"It's De-Lovely" is a popular song written by Cole Porter. It first appeared in his 1936 musical, Red Hot and Blue, and was performed by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. Later, the song was included in the musical Anything Goes. It was first heard in the 1956 film version of Anything Goes, where Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor sang it. The song also appeared in the 1962 stage revival, performed by Hal Linden and Barbara Lang, and in the 2004 movie De-Lovely, where Robbie Williams sang it.
In late 1936 and early 1937, several recordings of the song were released. These versions were performed by Leo Reisman, Eddy Duchin, Shep Fields, and Will Osborne.
The lyrics of the song include words that begin with the prefix "de," such as "de-lightful" and "de-licious." This led to the creation of the new word "de-lovely," as heard in the song's famous line: "It's de-lightful, it's de-licious, it's de-lovely."
Other recordings
- 1936 Kitty Brown recorded the song with Les Brown and His Duke Blue Devils.
- 1949 Dinah Shore included the song on her album Dinah Shore Sings.
- 1949 Ethel Merman included the song on the album Songs She Made Famous.
- 1955 Jeri Southern included the song on the album The Southern Style.
- 1956 Ella Fitzgerald included the song on the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book.
- 1956 Vince Guaraldi included the song on the album Vince Guaraldi Trio.
- 1957 Mel Torme included the song on the album Songs for Any Taste.
- 1958 Johnny Mathis included the song on the album Swing Softly.
- 1959 Anita O'Day included the song on the album Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May.
- 1959 Oscar Peterson included the song on the album Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook.
- 1961 Sue Raney included the song on an album. The song was later released on a compilation album called Breathless (1997).
- 1982 Rosemary Clooney included the song on the album Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Cole Porter.
- 1984 George Wright covered the song on his album Red Hot and Blue.
- 1997 Stacey Kent included the song on the album Close Your Eyes.
- 2004 Robbie Williams sang the song in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely (2004).
- 2021 Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for their collaborative album Love for Sale.
In popular culture
The song was used in advertising DeSoto automobiles by the Chrysler Corporation in 1956, with the lyrics, "It's Delightful, It's De Lovely, It's DeSoto." In 1957, the lyrics were changed to "It's delovely, it's dynamic, it's DeSoto." A commercial from the 1970s for 7 Up used the song and described it as "de-sugarfree."