Anything You Can Do Lyrics – Annie Get Your Gun

Song Overview

Personal Review

“Anything You Can Do” crackles with the swagger of two masters of the stage engaged in a delightful duel, each line a gauntlet thrown down in dazzling display.

The rapid-fire back-and-forth between Annie and Frank crackles like shotgun blasts of wit, blending bravado with flirtation over a spirited Irving Berlin melody.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Composed by Irving Berlin for the 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun, “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” is the electrifying showdown preceding the climactic sharpshooting contest between Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.

The arrangement features full orchestral flourish—strings, brass fanfares and woodwind runs—with a driving percussion pulse that propels each boastful challenge.

Berlin’s lyrics layer boast upon boast, from vocal feats…

"Any note you can sing, I can sing higher"

On its original cast recording, Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton deliver the piece with bold diction and fearless belting, a testament to mid-century Broadway’s larger-than-life style.

The song’s playful hyperbole—boasting of feats like opening safes or living on bread and cheese—turns each absurd claim into a salute to spirited competition.

Over time, numerous artists have reinterpreted the tune: Mary Martin and John Raitt on the 1957 National Tour, Doris Day and Robert Goulet on the 1963 Columbia album, Heidi Brühl and Robert Trehy in German in 1963, and Ethel Merman with Bruce Yarnell in the 1966 revival recording.

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Frank Butler opens with a confident tease, setting the stage: “Anything you can do, I can do better”—a simple declaration that blossoms into ever more extravagant one-upmanship.

Chorus

"Anything you can do, I can do better / I can do anything better than you"

This infectious refrain, with its rhythmic precision and rising melodic line, cements the playful rivalry at the heart of the musical’s emotional arc.

Song Credits

• Featuring: Ethel Merman & Ray Middleton
• Producer: Ethel Merman, Ray Middleton
• Composer & Lyricist: Irving Berlin
• Release Date: 1946
• Genre: Musical theatre, Show tune, Broadway
• Instruments: Violin, viola, cello, double bass, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, flute, saxophone, piano, drums, percussion
• Label: Decca
• Mood: Competitive, playful, witty
• Length: 03:10
• Track #: 12
• Language: English
• Album: Annie Get Your Gun (Original 1946 Broadway Cast Recording) [2000 Remaster]
• Music style: Call-and-response duet with orchestral Broadway arrangement
• Poetic meter: Mixed iambic and trochaic tetrameter with anapestic substitutions
• Copyrights: © 1946 Williamson Music Company; ? 1946 Decca Records

Songs Exploring Themes of Competitive Courtship

While “Mutual Admiration Society” from the 1956 musical Happy Hunting revels in mutual praise—two performers praising each other’s virtues in harmonious unison—it shares the theme of affectionate one-upmanship with Berlin’s duet. Its bright pop-theatre melody underscores a camaraderie rather than a contest, though the structure mirrors the alternating boasts.

Meanwhile, Cole Porter’s “You’re the Top” (1934) catalogs cultural icons—“You’re the Top, you’re a Prohibition Party / You’re the Louvre Museum…”—turning compliments into a witty treasure hunt. Both songs rely on rapid-fire listing and clever wordplay, but Porter’s jazz-inflected swing gives his duet a more urbane, cosmopolitan flair.

In contrast, Porter's “Always True to You in My Fashion” (1948) from Kiss Me, Kate employs ironic fidelity—“If the Harris pat means a Paris hat… I’m always true to you, darling, in my fashion.” Here the playful rivalry yields to coquettish wordplay and innuendo, swapping Berlin’s outright challenge for sly trade-offs in romantic loyalty.

Questions and Answers

When was “Anything You Can Do” first performed and by whom?

It premiered on Broadway on May 16, 1946, in Annie Get Your Gun, first performed by Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton.

Who wrote “Anything You Can Do”?

It was composed and written by Irving Berlin.

What is the dramatic context of the song in the musical?

It serves as the Thanksgiving Follies finale, dramatizing the competitive yet affectionate showdown before Annie Oakley and Frank Butler’s sharpshooting duel.

How has the song been adapted beyond the original production?

The tune appeared in the 1950 MGM film starring Betty Hutton and Howard Keel, was recorded by Doris Day & Robert Goulet in 1963, and revived by Ethel Merman & Bruce Yarnell in 1966, among others.

What vocal skills are essential for performing this duet?

Singers must display crisp diction, precise comedic timing, strong belting on climactic phrases, and agile breath control to navigate swift call-and-response passages.

Awards and Chart Positions

The original cast album peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Best-Selling Popular Record Albums chart in 1946.

The 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, renewing interest in “Anything You Can Do.”

How to Sing?

Perform this duet at a brisk allegro pace to capture its spirited energy. Focus on precise articulation of each boastful couplet, using controlled belting for lines like “I can do anything better than you.” Agile breath support is crucial for the rapid call-and-response exchanges, and dynamic contrast—pausing after Frank’s “No, you can’t” before Annie’s triumphant “Yes, I can”—maximizes comedic impact.