Impressario George White began his famous Scandals series of Broadway revues in 1911 and managed to create a new production for most years between 1919 and 1939. There were also famous movie versions of his shows in 1934 and 1945. Gershwin wrote this catchy song along with four others ("I Love You," "She's Just a Baby," "South Sea Isles," and "Where East Meets West") for George White's Scandals that premiered July 11, 1921, at the Apollo Theater in New York. The show was a success and so was "Drifting Along With the Tide," which, like the other songs, featured lyrics by Arthur Jackson. The song exhibits Gershwin's jazzy style, but divulges less of the black American folk influence so often heard in his works from the period. It has a carefree, jaunty manner, but is a bit livelier than the title might lead the listener to expect. Still, its nonchalance and playfulness impart a certain sense of drifting along. Gershwin's bluesy harmonies deftly color the atmosphere, and as usual his music seems a perfect match for the catchy lyrics—or is it Jackson who marries his words so well to the swing of Gershwin's notes?

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