Cole Porter part 1

While researching this series, there were people about whom very little information could be found: their gay status was questionable at best: and their small body of work would make it very difficult to find a song that would be both representative of the theme of the list and good enough to present.

Concerning Cole Porter, the composer that we'll be talking about during the next 3 days, quite the opposite is happening: a plethora of sources talking about his work and personal life: a sexuality that is well documented and not contested by anybody: and an abundance of great songs to choose from: after all, Cole has practically written half of the Great American Songbook all by himself.

Cole Porter (1891-1964), one of the top American composers/songwriters, was born to a wealthy family in Indiana, went to Yale, lived in luxury in Paris and the South of France, in New York and Los Angeles. In the latter two, he enjoyed huge success in theater and cinema. Every recording star of the 30s, 40s and 50s worth their salt has recorded his immortal songs. His marriage to Linda Lee Thomas was a case of a sexless, mutually convenient arrangement, while his gay sex life was rich and interesting. We'll get into that tomorrow and the day after.

I Loved Him, but He Didn't Love Me was written for the 1929 musical Wake Up And Dream. It wasn't to be one of his most popular, but it was the song that inspired Sean Hayden to create the one-person show "Confidentially, Cole," which first appeared in Tiffany Theater, West Hollywood, in 2000 and whose focus was the gay Cole Porter.

Here's Judy Garland's version - it was one of her favorites:

and here's a male version, by Wilfried Van den Brande & Dirk Baert:

Love For Sale, a Porter classic from "The New Yorkers" (1930), concerns prostitution. It is generally considered to deal with the female sort, but it seems more probable that Porter wrote the song from his extended experience with male prostitutes. Also, whether we're for it or against it, it's always been a part of the gay experience for many people.

Here's the original hit version by Libby Holman (#5/1931):

Here's the Disco version by Boney M:

Here's Harvey Fierstein performing it in a great scene in "Torch Song Trilogy":

And here's KD Lang performing it in "The Black Dahlia":

Night and Day was written for the 1932 musical "Gay Divorce" and was a huge #1 hit for Fred Astaire. It was also sung by countless others. The song was inspired by Nelson Barclift, a choreographer who was one of the composer's great loves.

Here's Fred Astaire gracefully going at it with Ginger Rogers (The Gay Divorcee, 1934):

And here's Frank Sinatra in 1957: