“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!
