems every great video always has like 7 haters who push the dislike button for fun... this is amazing.

[sounderfan1]

To the 6 people who dislike this, YOU. ARE. CRAZY. Ella Fitzgearld is one of the best jazz singers the world has ever known.

[heyheyhey12100]

I miss Ella :'(

[Deidarassugarbaby]

My choir is singing this in front of judges next week, its a beautiful song! :D

[FUN2FAllSheep]

I wish I was born in the early 1930-40's, this generation is disappointing and those times had great music.

[paoandspencer]

@FUN2FAllSheep i must agree with you this modern music has lost all of its class

[Elisa4Realz]

I'm 15 so this is obviously way before my time too but goodness...who COULDN'T appreciate this music? It's beautiful.

[3Glimpse3]

Isn't she brilliant? Love this performance everytime

[nixonmendeed]

She's amazing, pitching is unreal!!

[ourananastasia]

I actually found this from That's So Raven.

[ominousyoshi]

I saw her first on "thats so raven" and now i love her music :)

[anitahobart]

YOU LITTLE RIPPER!!!

[RR5GUITAR]

M0:00RE

[Mermie7]

She makes it look so easy!

[bassoonboy84600]

Coolest grandma EVER!

[DBHAYES82]

@bassoonboy84600 Hell yeah. That's what I'm saying. Ella Fitzgerald is timeless. Double thumbs up to your comment sir.

[simonthenoble]

Its a shame it took some of you Beyonce to find this lady out.................. theres so much amazing soul music out there the everage ear never gets to hear.

[ooooMarcoTLKoooo]

When She say "the count basie style of music, count basie swing" (0:47) than what song is played on the piano? Is there any reference to basie songs?

[Colltrane45]

@ooooMarcoTLKoooo Salt penuts

[Colltrane45]

@ooooMarcoTLKoooo Salt peanuts ( the thing with the octaves in the start)

[96Luck]

i don't know how i came across this song a long time ago, but i loved it. i am the type of person to listen to techno, hardcore, hardstyle, dubstep, and any more genres in the electronic industry. it's a good change to hear vocals that are amazing as hell as ella.

[vidaripollen]

well spoken.fantastic music.

[Estellou92]

Ella I Loooove youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu­uu !

[animechik1995111]

Good grief, is it impossible to listen to some good music without reading comments on who's better a singer than who? I mean really, some people like Ella, some people like Beyonce. I'm an Ella lover, but I accept that Beyonce is successful in the music industry, and that in itself deserves credit.

Sheesh, I think I'm going to listen to some Bon Jovi now. -_-'

[retronut55]

----Ella Will Always Be The Greatest.

[jakeroundthehorn]

Ella is great on this. In a little different style but just as great is Cleo Laine's. It's on youtube so check it out.

[OHVImedia]

Rihanna's grandma -.-

[axiacollege]

Im glad Beyonce introduced me to this song, never heard of it before and I would have never knew about Ella Fitzgerald without Beyonce. Ella had real talent! Thanks for sharing this with us!

[bretodeau]

@axiacollege Beyoncé Knowles? Does she perform "It don't mean a thing"? If so, could you please post a video reply?

[axiacollege]

@bretodeau It was performed during her "I Am...Yours" DVD concert in Vegas.

[TCt83067695]

@bretodeau no not really. search "I am yours Deja vu jazz medley".

She simply used some of the scatting in here and incorporated into some bootylicious scatting and then started singing deja vu.

[2tim149]

@axiacollege that's sad. 

[axiacollege]

@2tim149 Whats so sad about?

[Hoopermazing]

@axiacollege If you were my kid and you said Beyoncé in the same breath with Queen Ella, I'd cave your skull in with the nearest blunt object.

[axiacollege]

@Hoopermazing I wouldn't want to be your kid and why you say?  "Cause trailer trash isn't my type of lifestyle! Thanks and die quickly so someone else can claim your welfare and food stamps!!

