The song had already been published in April of 1934, and Ethel Waters recorded it in New York on August 20, 1934 (Decca 140 A), both before Hi Diddle Diddle opened in London. (Please complete or pause one
Submit comments on songs, songwriters, performers, etc. album: For Ella, Notes: "Patti Austin is well qualified to record an album in the style of Ella Fitzgerald, having spent her career shadowing the paths taken by Fitzgerald and her contemporaries. More Performances of "Miss Otis Regrets"
Jeremy Irons attended the Invest in Futures fundraising event for The Prince’s Trust at London’s Savoy hotel on 9 February 2017. Porter's easy solution to the problem was to create a dramatic situation derived from the title line, a situation reminiscent of the Frankie and Johnny story of a man who has been murdered by his lover to whom he has been false. CafeSongbook.com makes no claims to rights of any kind in this content or the sources from which it comes.
It was not a particular success, but the popularity of Miss Otis Regrets has managed to save the show from complete obscurity.
"Miss Otis Regrets" is a very unusual song by Cole Porter, as it was written for the amusement of his friends.It tells the story of a young woman who sends the message that she will be unable to meet for lunch due to the fact that she discovered her lover was unfaithful and she shot him dead. With such soloists as trumpeter Warren Luening, trombonist Chauncey Welsch, flutist Gary Foster and tenors Bob Cooper and Pete Christlieb having short spots, Clooney performs a fine program (from iTunes review). Click the video below to listen to Ella sing the lyrics
Sudhalter notes that Waters was taken to task by some jazz aficionados for affecting a sophisticated white persona in her Decca recording, but insists that she could be as much a savvy theater singer as a lady of the blues doing what her material required more than pandering. Madam. Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today. Any other images that appear on CafeSongbook.com pages are either in the public domain or appear through the specific permission of their owners. It was first recorded by Ethel Waters in 1934. The orchestra is conducted by Antonio Morelli and for "Miss Otis Regrets" only, the arrangement is by Nelson Riddle. For further information on Cafe Songbook policies with regard to the above matters, see our "About Cafe Songbook" page (link at top and bottom of every page). According to Gerald Mast, Porter would never have been able to write Miss Otis Regrets" and win his bet with Woolley if he had not been able to picture his "dry, droll" friend as the character he would invent to present the song. The country and western angle is supported by McBrien reporting that a newspaper clipping found among Porter's papers said the song was inspired by "a bad cowboy lament" the songwriter heard at a party. She tracks him down, pulls a gun out of her velvet gown, and shoots him. (Elliot, Kimball and Sudhalter, p. 37). Invest In Futures is the main fundraiser for the Prince’s Trust and aims to generate vital monies to go towards getting thousands of young people into jobs, education or training.
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In fact he was the first one ever to sing it. For Sudhalter her performance of "Miss Otis" "straddles the fence between the worlds of jazz and blues on one side, and the rather more formal conventions of musical theater on the other" (Porter in the 1930s, p. 39). All such images are linked to the source from which they came (i.e. Although she has worked in R&B-oriented adult pop much of the time, she is clearly in the tradition of Fitzgerald, and in 1988, she even recorded an album of standards that she tellingly titled The Real Me. background-color: #FBECD5;
Source: Joel Whitburn,
Unlike other guests on the show, she was not part of any of the sketches but sang her songs whilst performing as in a music video. Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today. Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today Madam Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today And she's sorry to be delayed But last evening down at lover's lane she strayed Madam Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today When she woke up and found that her dream of love was gone Madam, she ran to the man who had lead her so far astray album: Live at the Cafe Carlyle, Notes: "After springing for three double-LP songbook albums in three years devoted to Cole Porter, Noël Coward, and George Gershwin, Atlantic Records tracked Bobby Short to his lair for a fourth two-disc collection in December 1973, setting up recording equipment in the tiny confines of the Cafe Carlyle where Short had maintained a permanent residency since 1968.
