Too Darn Hot

"Too Darn Hot" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Kiss Me, Kate (1948). In the stage version, it is sung at the start of Act 2, and in the 1948 original Broadway production, it was sung by Lorenzo Fuller (as Paul) and Eddie Sledge and Fred Davis (as the specialty dancers), leading the full company. In the 1953 MGM Hollywood film version, it is moved to a much earlier point, and it is sung by Ann Miller (as Lois Lane, Fred's new girlfriend, who is cast as Bianca). The song does not really contribute to the plot in either the stage or film versions; in the stage version, the song represents the company of The Taming of the Shrew taking a break offstage during the intermission of their play; in the film version it allows the audience to see Lois's fun-loving, risk-taking nature, and gave Ann Miller a chance to show off her dancing skills, specifically tap. The line 'According to the Kinsey report' (in the original stage production) was changed in the film version to 'According to the latest report'.

In popular culture

Ella Fitzgerald recorded the song for her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956).

Petula Clark recorded it for her album Petula Clark in Hollywood (1959).

Mitzi Gaynor performed the song live on The Ed Sullivan Show in between the two sets of The Beatles for their second appearance on the show in 1964.

It was covered by Erasure for the Red Hot + Blue compilation (album and video versions) in 1990.

It was included by Anthony Strong on his 2013 album Stepping Out and by Stacey Kent in her 2003 album The Boy Next Door, as well as by Holly Cole in the album Shade the same year.

This song was the soundtrack of a 2003 Adidas commercial.[1]

The song gained new currency in 2004 because of two films that came out that year. The first was the Porter biopic De-Lovely, and the second was the movie Kinsey, which used the tune because Porter mentioned the Kinsey report on American sexual attitudes in the song's bridge.

This song is referenced in the title song of the 2008 musical In the Heights by Usnavi.

References

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External links