Anything Goes (Cole Porter song)

This article is about the Cole Porter song. For other songs with the same title, see Anything Goes (disambiguation).

"Anything Goes" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Anything Goes (1934). Many of the lyrics feature humorous (but dated) references to various figures of scandal and gossip in Depression-era high society. For example, one couplet refers to Sam Goldwyn's notorious box-office failure Nana, which featured a star, Anna Sten, whose English was said to be incomprehensible to all except Goldwyn, who came from the same part of Europe (though, in fact, Goldwyn was from Poland and Sten Ukraine). Other 1930s society references include film producer Max Gordon, socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean and her highly promoted trip to the Russian SFSR, interior design pioneer Lady Mendl's scandalous predilection for performing hand stands and cartwheels in public at the age of 70, and the financial woes common to "old money" families during the Depression, such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Whitneys. Most modern versions omit these lyrics, replacing them instead with generic examples of social upheaval.

Notable recordings

• John Barrowman Anything Goes (2003 National Theatre's London Cast Recording) (2003)
• Tony Bennett (with Count Basie and his Orchestra): Basie Swings, Bennett Sings (1958)
• The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Anything Goes: Plays Cole Porter (1966)
• Kate Capshaw: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (performed in Mandarin)
• Chris Connor - Chris Connor (1956)
• Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956) and Ella Loves Cole (1972).
• Sutton Foster and Company: Anything Goes Sondheim Theatre Broadway Cast Recording (2011).
• Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan: Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi (1957)
• Recorded as a top 1967 Billboard single hit by Harpers Bizarre, (#43 pop, #6 easy listening.). It became the namesake for the group's album Anything Goes.
• Susannah McCorkle: Ballad Essentials (2002), Easy to Love—The Songs of Cole Porter (1996)
• In 2012 Melanie C recorded the song for her musical theatre-inspired album Stages
• Lindsay Pearce: Glee - "The Purple Piano Project" (2011) (mashed up with Anything You Can Do)
• Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swingin' Lovers (1956)
• In July 2014 Tony Bennet and Lady Gaga released the song as the first single off their collaboration jazz album Cheek to Cheek.

In popular culture

• Cole Porter's rendition of "Anything Goes" is featured in the 2008 video game Fallout 3, on the in-game radio station of Galaxy News Radio.
• The melody can be heard in Club Obi Wan during the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
• Laurence Olivier's character listens to the song while relaxing in the film Sleuth (1972)
• Harpers Bizarre's rendition of the song plays over the opening credits of William Friedkin's 1970 film The Boys in the Band.
• Lyrics from the song are sung at various points by the main characters in Brian Friel's famous play, Dancing at Lughnasa, with Porter's song on the wireless radio representing modern society finally reaching the rural Irish setting.
• When Elliott Gould hosted Saturday Night Live in 1976, he sang the song during his opening monologue.
• Malcolm X used the songs line "of landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock would land on them." as inspiration for a speech on black nationalism.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga version

"Anything Goes"
Song

American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga released their version of "Anything Goes" as the lead single from their upcoming collaborative jazz album Cheek to Cheek (2014). It premiered on July 29, 2014 along with an accompanying behind-the-scenes video released on Gaga's Vevo channel, featuring clips of the recording and performing of the song in New York City. It was also made available for digital download through the iTunes Store the same day.

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song