"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" is a jazz song introduced by
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...
in the original
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
production of ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' (1949), with music by
Jule Styne and lyrics by
Leo Robin
Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Oscar-winning song "Thanks for t ...
.
Marilyn Monroe version
American actress and singer
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
performed the song in the 1953 film ''
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''. Monroe's character, Lorelei Lee, has been followed on a transatlantic ocean liner by a detective hired by her fiancé's father, who wants assurance that she is not marrying purely for money. He is informed of compromising pictures taken with a British diamond mine owner and cancels her letter of credit before she arrives in France, requiring her to work in a nightclub to survive. Her fiancé arrives at the cabaret to see her perform this song, about exploiting men for riches. Diamonds are an element in another story line in the film, in which Lorelei is given a diamond tiara by the mine owner, in gratitude for her recovering the photographs. In a later scene,
Jane Russell
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films.
Russell moved from th ...
, who played opposite Monroe, sang "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in court, while pretending to be Lorelei.
Most of the song in the film is Monroe's own voice and sources differ on how much help she had. The
American Film Institute,
TCM, and a biography of director
Howard Hawks state the only help she had was for the brief high-pitched introduction to the song (usually not included in
singles), which was sung by
Gloria Wood. However, a 2007 article in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' recounting the career of famous
ghost singer
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not ap ...
Marni Nixon
Margaret Nixon McEathron (February 22, 1930 – July 24, 2016), known professionally as Marni Nixon, was an American soprano and ghost singer for featured actresses in musical films. She is now recognized as the singing voice of leading a ...
claims Nixon dubbed the phrase "These rocks don't lose their shape."
George Chakiris
George Chakiris (born September 16, 1932) is an American actor. He is best known for his appearance in the 1961 film version of ''West Side Story'' as Bernardo Nunez, the leader of the Sharks gang, for which he won both the Academy Award for Be ...
can be spotted as a member of the admiring male chorus.
The number was later re-shot in
CinemaScope, to be used as part of a CinemaScope demonstration held on the Fox lot in March 1953. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck told ''Daily Variety'' that it only took hours to shoot the number in CinemaScope versus four days for the original film version. The public finally saw the CinemaScope version ten years later when it closed Fox's documentary tribute to
Marilyn, but this has not been released on DVD or VHS.
Influence
Monroe's rendition of the song was ranked the
12th best film song of the century by the
American Film Institute.
Monroe's performance has been referenced by entertainers ranging from
Madonna and
Kylie Minogue to
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle Horner (née Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, author, and actress. She rose to prominence in the 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls. With over 100 million records ...
and
Anna Nicole Smith. The music video for Madonna's "
Material Girl
"Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on November 30, 1984, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly ...
" specifically employs a similar set and costumes for the singer and her male dancers. The song was sampled by
Megan Thee Stallion and
Normani
Normani Kordei Hamilton ( ; born May 31, 1996) is an American singer and dancer. She auditioned as a solo act for the American television series ''The X Factor'' in 2012, after which she became a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, which wen ...
in 2020 for "
Diamonds
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...
", with the music video featuring a set and costumes evoking Monroe's film performance. Monroe's vocals can also be heard in the background throughout the song.
''Moulin Rouge!'' version
The song is also featured in the 2001 film ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
'', in which it is sung principally by
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
in the role of Satine, the (fictional) star performer of the famous
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche.
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...
nightclub in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, at the turn of the 20th century. This film version is technically a musical adaptation that director
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...
titled "Sparkling Diamonds". Although it consists almost entirely of an adaptation of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", this version differs from the lyrics in ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' in several ways. For example, it does not include the name
Harry Winston
Harry Winston (March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchan ...
in the chant of famous jewelers; rather, Moulin Rouge founder
Charles Zidler's name was changed to Harold in the film, so his name replaces Winston's in the song as "Harry Zidler". Black Starr & Frost-Gorham was known by that name only after 1925, but instead of using their 1875-1925 name of "
Black Starr & Frost", their name was replaced in the Luhrmann film by nonsense words (understood by many listeners as "Ross Cole;" in the 2002 DVD release, the words printed in the text captioning are "Black Star, Roscor"). And the potentially
anachronistic
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
line "help you at the
Automat
An automat is a fast food restaurant where simple foods and drinks are served by vending machines. The world's first automat, Quisisana, opened in Berlin, Germany in 1895.
By country Germany
The first automat in the world was the Quisisana ...
" was altered in the Luhrmann film to "help you feed your pussycat." Additionally, a lyrical snippet from
Madonna's song "
Material Girl
"Material Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Madonna for her second studio album, '' Like a Virgin'' (1984). It was released on November 30, 1984, by the Sire label as the second single from ''Like a Virgin''. It also appears slightly ...
" was worked into this adaptation of the song.
Other versions
*
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American actress and singer, known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and for leading roles in musical theatre.Obituary '' Variety'', February 22, 1984. ...
recorded the song in 1950.
*
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop music singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classi ...
recorded the song in 1950.
*
Lena Horne recorded the song in 1958, for her album ''
Give the Lady What She Wants
''Give the Lady What She Wants'' is a 1958 studio album by Lena Horne, with Lennie Hayton and His Orchestra. The third studio album Lena Horne released on the RCA Victor label, this album peaked at #20 in the Billboard 200 album charts. The a ...
