today is the birthday of lorenz hart-- new yorker, columbia alum, romantic, lovely and lonely lyricist, and lifelong collaborator with richard rodgers. hughson mooney wrote a brief, but interesting bio on hart in which he suggest that hart's lyrics, perhaps even better than cole porter's, reflected the voice of the urban, upper-middle class generation between the first and second world wars. porter was saucier, racier, more urbane--and i favor, on the whole, his work. but boy, can hart ever do love, melancholy, clever yearning:
bewitched, bothered, and bewildered
after one whole quart of brandy
like a daisy i'm awake
with no bromo seltzer handy,
i don't even shake
men are not a new sensation;
i've done pretty well, i think.
but this half-pint imitation
put me on the blink
i'm wild again
beguiled again
a simpering, whimpering child again
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i
couldn't sleep
and wouldn't sleep
until i could sleep where i shouldn't sleep
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i
lost my heart but what of it?
my mistake i agree.
he's a laugh, but i love it
because the laugh's on me.
a pill he is
but still he is
all mine and i'll keep him until he is
bewitched, bothered and bewildered
like me.
seen a lot
i mean i lot
but now i'm like sweet seventeen a lot
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i
i'll sing to him
each spring to him
and worship the trousers that cling to him
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i
when he talks he is seeking
words to get off his chest.
horizontally speaking
he's at his very best.
vexed again
perplexed again
thank god i can't be over-sexed again
bewitched, bothered and bewildered am i
wise at last
my eyes at last
are cutting you down to your size at last
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more
burned a lot
but learned a lot
and now you are broke, though you earned a lot
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more
couldn't eat
was dyspeptic
life was so hard to bear;
now my heart's antiseptic
since you moved out of there
romance-finis
your chance-finis
those ants that invaded my pants-finis
bewitched, bothered and bewildered no more.
when ella sings them, these lyrics that can at first read bluesy or bitter (or maybe even a bit looney), are sweeter and dreamier.
she, like many who have recorded it, made some lyrical changes:
until i could sleep where i shouldn't sleep became when love came and told me i shouldn't sleep
my mistake i agree becomes he is cold I agree
he's a laugh but i love it becomes he can laugh but i love it
he's a pill...becomes he's a fool...
worship the trousers that cling to him becomes and long for the day when i'll cling to him in the first verse (but she brings back the original lyrics for the second)
seen a lot is i've sinned a lot...
and i think she thanks god she can get over-sexed again...
anyway, you get the idea. i hear her version and think she gets the guy in the end. or at least, she gets what she wants. i like that.
***
bewitched, bothered, and bewildered is one of the best known tunes from the musical pal joey. i was surprised to learn that the musical version was based on a series of short stories, written as letters (it can be properly called an epistolary novel, my new favorite term), by john o'hara, which appeared in the new yorker. this bit of news got me very excited, until i read a little more about john o'hara. he sounds awful.
***
blue moon,
you saw me standing alone
without a dream in my heart
without a love on my own.
blue moon,
you knew just what I was there for
you heard me saying a prayer for
somebody I really could care for.
and then there suddenly appeared before me,
the only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper, "please adore me."
and when I looked,
the moon had turned to gold.
blue moon,
now I'm lo longer alone
without a dream in my heart
without a love on my own.
elvis' version of blue moon was the first cross-over/rock and roll hit for rodgers and hart--and it actually was the 4th iteration of the song. the first 3 lyric versions were all written while the duo was under contract to MGM. the first version was to be sung by jean harlow in the film "hollywood party," but ultimately neither jean harlow, nor the song appeared in the film. the second and third versions were written for manhattan melodrama (one of my favorite flicks, starring myrna loy and clark gable).
image via http://www.doctormacro1.info/ 
***
my funny valentine (chet baker)
be hold the way our fine feathered-friend
his virtue doth parade.
thou knowest not my dim witted friend,
the picture thou hast made.
thy vacant brow and thy tousled hair
conceal thy good intent.
thou noble upright, truthful, sincere
and slightly dopey gent- you are..
my funny valentine
sweet comic valentine
you make me smile with my heart
you looks are laughable, unphotographable
yet you're my favorite work of art
is your figure less than greek
is your mouth a little bit weak
when you open it to speak, are you smart?
don't change a hair for me
not if you care for me
stay little valentine stay
each day is valentine's day
