Thursday, July 22, 2010

Miss Otis Regrets

A fine Cole Porter tune. This version, is by the lovely Ella Fitzgerald:








The moment before she died/she lifted up her lovely head and cried

I love that line.

Unlike the previous two songs I've discussed, "Miss Otis Regrets" is told in a third person narrative. A servant (?) telling Miss Otis' friends, oh so politely, that her mistress is unable to fulfill her social obligations because, she's, well, sort of dead. A fallen woman, who can no longer speak for herself. The tragedy of the song, isn't really the murder, it's her downfall.

Another great take on the song:





No comments:

Post a Comment