Mid-Atlantic District Barbershop Harmony The Alexandria Harmonizers #ColePorter (Vintage Paperback Ed., 2000 shown). Douglas performance above is part of her show dedicated to Cafe Society, a legendary club in NYC that during the late Thirties was the first to integrate both performers on stage as well as members of the audiences for which they performed. 1986, Early recordings of
(Mast, pp. background-color: #FBECD5;
Granted, No Reservations is indeed packed with Cafe Society standards, but Faye was a garrulous singer, and rarely so entertainingly indelicate as she is here. She even sang Miss Otis Regrets and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. 1944
Other songs written for Ever Yours currently included in the Cafe Songbook
Patti Austin recorded Miss Otis Regrets on her
Notes: The first twelve tracks of this album were recorded live at The Sands hotel in Las Vegas, January 14, 1960, the last two tracks at Capitol Studios, LA, September 2, 1959. Eric Partridge in his Dictionary of Catch Phrases: British and American gives the title the status of having become a catch phrase by including it as an entry in his reference work. Credits for Videomakers of videos used on this page: Borrowed material (text): The sources of all quoted and paraphrased text are cited. ), © 2009-2018 by CafeSongbook.com -- All Rights Reserved, as follows: "You haven't heard anything until you've heard Monty Woolley sing ['Miss Otis Regrets']. Woolley, never strong on resisting the chance for a dramatic exhibition, donned a butler's jacket and borrowed a maid's serving tray. The album version is a studio recording. This was sent to my agent: Douglas Byng
We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. lyricist: Cole Porter. In the end, she's hanged for it. Maybe he did or maybe he just wanted a good table. Other recordings and performances "Lulu's Back in Town" was popularized by Fats Waller in his recording of 8 May 1935 for Victor Records which made the US charts. Here however, Porter adds a devilishly ironic twist by creating a woman character whose entire persona is, unlike Frankie's, embodied by restraint, which stands in sharp contrast to her passionate action: The song is delivered by the butler of the title's Miss Otis, dignified, polite, terribly correct, unmoved by passion. album: At the Sands. Madam. body {
JAC, Click here to read the lyrics for "Miss Otis Regrets" as sung by Ella Fitzgerald
Douglas' performance took place April 14, 2008 at Birdland, NYC, with Michael Croiter, drums; Patience Higgins, tenor saxophone; Debbie Kennedy, bass. in the Cafe Songbook Record/Video Cabinet
When she woke up … ), 1954
She also made regular appearances on Jools Holland's TV shows, also on the BBC, singing during the 1995 Hootenanny a rendition of "Miss Otis Regrets" with the Pipes and Drums of the Irish Guards. body {
Miss Otis Regrets, a song by Rosemary Clooney on Spotify. body {
When she woke up and found that her dream of love was gone, madam, She ran to the man who had led her so far astray, And from under her velvet gown, She drew a gun and shot her love down, madam, Miss Otis regrets, she's unable to lunch today. For Ella easily could be the sequel to that collection. This astute ability to interpret without always going for the kill makes her versions of her chosen material some of the best ever recorded. ), 1962 and 1992
He adds that the song at some point was dedicated to Elsa Maxwell, and was indeed first presented publicly in London by Byng in an apparently Woolleyesque performance in Hi Diddle Diddle. Porter's biographer William McBrien states unequivocally that Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" for the the unproduced musical Ever More, which had Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Guy Bolton and was based on the stage play "The Spell" by Lilli Hatvany. Such content is used under the rules of fair use to further the educational objectives of CafeSongbook.com. Porter then enlisted his friend and fellow guest Monty Woolley in the process and the two of them bounced lines off one another until something like a song emerged. ), 1951
Only Bette Midler abandons the tone of deeply felt loss. Anyone? body {
below, More Performances of "Miss Otis Regrets" in the. favorite music_noteChords for "Miss Otis Regrets" (Ethel Waters, 1934)share. As sappy as it sounds, … album: Stormy Weather, Notes: According to Richard Sudhalter, "Miss Otis Regrets" was the only Cole Porter song Ethel Waters ever recorded. Nat King Cole
by the piano. New York: Alfred A. Knoph, 1998,
video before starting another. Mast reminds us that the song was written to win a bet with his friend Monte Woolley who claimed he could not write a song with such a title as "Miss Otis Regrets." I gave it to him and he did it at one of Elsa Maxwell's parties, and he was the life of the party for the evening thereafter. Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, Madam. . But last evening down in Lover's Lane she strays. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. Follow @genius album: Josh White Volume 5 (1944), Notes: This fine 26-song compilation (from iTunes] of material was recorded by folklorist Moses Asch in the 1940s, at a time when Josh White was beginning to reach an urban, educated audience with his mixture of blues, folk, and pop styles. "Miss Otis Regrets" sheet music. 1934
(Posting of comments is subject to the guidelines. The song was not, by all accounts, written for this show but
"Miss Otis Regrets" is a song composed by Cole Porter in 1934, and first performed by Douglas Byng in Hi Diddle Diddle, a revue which opened on October 3, 1934, at London's Savoy Theatre. In fact he was the first one ever to sing it. Ethel Waters
Notes: Not only does the performance of "Miss Otis Regrets" on the 1992 album above differ from Clooney's 1962 recording of the song (listen below) on her album Thanks for Nothing where she takes the song at a slower pace and is accompanied by a guitar, 1962 Clooney version from her album
Mast goes on to say, "Woolley's reading of the song in Night and Day (Listen and view above) remains its definitive version" (Mast, p. 194). (with arrangements by Buddy Bregman). Cole Porter
(Please complete or pause one
album: No Reservations, Notes: Despite her Fifth Avenue looks, Frances Faye exploded the stereotype of the standards singer â the type of vocalist apt to reverently croon a Cole Porter song as though she were a rector bowing her head while reciting from the Book of Common Prayer. A Dictionary of
Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today. Catalog of The Great American Songbook: none. (Partridge, p. 310).
