"Begin the Beguine" is a song written by Cole Porter an introduced by June Knight in the Broadway musical Jubilee (1935). Based on the title dance, it is notable for its 108-measure length, departing drastically from the conventional thirty-two-bar form. Alec Wilder described it in his book American Popular Song: The Great Innovators 1900-1950 as "a maverick, an unprecedented experiment and one which, to this day, after hearing it hundreds of times, I cannot sing or whistle or play from start to finish without the printed music." It was popularized and made famous by a best-selling record in 1938 (recorded July 24, issued by Bluebird Records as catalog number B-7746 and later by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1551) by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra.