You Can't Get a Man with a Gun

{{Infobox song

| name = You Can't Get a Man with a Gun

| artist = Ethel Merman

| album = Annie Get Your Gun (musical)

| released = 1946

| genre = {{plainlist|

Pop standard
Show tune}}

| length = 3:13

| writer = Irving Berlin

}}

"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" is a song from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun, written by Irving Berlin. It was originally performed by Ethel Merman.{{cite book

| last = Magee

| first = J.

| title = Irving Berlin's American Musical Theater

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| series = Broadway Legacies

| year = 2012

| isbn = 978-0-19-991163-9

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7OJjS1BlqZ4C&pg=PT436

| access-date = 1 August 2018

| page = 436

}}

Background

In the song, Annie Oakley sings about how a girl with talent as a sharpshooter nevertheless finds that her abilities do not help her attract men. She introduces herself with: "I'm quick on the trigger/with targets not much bigger/than a pinpoint I'm number one." The song is humorous in that she imagines different scenarios in which shooting a man will not make him fall in love with her, e.g. "A man may be hot/but he's not/when he's shot/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!" and "But you can't shoot a lover,/and use him for a cover/oh, you can't get a man with a gun!"

Recordings

Doris Day - for her album Annie Get Your Gun (1963){{cite web|title=www.discogs.com|url=https://www.discogs.com/master/307190-Doris-Day-Robert-Goulet-Annie-Get-Your-Gun|website=discogs.com|accessdate=March 14, 2024}}
Judy Garland - recorded for the film soundtrack but not used as Garland was subsequently dropped from the film.{{cite web |title=The Judy Room |url=https://www.thejudyroom.com/soundtracks/annie.html |website=The Judy Room |access-date=27 April 2019}}
Eydie Gormé - for her album Gormé Sings Showstoppers (1959).{{cite web |title=Discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/Eydie-Gorme-Gorm%C3%A9-Sings-Showstoppers/master/139745 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=27 April 2019}}
Betty Hutton - included in the album Annie Get Your Gun (Original Soundtrack) (1950).{{cite web |title=Discogs.com |url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Annie-Get-Your-Gun-Original-Soundtrack/release/5329057 |publisher=Discogs |access-date=27 April 2019}}
Ethel Merman - included in Annie Get Your Gun [Original Cast Album] (1946).{{cite web |title=allmusic |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/annie-get-your-gun-original-cast-album-mw0000105747 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=27 April 2019}}
Mary Martin - released as part of album of a 1957 TV recording with John Raitt. {{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/master/209148-Mary-Martin-John-Raitt-Annie-Get-Your-Gun | title=Mary Martin, John Raitt - Annie Get Your Gun | website=Discogs | year=1957 }}
Björk - included in Gling-Gló (1990).
Bernadette Peters - included in Annie Get Your Gun [1999 Broadway Revival Cast] (1999).{{cite web |title=allmusic.com |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/annie-get-your-gun-1999-broadway-revival-cast-mw0000241800 |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=27 April 2019}}
Suzi Quatro – starred as Annie Oakley in the 1986 West End (London) production of Annie Get Your Gun. She sings the song in the album Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast (1986),{{cite web