Subject: Chords for Miss Otis..AND From: Mick Lowe Date: 23 Dec 98 - 09:45 PM Hi gang, Can anyone help with the guitar chords for Miss Otis Regrets AND A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL.. many thanks to those of you mudcatters that have provided me with lyrics (a special mention to &Brack), chords and and immense entertainment (see the thread about what guitar you play for more info).. … He explains the recent difficulties of his employer as an apology to someone who has come to the Otis manse expecting lunch. Perhaps Woolley's satirical take on the song is definitive in the sense of capturing what Porter had in mind at the moment he was creating it, but to listen to the other performances available on this page, suggests that the songwriter created a work of art that had possibilities beyond the songwriter's immediate intentions. Miss Otis Regrets sang at the MAD contest last night, and we are so proud to be singing tonight as the mic testers! . I gave it to him and he did it at one of Elsa Maxwell's parties, and he was the life of the party for the evening thereafter." Courtesy songbook1.wordpress. interpolatedinto it shortly after "Miss Otis Regrets" was composed. video before starting another. body {
McBrien, however, muddying the waters a bit more, says that several performers have claimed that Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets," specifically for them. She opens on a high note, "Drunk with Love" â "Rotten liquor, mostly gin, in all the clubs that I stagger in, and 'round and 'round because I've found, he loves me drunk . (Please complete or pause one
"Miss Otis Regrets" is now a standard with a life completely its own. }
albums: Thanks for Nothing and Girl Singer. In any event, the song was eventually used in a show, having been
He composed his tune "Miss Otis Regrets" for her to perform, and it became her signature. (Please complete or pause one
"Miss Otis Regrets" was the Porter equivalent of a Browning poem such as "My Last Duchess" or "Adrea del Sarto" converted into an American song that like those poems is a dramatic monologue. Although Ella often sings the verses on her recordings, Porter did not create a verse for "Miss Otis Regrets." In the meantime, the lyric as written by Porter can be found in The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter See above -- for copyright reasons, we cannot reproduce the lyric here. She was one who dreamed of love, a dream that once it was irretrievably lost led her to previously unimaginable feelings and actions. The guests became aware of a sad cowboy song playing on the radio and Porter's awareness led him to the piano where he began to noodle out a tune. A Bobby Short recording of "Miss Otis Regrets"
", Susan Elliot, Robert Kimball and Richard M. Sudhalter, This is the same track found on the album. Although Ella often sings the
"Miss Otis" came to be dedicated to party-giver extraordinaire Elsa Maxwell after she made a regular things of having one or another of her talented guests sing it at her Manhattan siorées. Partridge suggests that the song was written not so much for but about Bricktop. Hearing Ethel Waters sing "Miss Otis Regrets" eliminates the possibility of the song as being "dry" or "droll." (Please complete or pause one
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Frances Faye
Marlene Dietricht
), 1960
In this case the song apparently came into being at a party hosted by the songwriter's Yale classmate, Leonard Hanna. album: The Great Songwriters
Whatever the origins/first performance etc. Waters, who made the recording that first put the song before the American public, gives us a traditional ballad at the center of which is a tragic story the full force of which is invested in her voice. Pattie Austin also portrays the distinction between a character's demeanor and outer feelings, but more broadly. Even the rather girlish quality of her voice seems to lend truth to the fable of love, betrayal, and revenge" (Porter in the 1930s, p. 39 -- Click here to hear Ella's version.).
