It's De-Lovely

Album: Red, Hot And Blue! (1936)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Cole Porter wrote "It's De-Lovely" for Born To Dance, but it ended up in the 1936 musical Red, Hot And Blue!, performed by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. It was also featured in the 1956 remake of Anything Goes, where it was sung by Mitzi Gaynor and Donald O'Connor.
  • In the George Eells biography of Porter, The Life That He Led, the genesis of the song is attributed to a remark made by his friend Monty Woolley on board a ship in or just off Rio Harbor. Porter was watching the dawn break and said to his wife "It's delightful"; she replied "It's delicious," and Woolley chipped in "It's de-lovely."

    Later, Porter told the same story substituting mangosteen melon for the dawn. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2
  • The 2004 movie De-Lovely takes its title from this song. Starring Kevin Kline, the film tells the story of Porter's life. It wasn't the first film to do so. Cary Grant played the composer in a mostly fictionalized 1946 biopic, also named after a Porter song: "Night And Day."
  • Robbie Williams performed this song in the film De-Lovely.
  • Ethel Merman sang this during her appearance on The Muppet Show. In the season 1 episode, she performs a medley of show tunes, with Scooter and Gonzo joining her on "It's De-Lovely."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Divided Souls: Musical Alter Egos

Divided Souls: Musical Alter EgosSong Writing

Long before Eminem, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj created alternate personas, David Bowie, Bono, Joni Mitchell and even Hank Williams took on characters.

Jello Biafra

Jello BiafraSongwriter Interviews

The former Dead Kennedys frontman on the past, present and future of the band, what music makes us "pliant and stupid," and what he learned from Alice Cooper.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.