"It's De-Lovely" is one of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became Standard (music), standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway the ...

's hit songs, originally appearing in his 1936 musical, '' Red Hot and Blue''. It was introduced by

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

and

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

. The song was later used in the musical '' Anything Goes'', first appearing in the 1956 film version (when it was sung by Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor); in the 1962 revival where it was sung by Hal Linden and Barbara Lang, and in the 2004 biographical film '' De-Lovely'', where it was performed by

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

. The

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...

s in late 1936 and early 1937 included versions by Leo Reisman, Eddy Duchin, Shep Fields, and Will Osborne. The song played with words that have the

prefix A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. Particularly in the study of languages, a prefix is also called a preformative, because it alters the form of the word to which it is affixed. Prefixes, like other affixes, can b ...

"de", which leads to the creation of the

neologism In linguistics, a neologism (; also known as a coinage) is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered ...

"de-lovely": "It's de-lightful, it's de-licious, it's de-lovely."

Other recordings

* 1936 Kitty Brown also recorded the song with Les Brown and His Duke Blue Devils. * 1949 Dinah Shore - for her album ''Dinah Shore Sings''. * 1949

- included in the album ''Songs She Made Famous''. * 1955 Jeri Southern - ''The Southern Style''. * 1956 Ella Fitzgerald - '' Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book'' * 1956 Vince Guaraldi - '' Vince Guaraldi Trio'' * 1957 Mel Torme - '' Songs for Any Taste'' * 1958 Johnny Mathis - '' Swing Softly'' * 1959 Anita O'Day - '' Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May'' * 1959

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

- '' Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook'' * 1961 Sue Raney - later released on a compilation album ''Breathless'' (1997). * 1982 Rosemary Clooney - '' Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Cole Porter'' * 1984 George Wright covered the song in his album ''Red Hot and Blue''. * 1997 Stacey Kent - '' Close Your Eyes'' * 2004

sang the song in the Cole Porter biopic, '' De-Lovely'' (2004). * 2021

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

and

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

recorded a version of the song for their collaborative album '' Love for Sale''.

In popular culture

The song was used by the Chrysler Corporation in advertising DeSoto automobiles, in 1956 singing, "It's Delightful, It's De Lovely, It's DeSoto. Then in 1957 the lyrics changed to "Its delovely, its dynamic, its DeSoto." A 1970s commercial for 7 Up used the song, describing it as "de-sugarfree".

References

{{authority control Songs from Anything Goes Songs written by Cole Porter Ella Fitzgerald songs 1936 songs