"You Took Advantage of Me" is a 1928 popularsong 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[1] as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwell.[2] The characters were formerly married, but still have romantic feelings for each other.[3] On opening night, Berkeley forgot the lyrics and had to scat and hum the entire second verse.[4] 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.[3] The song was subsequently included in the 1930 film Leathernecking, an adaptation of Present Arms.[5]
Rodgers described the song as a "sassy and unregretful number" which audiences liked far more than traditional contemporary love songs.[6] 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."[6]
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.[7][8] 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.[9][10][11][12] The song can be sung by either gender, but has traditionally been sung by women.[6]
