"Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire.

The song title refers to the formal wear required on a party invitation: top hat, white tie, and a tailcoat. Popular recordings in 1935 were by Fred Astaire and by Ray Noble and his Orchestra (vocal by Al Bowlly and The Freshmen).^[1]

Other notable recordings

• The Boswell Sisters recorded the song on October 8, 1935 for Decca Records.^[2]
• Carroll Gibbons with the Savoy Orpheans (1935) ^[3]
• Fred Astaire included the song in the album The Astaire Story (1952)^[4]
• Mel Tormé included the song in the album Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (1956)^[5]
• Louis Armstrong - for his album Louis Under the Stars (1958)^[6]
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (1958)^[7]
• Fred Astaire recorded the song again in 1975 and it can be found on the album The Complete London Sessions.^[8]
• Tony Bennett - Steppin' Out (1993)^[9]
• Cherry Poppin' Daddies – The Boop-A-Doo (2016)^[10]

Other appearances

• The popular Norwegian meteorologist Kristian Trægde sang the song (and step-danced to it) on the TV show Skjemtegauken, in 1968.^[11]
• In 1977 ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev sang the song on The Muppet Show, complete with tap dancing.^[12]
• In another episode of, "The Muppet Show" Gonzo tap danced to the song as well – except in a vat of oatmeal.
• In Episode 1 of the ninth season of M*A*S*H, "The Best of Enemies", the character Hawykeye is singing "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" in the first scene.
• In a 1981 SCTV television skit, "Al's Sanitone Drycleaning", Eugene Levy sings the song and tap dances as he promotes the fictional company in a mock commercial.^[13]
• In a 1982 episode of Three's Company, Jack dances to the song while drunk at a party, and knocks things over as he does so.
• The song is performed in 1989's Secret Policeman's Third Ball by comedian/satirist Willie Rushton, accompanied by Richard Vranch on piano, with Rushton dressing according to the lyrics of the song, noting that the lyrics neglect to mention the donning of trousers.
• In the 1995 film Batman Forever, the character Edward Nygma sings a brief parody of "Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails" using the lyrics "I'm, sucking up your I.Q., vacuuming your cortex, feeding off your brain!"^[14]
• Jim Carrey also parodied the song at the 69th Academy Awards when referring to Dirt Devil vacuum commercials featuring Fred Astaire footage: "I'm, sucking up the lint balls, getting in the corners, dump it out the back!"
• The Fred Astaire version of the song makes an appearance in the 2000 film Billy Elliot.^[15]