[Hoopermazing]

@axiacollege You, the boorish vulgarian who compared Beyonce to Ella Fitzgerald, are much more closely related--at least with regard to your lack of good taste, writing ability and the abject squalor of your pointless existence--to the white trash denizens of trailer parks than I. Were you a little bit smarter, you'd realize that yourself.

[axiacollege]

@Hoopermazing You colored people make my day!!!!

[Hoopermazing]

@axiacollege I took you a month to come up with that? How pathetic.

[axiacollege]

@Hoopermazing Damn, you really don't have a life do you?

[Hoopermazing]

@axiacollege People with full lives, and careers that don't involve a spatula and a paper hat, check their email more frequently than once per month. Try again, stupid.

[scomdnz9]

@Hoopermazing just ignore him man. GO ELLA!!

[kittylemeu]

@axiacollege oh dear...beyonce did this?  there are masters and there are apprentices. Ella is one of the masters.

[ErikkChattman]

@axiacollege Beyonce sent you hear? That's so Raven sent me hear D:

[HOMAG32me]

@axiacollege i dont mean to be rude, but to say that ella had talent is one of the understatements of the century. she was an absolute genious, and her name is known around the world because of it. beyonce is famous, but ella is a legend

[Aprilsmiles123]

@axiacollege are you kidding i love beyonce but ella was 100000000000000000000000000000­000000000000000000000000000000­000000000000000000000000000000­000000000000000000000000000000­00000000000 times better and still is i love queen b though but get educated

[Crymeariver78]

@axiacollege I can not believe that you had not heard of Ella before well ok if you had not heard of Ella you will not know Nina Simone ,Dinah Washington or even Peggy Lee shame all four are the greatest singers of all time they put Beyonce in the shade.

[masochisticmuffin09]

Before my time? Yes, Amazing? Damn straight. My mother came down and looked at me sideways inquiring what I was listening to, I told her and she just smiled and says I'm too young to know about that.

[TheMasmaganda]

why is it im so late to get hooked with ELLA!!!! haaay(sigh*).....tsk

[hi123301]

Yikes! This is amazing such talent, such a voice, such... im just speechless. And additionally im singing this even though its different but who cares do you?

[comiteevee]

0:22 she like music? she is music, all styles and with all intentions!!!

[LegendOfDarkToonLink]

be happy for america the creator of jazz!

[rusz]

a true legend...

[SondraHarnes]

Love Ella Fitzgerald - a voice for the ages!

[Karnaevale]

When I was 11, everyone in my school was listening to NSync and the like and I was listening to this. Now I've gotten more into electronica, but this is still fantastic. Justin Beiber don't mean a thing

[interstones]

these days were when it was all about talent and that's what sold... that the pop music we have today... even though music should be appreciated no matter what form it may take... i just have a much greater respect for musicians in that time period... especially this amazing woman... you gotta love the queen of jazz!!

[andredurao]

Awesome she could sing any rithm she wants. Ella Fitzgerald was great.

[lautaroalamos]

la abuela con más onda del mundo

[PurpleReels]

Look at Ella still looking FLYYY as ever! LOL! Yes! This was good!

[WhoBoy93]

This is just like a demo showing how talented she is. So sad she'd been long gone by the time I was born, never mind being old enough to appreciate her talent. She truely is unique.

[chrisahrbeck]

BOO the people who thumbs this down!!!

[MusicalMuppet]

Im a trumpet player. why has that guy at 2:20 got a bent mouthpeice? can someone inform me?? cheers

[AlexPlaysGames]

It's a good job musics evolved past this.

[artsygirl96]

._. i learned about this lady for the 1st time in 3rd grade while watching a cartoon. I think it was...Code Name kids next door. :) anyway, now i love her!

[musicislifez]

She is so cute :D

And she has an anazing personality :D

[LordoftheKaty]

I don't know why style changed from the class of the 30's to the trash of the 70's. I personally prefer the 30's culture and swing.

[bretodeau]

@bboywonder69 I love Nina Simone. Her voice, her presence when she was on stage, the way she sang. She was simply one of the divas of jazz. My favourite renditions of her songs include "Exactly like you", "Mood indigo", "I loves you porgy", "My baby just cares for me" and more. She was simply awesome!

