Find out What They Like Lyrics — Ain't Misbehavin'

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• What it is: A comic-lecture standard credited to Fats Waller with lyrics by Andy Razaf, built from advice, examples, and a chorus that snaps shut like a verdict.
• How it functions in the musical: In Ain't Misbehavin', it lands in Act II as a featured duet (often with two women), turning relationship strategy into stage patter.
• What makes it different from a lounge cover: The revue favors clean cues and crisp punchlines, so the lyric reads like a sketch with musical punctuation.
• Why it hits: The chorus is a manual for control disguised as charm, and the band keeps the "lesson" dancing.

Ain't Misbehavin' (1978) - stage revue - not diegetic. This is one of the show’s best examples of "character without plot." Two performers walk on and suddenly the theater becomes a kitchen table, a dressing room, a barstool confessional - wherever advice gets traded fast. The number thrives on forward motion: list, punchline, chorus, repeat. Directors often stage it like a competitive clinic, with each singer topping the other’s example, and the pianist reacting as if the band were an approving friend.

What I love about the Broadway use is the tonal balancing act. The lyric can read as cynical if you push it, but the groove keeps pulling it back toward play. The performers are not writing a manifesto, they are trying to win the night. That makes it a terrific "Act II reset" after more reflective material: the room brightens, the tempo tightens, and the house remembers it is allowed to laugh.

• Key takeaways: Comedy built from clarity, a chorus designed for unison impact, and a structure that rewards clean entrances more than vocal fireworks.
• Staging idea that pays off: Treat each verse as a new "case study," then snap into the chorus like you are stamping a form.
• Performance note: Keep the advice conversational. If you sell it too hard, it stops sounding like lived experience.

Creation History

Dates for the song vary across catalogs, but theater credit sheets for the revue list it as 1929 and attribute the lyric to Razaf, with music treated as Waller-authored within the show’s scoring tradition. Early recording documentation also shows it circulating by 1930: a Lena Wilson session with stride pianist Cliff Jackson includes the title, which hints at how quickly this kind of "advice song" moved through bandstands and record studios. The revue later reframes it as stagecraft - a number that can stop the show without stopping the swing.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Two speakers explain how to keep a partner interested: learn what they want, learn how they want it, then provide it with minimum fuss. Verses offer examples (food, sweetness, excuses), and the chorus returns as the guiding rule.

Song Meaning

The meaning is pragmatic romance, with a wink. The lyric frames desire as something you can study and manage, not just suffer through. In the revue, that practicality becomes a kind of comic armor. These characters have lived in a world where charm can pay the rent, and the song treats charm as a skill you practice. The emotional arc is sly: it begins as advice to someone else, then starts sounding like confession from people who have learned the lesson the hard way.

Annotations

Find out what they like, and how they like it, and let 'em have it just that way.

This chorus is built like a slogan, which means it wants precision. Hit the consonants cleanly and do not rush the internal rhyme. Onstage, it often plays best when both singers agree completely, then compete everywhere else.

Give 'em what they want, and when they want it, without a single word to say.

The comedy is in the calm certainty. The line is funny because it is delivered like common sense, not like a dramatic revelation. A small pause before "without" can make the audience lean in.

Use more sugar if he says your jam ain't sweet.

A domestic image turned into strategy. The smart performance choice is to treat it like a real memory, not a cartoon. The band can take care of the exaggeration.

Style and rhythm

It is swing patter with a call-and-response spine. The driving rhythm comes from verbal placement: short phrases that land on the groove, then a chorus that locks into unison. You can feel why the revue likes it. It teaches an audience how to listen to timing, then rewards them for listening.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Song: Find Out What They Like
• Artist: Ain't Misbehavin' Original Broadway Cast (featured duet: Armelia McQueen; Nell Carter)
• Featured: Armelia McQueen; Nell Carter
• Composer: Thomas "Fats" Waller
• Producer: Thomas Z. Shepard (cast recording metadata)
• Release Date: Listed as 1929 in theater credit sheets; documented recordings appear by February 6, 1930
• Genre: Jazz standard; swing; show tune
• Instruments: Voice; piano; small jazz ensemble
• Label: Masterworks Broadway (cast recording distribution credit)
• Mood: Witty, street-smart
• Length: 3:32 on the cast catalog listing
• Track #: Track 9 in a common reissue track list
• Language: English
• Album (if any): Ain't Misbehavin' (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Music style: Patter-forward swing with chorus unison hits
• Poetic meter: Conversational accents shaped for swing subdivision

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings it in the Broadway revue?

