"Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" is a popular song written in 1928 by Cole Porter. It was first performed in Porter's first successful Broadway musical, Paris (1928), by French singer Irène Bordoni, for whom Porter created the musical as her main role.

Bordoni's husband and the producer of Paris, Ray Goetz, encouraged Porter to try Broadway again with this show. The song was later included in the English version of Wake Up and Dream (1929) and used as the main theme in the 1933 Hollywood film Grand Slam, starring Loretta Young and Paul Lukas. In 1960, the song appeared in the film version of Cole Porter's Can-Can.

The original lyrics and music of the song became available for free use in the United States in 2024.

History

This is the first of Porter's "list songs," which includes a series of humorous and clever comparisons, unusual pairings, and words with two meanings. It references well-known people, events, and ideas from both high culture and everyday life. Porter greatly admired the Savoy operas written by Gilbert and Sullivan, many of which also included similar funny list songs.

The first part of the song discusses human ethnic groups, the second part focuses on birds, the third part describes marine life, the fourth part covers insects and centipedes, and the fifth part talks about non-human mammals.

The phrase "Let's do 'it'" was a way to refer to sexual activity in English. Sheldon Patinkin, an author, noted that this song was the first popular song to openly celebrate the fun side of sex. Another author, in a book about American theater history, connected Porter's use of nearly hidden double meanings, such as "Moths in your rugs do it, What's the use of moth-balls?" to his enjoyment of keeping his personal life private.

Over time, the song has often had new lines added to reflect current events or topics. For example, in 1955, Noël Coward performed the song in Las Vegas and changed most of Porter's lyrics. He included lines like "Even Liberace, we assume, does it" and "Ernest Hemingway could just do it."

Legacy

The song has been used again many times since 1928, though most versions include only part of the original lyrics. A punk rock version by Joan Jett and Paul Westerberg was used as the theme song for the 1995 movie Tank Girl. Later, a more classical version of the song appeared in a musical revue scene in the same film. In the revue, the song was first performed by stage actress Ann Magnuson, but Lori Petty took over after she placed duct tape over Magnuson’s mouth. The song was originally recorded with Joan Jett and Greg Graffin, but Atlantic Records did not allow Graffin’s voice to be used. His part was removed, and Paul Westerberg’s voice was added instead. A version of the song featuring Joan Jett and Greg Graffin was finally released in 2000 on the compilation CD Laguna Tunes (Blackheart Records).

The White Stripes’ song “Forever for Her (Is Over for Me)” from their 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan uses lyrics and themes from the original song. Brazilian singers Chico Buarque and Elza Soares recorded a Portuguese version, “Façamos – Vamos Amar,” written by Carlos Rennó, for Buarque’s 2002 album Duetos. Scottish singer Shirley Manson of the band Garbage included lyrics from the song in her performance of “Vow” at the Bizarre festival in 1996.

The song appears in Woody Allen’s 2011 film Midnight in Paris. Actor Yves Heck played the role of Cole Porter in the movie.

Racial stereotypes in original 1928 lyric

In Porter's 1928 publication, the opening lines of the chorus included three racial terms: "Chinks," "Japs," and "Lapps."

The original lyrics were included in several early recordings of the song, such as a version by the Dorsey Brothers & Their Orchestra (featuring a vocal by young Bing Crosby), Rudy Vallée, Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, all from 1928. A later version was recorded by Mary Martin, a well-known Broadway singer, with Ray Sinatra's orchestra in 1944. Other recordings with these lyrics include Billie Holiday's version from 1941 and Peggy Lee's recording with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1941.

CBS created less offensive lyrics, which NBC adopted. NBC changed the opening line of the chorus to: "Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it." This change occurred after they recognized that the original line was offensive.

Notable recordings

• Dorsey Brothers & their Orchestra (vocal, Bing Crosby) (January 26, 1929)
• Lee Morse (1928)
• Mary Martin with Ray Sinatra & His Orchestra – Mary Martin In An Album Of Cole Porter Songs (1940)
• Eartha Kitt with Henri René and his Orchestra. Recorded in New York City on October 5, 1951. It was released by RCA Victor Records with catalog number 20-5737 (in the U.S.) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label with catalog number B 10778. The song was also released on the LP That Bad Eartha (1956).
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956),
• Dinah Washington – In the Land of Hi-Fi (1956)
• Louis Armstrong – Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (1959),
• Frank Sinatra & Shirley MacLaine, Can-Can Soundtrack, 1960
• Nancy Sinatra – for her album Sugar (1966)
• Susannah McCorkle – Easy to Love: The Songs of Cole Porter (1996)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater – Dear Ella (1997)
• Come Shine – Come Shine (2001)
• Alanis Morissette – Alanis Morissette: The Collection (2005) (originally released on the soundtrack of De-Lovely)
• Diana Ross – Blue (recorded in 1973, unreleased until 2006)
• Lady Gaga recorded a version of the song for her 2021 collaborative album with Tony Bennett, Love for Sale.

Influence and pop culture

• Kim Basinger sings the song twice in the movie The Marrying Man (1991).
• MAD magazine used the song in a humorous way in The MAD 'Comic' Opera from issue #56, written by Frank Jacobs. The lyrics included: "We've heard that Blondie and Dag do it/Frequently a Yokum and a Scragg do it/Let's do it, let's fall in love…."
• In the Wonder Pets! episode "Save the Puppy," the characters sing a version of the song about how everyone needs to use the bathroom. The lyrics include: "Dogs do it, frogs do it, even funny winking hogs do it…"
• Sesame Street uses parodies of the song twice. In "Let's Lay an Egg," the lyrics are: "Snails do it, slugs do it. Even tiny Twiddlebugs do it!" In "Elmo's Potty Time," the song "You'll Use the Potty" includes: "Boys do it, girls do it. Big kids all around the world do it."
• Comedienne Victoria Wood's song "The Ballad of Barry and Freda" features a humorous conversation between an energetic housewife, who repeats "Let's do it," and her uninterested husband, who responds with "I can't do it."