Call Me Irresponsible, call me unreliable,
Throw in undependable too.
Do my foolish alibis bore you?
Well, I’m not too clever, I just adore you.
Call me unpredictable, tell me I’m inpractical,
Rainbows I’m inclined to pursue.
Call Me Irresponsible, yes, I’m unreliable,
But it’s undeniably true;
I’m irresponsibly mad for you!
"Call Me Irresponsible" is a
1962 song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics written by Sammy
Cahn.
According to the Mel
Tormé book The Other Side of the Rainbow with Judy Garland on
the Dawn Patrol, Van Heusen originally wrote the song for Garland to
sing at a CBS dinner. At that time, Garland had just signed to do The
Judy Garland Show on CBS, and the intent of the song was to parody her
well-known problems. Garland later sang the song on the seventh episode
of the show.
However, in 1988, Sammy Cahn
said during an interview with freelance writer Harlan Conti, in San
Francisco, that the song was originally written for Fred Astaire to
sing in the film Papa's
Delicate Condition in
which Astaire was to star. Cahn personally auditioned the song for
Astaire's approval which was given. However, Astaire's contractual
obligations prevented him from making the film and the role went to
Jackie Gleason, who introduced the song. It won the Academy Award for
Best Original Song at the 36th Academy Awards held in 1964.
Frank Sinatra's recording is
perhaps the most celebrated from his 1963 album Sinatra's Sinatra.
However, the single by Jack Jones was a radio hit.
Cahn is said to have had a
particular satisfaction in the number of five-syllable words in the
lyrics of "Call Me Irresponsible".