On the original cast recording, it is credited as a duet for Armelia McQueen and Nell Carter.

Where does it appear in the show?

It is listed in Act II, following "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now" in common song lists and album sequencing.

Is it meant as satire or sincere advice?

It can play either way. Most stagings keep it playful: advice that is true enough to sting, but delivered with a grin.

What is the main dramatic action for the performers?

Win the argument. Each singer tries to prove they know the rule better than the other, then they join forces for the chorus.

Is there an early recording history?

Yes. Recording notes document a 1930 session by Lena Wilson with stride pianist Cliff Jackson that includes the song.

What key and range are common for rehearsal editions?

One widely used piano-vocal publication is in C major and lists a vocal range from C4 to D5.

What tempo works without turning the lyric into mush?

A moderate swing feel helps. One published metronome marking is half note equals 76, which supports clean words and steady lift.

Why does it feel like a comedy sketch?

The chorus is a slogan, the verses are examples, and the structure keeps returning to its "rule" like a punchline button.

Does the revue have major awards?

Yes. As stated on the Tony Awards site, Ain't Misbehavin' won Best Musical in 1978.

Awards and Chart Positions

The number itself is a standard, so its footprint is measured in recordings and stage use rather than modern chart runs. The spotlight honor is the show that carries it. According to the Tony Awards winners list, Ain't Misbehavin' won Best Musical in 1978, and Music Theatre International notes the historical wrinkle: it was the first revue to take that top prize.

How to Sing Find Out What They Like

Practical metrics show up in published editions. One common piano-vocal publication lists C major as the original published key, a vocal range of C4 to D5, and a metronome note of half note equals 76. That tells you the core demand: keep it moving, keep it clear.

1. Tempo: Start under tempo until your words land cleanly, then build toward the printed feel. This song dies when the advice becomes blurry.
2. Diction: Treat consonants as rhythm. Keep "find," "like," and "let" crisp so the chorus reads like a rule, not a mumble.
3. Breathing: Plan quick breaths between examples, not inside them. The verses are lists, and lists want momentum.
4. Rhythm: Hold a steady swing subdivision. If you tug time for laughs, do it once, then snap back.
5. Range strategy: C4 to D5 is friendly, but the top can get tight when you push volume. Use forward placement and keep the jaw loose.
6. Duet craft: Decide who leads each verse. Switch leaders mid-song so the "argument" escalates, then unify for the chorus.
7. Band relationship: Leave space for fills after punchlines. A piano answer can do half the acting.
8. Pitfalls: Avoid over-scoops and heavy rubato. The joke is in how quickly the performers think.

Additional Info

Outside the revue, the tune has long been treated as a vehicle for women singers, which fits the lyric's perspective and helps explain why the Broadway staging often assigns it to a duet of sharp observers. A pianist-blog reflection I ran across even argues Waller may not have recorded it himself, but intended it for female voices - a plausible idea, though it is better treated as commentary than hard proof. What is hard proof is the Broadway reinvention: the number becomes a scene you can play, not just a chorus you can hum.

For a listener who wants the show context, the cast album sequencing is useful. The Legacy Recordings track list places it right after "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now," which makes dramaturgical sense: first a vow to behave, then a lesson in how behavior is negotiated anyway. That is the revue’s sly little handoff from romance to strategy.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: Masterworks Broadway (track upload metadata), Legacy Recordings (cast album track list), Musicnotes (piano-vocal publication details), Tony Awards (1978 winners list), Music Theatre International (show history note), Broadway Rose credit sheet PDF, Harlem Fuss (Cliff Jackson discography PDF), Masterworks Broadway show page