They Can't Take That Away from Me: SSAA Choral Octavo

Mark Hayes captures the song's elegant sophistication without overcomplicating it. The unhurried swing feel sits perfectly in the SSAA voicing, giving singers room to phrase naturally while the supporting piano keeps everything grounded in Gershwin's harmonic world. This is mature popular song writing that rewards careful listening and expressive singing.

Sophisticated and wistful. The melody unfolds with an almost conversational ease, and the swing rhythm gives it a relaxed confidence. There's genuine warmth here, not sentimentality—a singer's reflection on the small, irreplaceable things that define a person you love.

SSAA choirs with solid musicianship and comfort with jazz inflection. This works beautifully for high school and college choirs, community ensembles, and advanced middle school groups who can sustain the lyrical phrasing and nail the subtler aspects of swing.

• Let the rhythm breathe. The swing feel means resisting the urge to rush; the charm lives in the space between the notes, not in the tempo.
• Shape the melodic phrases as you would speech. Gershwin's lyrics are conversational, so treat the tune like you're telling the story rather than displaying the music.
• Balance the voice parts so the accompaniment and harmony remain visible. Hayes's piano writing is elegant and integral, not background filler.
• Use the recorded accompaniment during rehearsal to anchor the swing feel if your singers need rhythmic reference.

Pair this with other Great American Songbook standards for a focused concert set, or use it as a palate cleanser in a varied program that mixes classical, spiritual, and contemporary work. Its relatively brief length and accessible style make it ideal for informal performances, alumni events, or jazz-adjacent programming where you want polished but approachable repertoire.

• Swing phrasing and rhythmic flexibility in jazz-inflected style
• Balancing four independent voice parts while maintaining choral blend
• Interpretation of popular song lyricism with conversational text delivery
• Reading and performing in SSAA voicing with detailed harmonic writing