My Heart Belongs to Daddy
Encyclopedia
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a song written by Cole Porter
, for the 1938 musical Leave It to Me!
which premiered on Nov 9, 1938. It was performed by Mary Martin
who played Dolly Winslow, the young protégée of an elderly ambassador
, Alonzo P. Goodhue. She is stranded at a Siberia
n railway station, wearing only a fur coat, and performs a striptease
while performing the song.
She sang it again in the 1940 movie Love Thy Neighbor
. Again she wears a fur coat, but the setting is a show within a show and the act is more conventional as she wears an evening gown
beneath the fur. Her best movie performance is in the 1946 Cole Porter biopic Night and Day in which she plays herself. She again performs the striptease, discarding her muff
and then the fur coat.
In Britain, the song was a hit for Pat Kirkwood who performed it in the 1938 revue Black Velvet
, making her the first wartime star, and so the song was thereafter associated with her.
Rhyming with "daddy" is difficult but Porter characteristically managed it well. One clever rhyme is
Finnan haddie
is smoked fish, and this is one of many innuendo
es which appear throughout the song. Sophie Tucker
famously advised Mary Martin
to deliver such sexy lines while looking towards heaven. Mary Martin was quite innocent and so the contrast between her naive manner and the suggestive lyrics accompanied by the provocative striptease made her performance a huge success.
Referring to the melody, Oscar Levant
described it as "one of the most Yiddish tunes ever written" despite the fact that "Cole Porter's genetic background was completely alien to any Jewishness."
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
, for the 1938 musical Leave It to Me!
Leave It to Me!
Leave It to Me! is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The "book" was a collaborative effort by Samuel and Bella Spewack, who also directed the Broadway production. The musical was based on the play Clear All Wires by the Spewacks...
which premiered on Nov 9, 1938. It was performed by Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
who played Dolly Winslow, the young protégée of an elderly ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
, Alonzo P. Goodhue. She is stranded at a Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n railway station, wearing only a fur coat, and performs a striptease
Striptease
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner...
while performing the song.
She sang it again in the 1940 movie Love Thy Neighbor
Love Thy Neighbor (1940 film)
Love Thy Neighbor is a movie produced by Paramount in 1940 which starred Jack Benny and Fred Allen. It featured Mary Martin with her famous fur coat striptease performance of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" which is set in a stage revue....
. Again she wears a fur coat, but the setting is a show within a show and the act is more conventional as she wears an evening gown
Evening gown
An evening gown is a long flowing women's dress usually worn to a formal affair. It ranges from tea and ballerina to full-length. Evening gowns are often made of a luxury fabric such as chiffon, velvet, satin, or silk...
beneath the fur. Her best movie performance is in the 1946 Cole Porter biopic Night and Day in which she plays herself. She again performs the striptease, discarding her muff
Muff (handwarmer)
A muff is a fashion accessory for outdoors usually made of a cylinder of fur or fabric with both ends open for keeping the hands warm. It was introduced to women's fashion in the 16th century and was popular with both men and women in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the early 20th century muffs...
and then the fur coat.
In Britain, the song was a hit for Pat Kirkwood who performed it in the 1938 revue Black Velvet
Black Velvet (revue)
Black Velvet was a revue at the London Hippodrome in 1938 which included Pat Kirkwood, singing the celebrated song My Heart Belongs to Daddy, and vocalist/impressionist Afrique. The show made Pat Kirkwood into Britain's first wartime star and established her career....
, making her the first wartime star, and so the song was thereafter associated with her.
Rhyming with "daddy" is difficult but Porter characteristically managed it well. One clever rhyme is
Finnan haddie
Finnan Haddie
Finnan haddie is smoked haddock. Its origin is Findon near Aberdeen, Scotland. It has been a popular dish in Aberdeenshire since at least the 1640s.Finnan haddie is often served poached in milk for breakfast....
is smoked fish, and this is one of many innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
es which appear throughout the song. Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
famously advised Mary Martin
Mary Martin
Mary Virginia Martin was an American actress and singer. She originated many roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Maria in The Sound of Music. She was named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1989...
to deliver such sexy lines while looking towards heaven. Mary Martin was quite innocent and so the contrast between her naive manner and the suggestive lyrics accompanied by the provocative striptease made her performance a huge success.