From Scamper 12/20/2018: I know I've heard this with a prologue, but I can't remember whose version OR the lyrics. 2nd Edition
video before starting another. 2002 album For Ella. Most notably was the African American chanteuse Bricktop (Ada Smith) whose nightclub in Paris was a popular hangout for the avant-garde claimed that "one evening in Paris Cole came to her club and said, 'Brick, I've written a song for you.' 1 Elsa Maxwell (1883-1963) was a U.S. columnist, songwriter and professional hostess, famous for her lavish and animated parties that feted the high-society and entertainment personalities of her day. When she woke up and found, that her dream of love was gone. interpolated into a London production, Hi Diddle Diddle (not a Porter show), which opened in The West End in October, 1934, where it was sung by Douglas Byng playing a stuffy butler who dryly announces that Miss Otis will not lunch today. Bobby Short
Notes: The original performance of the song was on stage in the 1934 London show Hi Diddle Diddle. There, over two nights, the tapes picked up a typical selection of standards by Porter, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, and other interwar songwriting masters, plus some more recent material, played by Short's piano trio, which also featured Beverly Peer on bass and Richard Sheridan on drums" (from iTunes review). Miss Otis Regrets Lyrics: Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, Madam / Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today / She is sorry to be delayed / But last evening down in Lover's Lane she What distinguishes the song more than anything else is the wry tone which Porter employs to tell the story of a society lady's down and dirty demise in the most polite terms with a demure melody to go with it. Rosemary Clooney
And finally McBrien quotes Porter as follows: "You haven't heard anything until you've heard Monty Woolley sing ['Miss Otis Regrets']. Cole Porter. 238-240 and Kimball, p. 193, hard cover Ed. Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today. }
verses on
Miss Otis re-grets she's un - able to lunch to - day, Madam. What comes across particularly strong in this set is his versatility and all-around appeal; he handles topical songs about discrimination and war, spirituals, covers of blues by Leroy Carr and Victoria Spivey, folk ballads, and theatrical pieces, even extending to a cover of Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets (from iTunes review)." Like Frankie, Miss Otis upon feeling the brunt of her lover's treachery, "drew a gun from under her velvet gown and shot her false lover down." //]]>, Sorry, we have to make sure you're a human before we can show you this page. . "Miss Otis Regrets" that made the charts. Chords for "Miss Otis Regrets" (Ethel Waters, 1934) Diego Boneta y su supuesta hija - YouTube. "'Miss Otis' is a song about a rich woman whose lover deserts her. Miss Otis Regrets (She’s Unable to Lunch today) by Cole Porter (1934) (sing e) | C .. | G7 .. | C .| Fm . Robert Kimball in his Complete Lyrics tells the story about how it is a parody of a country and western song that Porter heard on the radio while at a party. }
The song was recorded by Alberta Hunter with Jack Jackson and His Orchestra and Ethel Waters with The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, both in 1934; Charles Trenet, Cab Calloway and His Orchestra in 1935; Édith Piaf (as “Miss Otis Regrette”) in 1946; Marlene Dietrich sang it as “Mein Mann ist verhindert” (written in German by Lothar Metzl) with Jimmy Carroll & Orchestra in 1951; Frances … Before she sings "Miss Otis Regrets," Natalie Douglas elaborates on the Bricktop story referenced above. Miss Otis' inability to "lunch today" is for Austin, and must, at some hidden level have been for Porter, a preacherly rhetorical device, a metaphor for the fact that Miss Otis' emotional life as well as her physical one has been violently destroyed. accompanied by Paul Smith on piano. video before starting another. The regrettable events of the evening before making it impossible for Miss Otis to keep her appointment. }
either iTunes/LinkShare or Amazon.com). This is the same track found on the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook. on the 1956 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook
Her heart leaps more obviously to her sleeve as she drags us out of a stuffy foyer to the pulpit of a church where she is the preacher bearing her soul over the demise of a member of her flock. It's a perfect seasonal item, packed with regret, drink and optimism, and now tinged with tragedy. background-color: #FBECD5;
Click here to read Cafe Songbook lyrics policy. body {
Other sources seem less certain that it was written for this would-be show.
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Thomas Hischak calls "Miss Otis Regrets" "a droll and ridiculous ditty" that "mocks the good manners of high society." Click the video below to listen to Ella sing the lyrics In the blink of an inebriated eye the first performance of "Miss Otis" took shape as the sad but somehow comic story of an upper class matron who must forgo her luncheon ap pointment because she has a date with the gallows -- after murdering her partner in a brief fling gone wrong. with love." Cole Porter – Miss Otis Regrets Lyrics. Jan. 1994. They asked me to read a scene, I did, and they laughed a lot more. Whether she's handling Cole Porter ("Miss Otis Regrets") or the Beatles, Bette Midler's voice is dynamic and expressive, according to the needs of the song. Subscribe. She celebrates the legacy of the 'girl singers' of the swing era in style although some of the selections (such as Dave Frishberg's "Sweet Kentucky Ham," "Let There Be Love" and "Wave") were certainly not around during the big-band era. album: Lili Marlene, Notes: Dietrich's German language version ("Mein Mann ist Verhindert")
According to Charles Schwartz’s 1977 book, "Cole Porter: A Biography," "Miss Otis Regrets" began as entertainment during a party at the New York apartment of Yale classmate Leonard Hanna. Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music, 1986. //