[Hanz780]

@bretodeau Nina Simone is amazing. well said

[bretodeau]

@bboywonder69 Thanks for such a nice comment on this video. It's kind of rare seeing people at your age who appreciate Ella Fitzgerald and this type of good music. Take a look at my other videos. I think you'll like seeing "Umbrella Man", by Dizzy Gillespie feat. Louis Armstrong and "Why don't you do right", by Peggy Lee. Where are you from? What do you do? Cheers!

[sacredgeometry]

@bretodeau i was brought up on jazz :) im 23 and adore it, but then the same could be said for all types of music. One of the many advantages of being passionate about it and being a musician :D

[VioletSpanxx]

@bretodeau It isn't as rare as you'd think. We just can't be bothered to convert the masses. :P Just saw your comment to bboywonder. Peggy Lee's 'why don't you do right' is one of my favourite songs of all time... i was sad to hear somebody recently did a house mix of it, but yeah! Not all us young people like Britney ;)

[ahkoifish]

@bretodeau Ha, I'm thirteen and I love Sinatra and Dean Martin and Ella and all the classical music! It's so happy and at the same time more classy than some guy yelling into a mic!

[SaxBoya42]

@bretodeau I absolutely love umbrella man, its one of my favorite dizzy songs

[kirbyismrtwat]

OH MY GOD the drums to this are amazing i recently learnt them and no other jazz drumming comes close to this song

[seamonkeyguitars]

Peggy Hill's black sister.

[Baldwin5225]

@seamonkeyguitars lol!!!

[ReggaeLioness]

Oh God Ella is The BEST !!!!!!!!

[MissIzzieB]

If you like this arrangement you may like mine, you can check it out on my channel

MissIzzieB

[skyelovefred]

i am singing this in school music

[XxKRAVExX]

I can play this on my sax!

I Love this!

N ella she's amazing!!

=)

[benten2191]

AMAZING.... one of my favourite jazz numbers...

[travis7310]

Do wop, do wop, do wop, do wop, do bah!

[dillonocana]

GREAT!!!!!! Thanks for the post!!!!!

[PrancingVivi]

She makes every style of music sound hawt.

I love her! Swing needs a comeback!

[JurisArcane]

Haha go'head girl!

[jena9956]

this song is in our preformance

[RandomRainbow11]

@jena9956 Mine too!!!!! LOL!!

[NinjaGhostScorpion]

An instrumental version of this song is used in The Toxic Avenger, Part II.

[charmedc3]

YASSS She went in!!!! LOVE HER

[Tony7840]

That's Norman Granz with the silver hair and glasses at the beginning in the control booth. He was instrumental in initiating JATP, Verve Records, as well as managing Ella for many of her last years. Absolute genius when it came to Jazz.

[musiccoloratura]

That ROCKS mama !!!!!!!!!

[1more4carhur]

there could not be a better version of this song the way ella fitzgerald made this song. along w/ the amazing guitar playing of joe pass and that amazing bass and piano player. i wish i could be in a group that played that.

[LoliLoli83]

Skeet-boop!

[angelialvares]

Well Ella's the queen of jazz and she proves it everytime she sings.

[clevermedia]

That doesn't look like Ronnie Scotts club to me!...It looks more a recording studio

[Alffovinni]

Awesome!!!! 5/5!!

[budway1942]

Used to go to Ronnies all the time in the sixties..saw Joe Pass there and many others.

[losdilla]

"I like good music, no matter what it is"

Isn't that the truth.

[Gooseneck29]

Ella is the best. Good music indeed.

[amalishe]

OH WOW! That granny surely has got that swing!

[drowqueen]

"That granny", you put it, was Ella Fitzgerald. She's a jazz icon and one of the best female singers of the 20th century.

[amalishe]

:-) Well thanks, I know that it is Ella Fitzgerald.

