Robert Baird

Happy Birthday Cole Porter

Robert Baird  |  Jun 9, 2016

“I Get a Kick Out of You”

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

“Night and Day”

“Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”

One hundred and twenty five years ago today Cole Porter was born. What a songwriter! And while many of his most memorable tunes were big hits in the Broadway shows or films they were written for, and Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Dinah Washington and countless others cut memorable versions, for more than a few listeners, Porter’s catalog was made indelible thanks to the pipes of one Francis Albert Sinatra. Frank recorded and re-recorded Porter numbers like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” throughout his career. While the early recordings of those tunes during his years on Capitol Records are perhaps the most famous, the jazzed-up, speeded-up versions that he cut for his own Reprise label, when admittedly his voice was past its prime, have an undeniable charm as well. And while the many live versions now available of Sinatra singing Porter are always a treat—the man knew how to please and feed off an audience—the Capitol-era Frank Sinatra Sings The Select Cole Porter which is currently out of print in the U.S. (but available on Amazon) will always be a Porter touchstone and hopefully help keep his music alive and in the air for another century and a quarter!

COMMENTS
Jason Victor Serinus's picture
Submitted by Jason Victor Serinus on June 9, 2016 - 1:55pm

As grateful as I am for this commemoration of a great composer and artist, I'm puzzled by your thesis. If Fred Astaire or Ethel Merman, both of whom debuted some of Porter's most beloved songs on Broadway and in film, were alive today, they would be fuming. Certainly it was from them and Ella Fitzgerald that I learned these songs, not Frank Sinatra. It seems an interesting commentary that while this Sinatra album is out of print in the U.S., Porter recordings by the others, as well as by Ella, are readily available. Can you point us to documentation that backs up the claim that Sinatra's recordings are the ones that made Porter's catalog indelible?

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on June 9, 2016 - 4:28pm
Jason Victor Serinus wrote:
As grateful as I am for this commemoration of a great composer and artist, I'm puzzled by your thesis. If Fred Astaire or Ethel Merman, both of whom debuted some of Porter's most beloved songs on Broadway and in film, were alive today, they would be fuming.

Sorry Jason, but while Fred Astaire was a vocal god, Ethel Merman hit everything she sang over its head with a sledgehammer.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

Jason Victor Serinus's picture
Submitted by Jason Victor Serinus on June 9, 2016 - 5:17pm

No wonder I have a special affinity for Ethel Zimmerman. But, to be serious for one minute, she did introduce Porter's "It's De-Lovely" (from Red, Hot and Blue), "Friendship" (from DuBarry Was a Lady), and "I Get a Kick Out of You", "You're the Top", "Blow, Gabriel Blow" and "Anything Goes" (from Anything Goes). All in all, she starred in five Porter musicals. Her singing may not be to your liking - she and Sophie Tucker had no successors in the supreme belting department until Barbra Streisand came along - but there is no questioning her central role in the ascendancy of American musical comedy, and the esteem in which Porter, Berlin, and others held her.

Venere's picture
Submitted by Venere on June 10, 2016 - 6:45am

Well, Jason, now I see what you meant by "documentation". Nicely argued. But in the end, as you said, it all comes down to each person's preference. To be honest, I've only heard Ethel in brief clips regarding the history of musicals, etc., whereas I think I may have heard (but probably not in reality) almost everything Sinatra ever recorded. Sort of reminds me of younger folks who hear a cover version of song, or even worse a "sample" used in a supposedly new song, and are blissfully unaware that the original artist who created that song ever existed. We can only like and appreciate what we are familiar with. After that, there is no accounting for personal taste. As they say, that's why God (or somebody) invented chocolate and vanilla.

Venere's picture
Submitted by Venere on June 9, 2016 - 2:33pm

Yes, really. First, it's just one person's opinion. Which artist did the most memorable version of a particular song is probably subject to the memory of the person who heard it, right? Perhaps Mr. Baird's first exposure to these songs (or at least his most "memorable" ones) were the Sinatra versions. I am a huge fan of both Frank and Ella, and I would be hard pressed to choose between either's version of ANY song, Cole Porter's or otherwise. Seems a bit churlish to press Mr. Baird for "documentation" of something that is by definition a matter of opinion. And while I'm commenting on this, I have to also say that many other articles and comments I've seen from Mr. Serinus seem to me to be a little on the defensive side of things. Not a big fan of his contributions to the site. But then, that's just my opinion. I don't have any documentation to back it up.

Jason Victor Serinus's picture
Submitted by Jason Victor Serinus on June 9, 2016 - 2:54pm

Guilty as charged.

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