This is a simple write-up of Luck Be A Lady.
Luck Be a Lady was originally written in 1950 by Frank Loesser for the musical Guys and Dolls. He composed the lyrics and the musical arrangement. Loesser, a NYC native, was a Tony, Pulitzer and Academy Award winning songwriter. His most famous song is likely, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
After Luck Be a Lady was sung by Robert Alda as Sky Masterson on stage, Frank Sinatra went on to record the 1955 film version that we famously we know today.
The original musical number is written in key of C Major, in 2/2 time and is meant to be played at a tempo of 120. In contrast, Frank’s version is played moderately slower in common (4/4) time.
The song, narrating a gambling bet that will determine the outcome of a relationship, doesn’t follow a traditional structure (ex. AABA), instead returning to variations of the refrain, “Luck be a lady” as it builds toward its narrative conclusion. As we return to the refrain, the note for ‘Luck’ continues to rise – beginning at a G natural, and eventually building to middle C.