''.
*
Della Reese
Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...
recorded the song in 1960, for her album ''Cha Cha Cha''.
*
Julie London recorded the song in 1961.
*
Eartha Kitt recorded the song in 1962.
*
Carol Channing
Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...
recorded the song again in 1974 for the musical ''
Lorelei
The Lorelei ( ; ), spelled Loreley in German, is a , steep slate rock on the right bank of the River Rhine in the Rhine Gorge (or Middle Rhine) at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site. Th ...
'', a revised version of ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes''.
*
Bertice Reading
Bertice Reading (July 22, 1933 – June 8, 1991) was an American-born actress, singer and revue artiste, based in England for most of her career.
Early life and career
Reading was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. Her performing career started at ...
recorded the song in 1979.
* In 1980, an episode of the British comedy-drama series ''
Minder
A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds".
Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'' has a play on words titled "
Diamonds Are a Girl's Worst Enemy".
*
Emmylou Harris recorded a country/rock version in 1983, for her album ''
White Shoes''.
* The 1986
Herb Albert single ''Diamonds'', which feature
Janet Jackson on lead vocals, contains the "Diamond's are a girl's best friend" refrain within the lyric.
*
Tina Martin & The Wild Side recorded a music video and 12" Vinyl for this song titled Diamonds in 1990 on The Wildside Label
*
Thalía
Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer and actress. Referred to as the " Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most successful and influential Mexican artists. Havi ...
performed this song in 1991, on Spanish television.
*
Jennifer Saunders
Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...
and
Dawn French, dressed as
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
and
Jane Russell
Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell (June 21, 1921 – February 28, 2011) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s. She starred in more than 20 films.
Russell moved from th ...
, respectively, parodied the number in their 1993 BBC special ''Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders''.
* In the first episode of the 1995 British TV Mini-Series ''
She's Out
''Widows'' is a British primetime television crime drama that was broadcast in 1983 and 1985, produced by Euston Films for Thames Television and aired on the ITV network. Two six-part series were written by crime writer Lynda La Plante. The ex ...
'', the character Connie Stephens (Zoe Heyes) sings a part of the song and dances in the mirror to it. She bears a resemblance to
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
and also states that Monroe was an inspiration to her.
*
Kylie Minogue performed this song in 1995. She also performed the song in 1999, dressed as Marilyn Monroe for the opening of
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
's Australian Studios. In 2007, she recorded another version for her film ''White Diamond''.
*
Anna Nicole Smith recorded the song in 1998. The single went on to reach the top 100 dance singles in France.
*
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
performed the song in the 2001 jukebox romantic comedy film ''
Moulin Rouge!
''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cour ...
''.
* In 2007,
Beyoncé performed an updated version for
Giorgio Armani's new fragrance
Emporio Armani
Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and h ...
''Diamonds'' in an ad directed by
Jake Nava
Jake Nava is a British director, mostly known for his work in music videos for Beyoncé, Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Britney Spears and The Rolling Stones. He also directs TV commercials, notably for Guinness and Levi Strauss & Co.
Early life and ed ...
and titled "Can You Resist?".
*
Wendi Peters
Wendi Louise Peters (born 29 February 1968) is an English actress. Peters began her acting career in theatre, with appearances in various productions including ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1991), ''Guys and Dolls'' (1991), ''Into the Woods'' (199 ...
performed a version for
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
on November 16, 2007, adding, "I am a Material Girl" halfway through, then returning to the main song.
*
performed a version for the 2007 CBS special, ''Movies Rock'', which paid tribute to the strong relationship between films and music.
* In 2009, the song was parodied for an advert for ladies'-only car insurance brand ''
''.
*
's rock version of the song is both campy and cynical, while capturing the essence of the lyric.
*
recorded a demo for this song.
* Deanna & The Downbeats, a cabaret-jazz quintet from Portland, Oregon, performs a traditional version of the song that segues into a lounge-swing version of Madonna's "Material Girl".
* In the cartoon ''
'' an episode called "The Beeper Queen" where Helga's mother Miriam sang the parody, "Beepers Are a Girl's Best Friend", in a commercial for ''Big Bob's Beepers'' in the same manner as Marilyn Monroe's performance.
* In the episode of ''
backed up by penguins in a staging similar to the original film did the song as a closing number.
* In the ''
briefly recreates a scene of the song (a.k.a. your "glitzy, glitzy extravagant side") although she does not sing at all during the "Candy Corner" segment of the ad.
* In the 100th episode of ''
) has a dream in which she is Marilyn Monroe and sings "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend".
* In the music video for her single "
emulates the scene in which Marilyn Monroe sang the song. She also included a snippet of the song during selected shows of her
'' (2010).
first lip-synched Marilyn's version, then Christina finished it with her own vocals.
*
) performs a parody of the song called"Argos Is a Girl's Best Friend" in his stand-up comedy video ''Paying the Rent''.
*In 2016 pop singer
sang the song at a private party.
* In the episode of ''
'' titled "All Signs Point To Josh...Or Is It Josh's Friend?", Rebecca Bunch (portrayed by
) pays homage to the song in the music video ''The Math of Love Triangles''. A reprised version of the song called ''The Math of Love Quadrangles'' appears in the episode titled "I Need to Find My Frenemy".
*