[Gooseneck29]

you know, someone asked Frank Sinatra who he thought was the best singer in the world. You know what he said? His response was: You mean besides Ella?  Just a piece of useless info. hope you enjoy it.

[deedoo16]

Im 18 and Ive done swing dance for a long time. This is my fave song to swing to. I wish we could go back to before all this crap w/ the rap like w/ Lil john and stuff. PPL forget that without music like this we would not have the songs we have today. I like the times before music got dirty. And its really only happened in this past 10 or 15 years. Now sex is all singers can think of because it sells. Im sick of it.

[bretodeau]

Wow, I couldn't agree more with your comment. Nowadays, almost all the singers only think about sex, hot girls/boys and dirty language.

Thanks for commenting. If you happen to have time, check out the other videos I have uploaded here.

Cheers!

=]

[propjoe4life]

that is the first time ive heard someone say that other than myself

[magicsushi1]

hell yeah i agree with you 2 much it should go back 2 the old classics that rocked before now. they should bring back swing!!!

[anthonyray0323]

@deedoo16 well not really... if you listen to some of the old songs, they sing about sex too. it just isn't as explicit as the songs now of days. you have to pay attention to the songs and listen to the lyrics, just take a few minutes to listen to the lyrics. i swing dance and blues dance too so i'm not blinded telling you this.

[theonecritic1]

@deedoo16 WOW, you said it....I agree with you 100%. It makes me sick.

[dd938gje]

@deedoo16 There is no finer music........dig deep into the 20's 30's 40's 50's and even 60's. It's all there for you to enjoy.

[midnabobblehead]

We sung dis song in chorus.

[loakiez]

CHILLz_!!

=)

[lepidolite2009]

I fantastic slice of American music culture. We have our Bachs and Beethovens

[sjohnsjakie]

does she hold a condenser mike?

[gettopenny2]

Haha me and my best friend love this kind of music and this song is AMAZING! It's good to know we're not alone! :) Needless to say, Ella, jazz, and whatever else you're into; it doesn't matter, music is timeless! :D

[bretodeau]

Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan are the greatest divas ever. Thanks a lot for this comment.

[ptyk]

What can I say! It's Ella!

[bretodeau]

Sorry to ask, but was that a good or a negative comment?

[poeticjournalism]

pretty sure it was good

[mrbable]

my words

[pm12charlier]

@bretodeau its a good one lol

[pussycat10839]

i love this song who does not though? i am only 15 and i love this type of music!!!!

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D How old do people have to be to like (love) this music? LMAO

[don77sicily]

you know good stuff kido!!!

[Connerthedrummer]

I play this song in jazz band. I love jazz and I'm 15 too.

[christschick]

lol my friend & i are 14 &15 & we have both LOVED LOVED, LOVED this stuff for a few years now!! it's real american music!!! the classics never die :D

[alexdorris]

Good job. Real music. Fuck yea, boycott commercial music.

[mashmine]

@alexdorris agreed good job! but to boycot commercial music i dissagree! selfish!

[somethingswicked]

Genius. She's a fucking genius.

[bretodeau]

I couldn't agree more.

[bretodeau]

The greatest diva of Scat Jazz.

[WideAwakeAsleep]

I love her.

[bretodeau]

So do I. She is the best of all.

[MISSWEIRDO]

im 16 and this has to be my favorite song c:

[bretodeau]

"it don't mean a thing" is my favourite jazz song. i've got about 7 versions of this song in my computer.

[WideAwakeAsleep]

Im 18 and I love this song - it has so much energy! I've performed this a few times and it really gets you going!

[oleq89]

iiiiiha!!! :D:D

[bretodeau]

hoo hoo!!!

=D

[catsonprodigy]

WOW...

[TREYOLDHIPPIE]

It SHUR dont mean NO THING if it aint got THAT (Ella) SWING.. Oh! This LADY is so intense.. So ELLAGANT So ELLA!

What a GREAT video! I LOVE THIS!

[bretodeau]

Words are not enough for me to say how intense Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Jane Monheit and Diana Krall are. I DO LOVE THEM!