Referring to the melody, Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant
Oscar Levant was an American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor. He was more famous for his mordant character and witticisms, on the radio and in movies and television, than for his music.-Life and career:...
described it as "one of the most Yiddish tunes ever written" despite the fact that "Cole Porter's genetic background was completely alien to any Jewishness."
Notable recordings
- The 1938 version by bandleader Larry ClintonLarry ClintonLarry Clinton was a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader.-Biography:Clinton was born in Brooklyn, New York. He became a versatile musician, capable of playing trumpet, trombone, and clarinet...
with singer Bea WainBea WainBea Wain was an American Big Band-era vocalist born in New York City, New York. On a 1937 recording with Artie Shaw, she was credited as "Beatrice Wayne", which led some to assume that was her real name. On record labels, her name was shortened to "Bea" by the record company, ostensibly for space...
was the most successful of the many contemporary recordings, entering the U.S. charts at the same time as Mary Martin's original cast recording but peaking at No. 4, compared to Martin's No. 7. - Valaida SnowValaida SnowValaida Snow was an African American jazz musician and entertainer.She was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Raised on the road in a show-business family, she learned to play cello, bass, banjo, violin, mandolin, harp, accordion, clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone at professional levels by the time...
- (1939) - Eartha KittEartha KittEartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, actress, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 hit recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the enduring Christmas novelty smash "Santa Baby." Orson Welles once called her the "most exciting woman in the...
- That Bad Eartha (1953) - Kitty KallenKitty KallenKitty Kallen is an American popular singer who sang with a number of big bands in the 1940s, coming back in the 1950s to score her biggest hit, "Little Things Mean a Lot" in 1954.-Career:...
- Little Things Mean A Lot (1954) - Anita O'DayAnita O'DayAnita O'Day was an American jazz singer.Born Anita Belle Colton, O'Day was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer"...
- Cool Heat (1959) - Della ReeseDella ReeseDelloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
- Della Della Cha Cha Cha (1960) - Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
- Let's Make LoveLet's Make LoveLet's Make Love is a 1960 musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter and Arthur Miller...
(1960). During her performance she wears a purple sweater over a black bodystockingBodystockingA bodystocking is a one-piece article of lingerie that covers the torso, legs and sometimes the arms of the wearer. Similar in texture and look to stockings or pantyhose, a bodystocking is not a unitard, which is worn as an outfit or article of clothing, or a leotard, which is used as a practice...
. Near the end of the song, she takes off her sweater, revealing her bodystocking and a black bikini over it. - Oscar PetersonOscar PetersonOscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
- Night TrainNight Train (album)- Personnel :* Oscar Peterson - piano* Ray Brown - double bass* Ed Thigpen - drums...
(1962) - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - Herb Alpert's NinthHerb Alpert's NinthHerb Alpert's Ninth is a 1967 album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It reached number 4 on the Billboard charts and spent 18 weeks on the Top 40. It was the last album by the Tijuana Brass to be released in both mono and stereo versions; all albums afterward would be released in stereo...
(1967) - Violetta VillasVioletta VillasVioletta Villas is a Belgian-born Polish and international singer, actress, composer and songwriter. Her voice is characterized as coloratura soprano, she has five-octave vocal range and absolute pitch. Villas can play the piano, violin and trombone...
- Violetta Villas sings (1970) - Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
- Ella Loves ColeElla Loves ColeElla Loves Cole is a 1972 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald.This was Fitzgerald's first album of songs dedicated to a single composer since 1964's Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook, and her second collection of songs by Cole Porter, her first being the memorable 1956 album, Ella...
(1972) - Anna Nicole SmithAnna Nicole SmithIn 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
- My Heart Belongs To Daddy (1997) - Dee Dee BridgewaterDee Dee BridgewaterDee Dee Bridgewater is an American Jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award - winning stage actress and host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater...
- Dear EllaDear EllaDear Ella is a 1997 studio album by Dee Dee Bridgewater, recorded in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, who had died the previous year.For Dear Ella, Bridgewater won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album and Slide Hampton won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist...
(1997) - Paul MotianPaul MotianStephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
- On Broadway Vol.1 (2003) - Sophie MilmanSophie MilmanSophie Milman is a Russian-born jazz vocalist who currently lives in Canada.After emigrating from Russia in the early 1990s, Milman, who is of Jewish heritage, spent most of her childhood years in Israel where she listened extensively to jazz...
- Sophie Milman (2004)