There's No Business Like Show Business (from Annie Get Your Gun): E-Z Play Today

This arrangement distills the song's essential charm into a manageable two-page format that lets pianists focus on the infectious melody and straightforward harmonic language. The E-Z Play format makes it accessible without sacrificing the sophistication that made the original a standard for over seventy years.

There's an irresistible optimism woven through this song, from its opening notes to its final cadence. It captures the bittersweet pride of a life in entertainment: the glamour, the travel, the applause mixed with honest acknowledgment that nothing else compares to the stage.

Piano students and accompanists preparing for recitals, auditions, or community theater productions will find this arrangement both playable and musically satisfying. It works equally well as a solo piece for intermediate pianists exploring jazz standards and Broadway repertoire.

• Lean into the rhythmic lilt of the melody; this song thrives on a light, bouncy swing rather than a rigid metronomic pulse.
• Let the accompaniment support rather than dominate. The piano's role here is to frame the singer or primary soloist, not compete with it.
• Shape the phrase endings with a gentle lift to maintain the song's theatrical energy across the full form.

Slot this into a Broadway or American songbook concert where it pairs naturally with other Golden Age standards. It also serves as an excellent intro to jazz standards for students transitioning from classical repertoire, offering familiar theatrical ground with slightly more sophisticated harmonic movement.

• Swing articulation and rhythm interpretation
• Accompanying vocal lines with appropriate textural support
• Reading and playing from lead sheet style notation
• Phrasing across longer melodic arcs with theatrical awareness