I was just listening to the Broadway revival of "Kiss Me Kate" today and once again was floored by the lyrics.Throughout my life, even going back to my childhood, whenever I hear the cast recording of the show I'm always amazed at the musical number "Tom, Dick or Harry". There's a portion in that song where the lyrics read, "Every Tom, Dick or Harry", "Every Harry, Tom or Dick" (though repeating the names in reverse would be " Every Harry, Dick or Tom". This leads to the foursome running around the stage singing "Dick- a- Dick- a Dick- a Dick- a Dick- a Dick- a- Dick". I remember asking my parents who had seen the original if the term DICK was used back then as a slang word for male genetalia and they said, "Yep". So does anyone know if Cole Porter purposely used the catch phrase on purpose as a sort of risque take on the word or am I totally off base and alone on this one?
Whenever you hear a dirty Cole Porter lyric, there is no doubt that it was put there on purpose. He was a dirty bird. Listen to "Out of This World" if you want to hear some really dirty lyrics.
Tom, Dick, or Harry is one of my favorite showtunes ever! I'm putting it on now!
I listened to the old and new versions of Always True. In both versions there is a line where it goes "There's an oil man known as tex who is keen to give me checks and these checks I feel mean that sex is here to stay" which is hey, I'm gonna cheat on you because he'll give me money but don't worry, I still love you. I always thought Louis was a flirt, but obviously she's a bit more
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No one historically was willing to own up to writing the extra dirty verse to "You're the Top." I can't believe it was Irving Berlin. But it's damn funny, whoever wrote it.
You're the top! You're Miss Pinkham's tonic You're the top! You're a high colonic You're the burning heat Of a bridal suite in use You're the breasts of Venus You're King Kong's penis You're self-abuse! You're an arch In the Rome collection You're the starch In a groom's erection I'm a eunuch who Has just been through an op But if, baby, I'm the bottom You're the top!
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I directed KISS ME, KATE for a Catholic High School, where the musical director was a nun who looked like Miss Hathaway on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES. I had to water down some of those wonderful lyrics to satisfy the nun. The "Always True" lyric became "When those checks appear I know TEX is here to stay."
However that same nun never flinched when I had Lois Lane walk out into the audience and sit on a man's lap during the encore of that same song! (The girl made sure it was her father every night)
It's funny you mentioned that, Dollypop. My ex and i directed this show a few years ago and we had Lois doing a striptease down to her slip behind a rolling rack. The artistic director the the summer stock company objected to this until we pointed out the shorts and halter top she wears in the first scene is MUCH skimpier. Always interesting where they draw the line, huh?
What, so that means Cole Porter isn't allowed to write dirty lyrics?
Listen to his songs again. A lot of them are very risque. I think when Kiss Me Kate first premiered many people refused to play 'Too Darn Hot' on the radio because it was so dirty. He was really the... eh... [insert name of modern rapper/rock band who pushes the envelope HERE] of his day.
I think 'Always True To You' are some of the best lyrics ever written. I know the big favourite from 'KMK'is 'Brush Up Your Shakespeare' but I would always say the former has the cleverest lyric. 'Paris hat' etc is just so brilliant and the number had a knockout performance by Nancy Anderson in London.
and lest we forget the choreography in the recent revival - during the dick-a-dick section, there was an awful lot of pelvic thrusting going on!
"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!"
Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!
I do recall when reading the last Cole Porter biography that was published a few years ago just how perverse the man could be. This was best illustrated in the origin of the song "Love For Sale" from the 1930 Broadway show "The New Yorkers". According to the author, the song was first performed in an out of town preview by a young girl in school uniform, anklets and Maryjane shoes. From the mouth of this young child came the lyrics...
"Love for sale, appetizing young love for sale, love that's fresh and still unspoiled, love that's only slightly soiled, love for sale...Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply? Who's prepared to pay the price? For a trip to paradise. LOVE FOR SALE!
Needless to say, Porter couldn't pull this one off and by the time the show opened in New York, the song was instead sung by British singer Elizabeth Welch who was well into her twenties with the character now portrayed as a prostitute instead of an adolescent school girl. Yep, Cole Porter was one sick pup at times.
My favorite recording of "Love For Sale" is by "The Kissing Bandits" of the Hotchkiss Dance Orchestra (recorded in 1931) on the "Can't Help Lovin' that Man" Columbia compilation CD of rare 1920s-30s recordings - all featuring male vocalists singing great love songs ...to men.
The "Bandits" sound like a slightly tone-deaf glee club and the orchestra is out of tune. It's just perfect.
God, that man was so witty. I saw KMK when I was quite young and listened to it again-especially, Always True - and I heard it again and it is just brilliant innuendo after brilliant innuendo! "When he lies on the floor I let him lay..." "When the priest goes to far east", "He likes to give my cheek a pat". And to think I thought that was innocent! Porter was naughty, but kind of ingenius when you think about it.
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My fav recording of Love For Sale is Ella's - it's the one I was raised on. Just gorgeous.
"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!"
Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!
Believe it or not my favorite rendition of "Love For Sale" is by the Manhattan Transfer. Not especially a fan of the group, the arrangement used is one of the best I've heard. True to popular recordings of the period, the song is first played throughout as an instrumental with the group's vocals entering halfway through the song. If you ever have the chance, give it a listen.
wow... I knew I recognized those lyrics, but I couldn't put a song to it... but I sing that phrase all of the time!
It's a really catchy tune, but its really strange out of context. I try not to sing just that phrase, but it's really the phrase most prominent in that song... which Porter does on purpose My favorite song is "Bianca", sung by Michael Berresse!