It's De-Lovely
"It's De-Lovely" is one of Cole Porter's hit songs, originally appearing in his 1936 musical, Red Hot and Blue. It was introduced by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope.[1] The song was later used in the musical Anything Goes, first appearing in the 1956 film version (when it was sung by Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor); in the 1962 revival where it was sung by Hal Linden and Barbara Lang, and in the 2004 biographical film De-Lovely, where it was performed by Robbie Williams.
The hit records in late 1936 and early 1937 included versions by Leo Reisman, Eddy Duchin, Shep Fields, and Will Osborne.[2]
The song played with words that have the prefix "de", which leads to the creation of the neologism "de-lovely": "It's de-lightful, it's de-licious, it's de-lovely."
Other recordings[]
- 1936 Kitty Brown also recorded the song with Les Brown and His Duke Blue Devils.[3]
- 1949 Dinah Shore - for her album Dinah Shore Sings.[4]
- 1949 Ethel Merman - included in the album Songs She Made Famous.[5]
- 1955 Jeri Southern - The Southern Style.[6]
- 1956 Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
- 1956 Vince Guaraldi - Vince GuaraldiTrio
- 1957 Mel Torme - Songs for Any Taste
- 1958 Johnny Mathis - Swing Softly
- 1959 Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May
- 1959 Oscar Peterson - Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook
- 1961 Sue Raney - later released on a compilation album Breathless (1997).[7]
- 1982 Rosemary Clooney - Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Cole Porter
- 1984 George Wright covered the song in his album Red Hot and Blue.[8]
- 1997 Stacey Kent - Close Your Eyes
- 2004 Robbie Williams sang the song in the Cole Porter biopic, De-Lovely (2004).
- 2021 Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for their collaborative album Love for Sale.
In popular culture[]
The song was used by the Chrysler Corporation in advertising DeSoto automobiles, changing the lyrics to "Its delovely, its dynamic, its DeSoto."[9] A 1970s commercial for 7 Up used the song, describing it as "de-sugarfree".
References[]
- ^ "sondheimguide.com". sondheimguide.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 532. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Biography by Eugene Chadbourne". Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ DeLay, Tom (January 1985). "For the Records". Theatre Organ. 27 (1): 19. ISSN 0040-5531.
- ^ Video on YouTube
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- Songs from Anything Goes
- Songs written by Cole Porter
- Ella Fitzgerald songs
- 1936 songs