When Sinatra and Shirley Maclaine sing it, we hear a PG rated courtship. The song has been covered countless times since it was written 84 years ago. The lyrics here give some insight into how Porter treated language – words were there to be played with. Folks in Siam do it, think of Siamese twins…' 'the Dutch in old Amsterdam do it, not to mention the Fins. Let's do it, Let's fall in love.'Īnd if the double entendre seemed debatable at first 'Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. He predominantly composed for Broadway and Hollywood musicals with his first hit being the musical Paris in 1928 most notably introducing the number 'let's do it, let's fall in love'. She's having a damn good time with this material and it translates beautifully on record.Ĭole Porter was a prolific song writer. Ella's impeccable diction works to highlight the whimsical innuendo and wordplay in Cole Porter's work. As Ira Gershwin once said, "I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them."Ĭole Porter's jaunty melodies superbly showcase Ella's vocal prowess, her faultless intonation, and the devotion she gives to each note. This format ultimately highlighted Ella's greatest artistic trait: her profound ability to reinterpret the work of others. It was Granz's influence that propelled her into new musical territory and prompted the songbook series: each record of which presents an exploration of the works of a single songwriter, beginning with those of Cole Porter. In the same year Ella's manager Norman Granz started the record label Verve created around Fitzgerald's sky rocketing profile. Monroe fulfilled her promise and Ella was never forced to play lesser clubs again. Subsequently, Marilyn approached the nightclub's manager, and in a bid to lift the ban, guaranteed to sit front row for seven nights in a row on the condition that Ella would be performing. Marilyn Monroe had been frequenting the club at the time and discovered that her favorite singer, Ella Fitzgerald, was prohibited from performing there. One such place was 'Mocambo' Hollywood's premier nightclub. The year prior, Ella was restricted to playing smaller venues due to rules imposed by many club owners which prevented African-American people from entering such establishments. The success of the album cued a tour and Ella began playing at clubs throughout the US – previously wherein the only black people were cleaners, not the stars of the headline act. Her strengths in the technique of scat were well recognized within the jazz community, yet her dedication to this style of music was inhibiting her from reaching a wider audience and a voice like Ella's was deserving of universal recognition.Įlla Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook was released in 1956. She had been playing the small jazz club circuit, devoting her voice to bee bop. This record has not just been significant to me however.Įlla reportedly remarked that this album was a turning point in her career. Well why not? It's been vital to me throughout certain times in my life, and this is one of those records that will always provide that feeling. This time however, it instead transposed to a summer in the city, where there was whiskey and wisecracks, romance and mornings that arrive all too soon. Hence upon rediscovering this album a few years later, it sound-tracked my daydreams and triggered a nostalgic mood that had earlier taken me out of adolescent tedium. We shared a secret, a playful wink, a sing-along, and perhaps even a dance. Through this album, Ella seemingly extended an invitation to somewhere better and I took it. At my request, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook was on regular rotation at my house when I was a kid in the 90's.
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