Dinah Washington singing Cole Porter’s Love for sale. This is a pretty seedy song:
Appetising young love for sale.
Love that’s fresh and still unspoiled,
Love that’s only slightly soiled...
I have another version of this song, sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Though she sings more verses than Washington, and is as musical as ever, Fitzgerald really doesn’t compare, in this instance at least. Washington’s distinctive, almost raspy, voice is perfect for this lyric and she nails it with a slightly derisive, cynical tone. Fitzgerald sings the same words in a smooth and melancholy tone, making the song rather disturbingly creepy. Creepiness is a perfectly reasonable feeling to convey when singing a tale of sleazy prostitution, but that doesn’t make the song as enjoyable to listen to.
Some links:
A cynical, and reasonably amusing, dictionary, whose basic agenda is to attack pseudo-science and waffly thinking. For example:
Dear sirs:
I'm trying to find a CD that contains the version of "Love for Sale" sung by Ella Fitzgerald. Would you be so kind to help me with some information?
Thank you very much
Gabriel
We've been trying to find out if this song is from a show/movie etc. All I could come up with was "New Faces of '53". I think it is older than that. Any ideas?
Posted by: Allan MacDonald at January 12, 2005 08:38 AM
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