Happy Birthday, Cole!
On June 9, I Always Listen to Cole Porter
Cole Porter – Born June 9, 1891, Peru, Indiana
Each year, I celebrate the birthdays of my dearest friends—Ludwig, Johann, Wolfgang, Johannes, Giacomo and the rest of the gang. We’re on a first-name basis by now.
Their birthdays live in my Google calendar, right alongside reminders for flights and doctor’s appointments. And when the day arrives, I mark the occasion with earbuds, speakers, and sometimes a score.
If you’d like to join me in this tradition, I suggest adding them to your calendar too. There’s no better way to spend a day than honoring greatness by listening—really listening—to the wonderful work they left behind. - Michael DeMarco
A composer's birthday is an invitation to remember why their work endures.
A Moment from Porter's Life
In 1937, Cole Porter suffered a devastating horseback riding accident at the Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, Long Island. His legs were crushed when the horse fell and rolled over him, and despite more than thirty surgeries, he remained in constant pain for the rest of his life.
As he lay pinned under the horse, awaiting rescue, Porter began mentally composing what would become At Long Last Love for his musical You Never Know. (1938)
A man shattered physically, yet composing a future classic in his mind amid excruciating pain. That image captures Porter perfectly. Refined yet resilient, turning suffering into song with poise and polish.
He returned again to Broadway with Leave It to Me! (also 1938), including his hit "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," proving that his creativity would not be contained by circumstance.
Placing Porter in Time
Cole Porter belongs to the golden age of American songwriting, what we call the Great American Songbook era. While contemporaries like George Gershwin and Irving Berlin defined their sound through emotional resonance or patriotic charm, Porter’s music stood out for its sophisticated lyrics, urbane melodies, and his sly innuendo.
A classically trained composer who studied at Yale and the Schola Cantorum in Paris, he brought European refinement to Broadway and Hollywood, blending the lushness of continental harmony with the punch of Tin Pan Alley.
My Listen This Year
This year, I’m honoring Cole by listening to:
I've a Shooting Box in Scotland from See America First (1916)
Written in 1916, at 25 for his first Broadway show, See America First, this piece already showcases Porter’s hallmark wit and verbal agility. Though the musical itself was a flop, the song sparkles with dry humor and patrician flair, parodying British aristocracy with affectionate mischief.
There’s a charm to its unapologetic silliness, complete with references to grouse hunting and Scottish Highland airs. Even early on, we see Porter bending rhyme and rhythm with glee. It’s a delightful window into his emerging voice: playful, literate, and unmistakably Cole. How can you not love these lyrics!
I’ve a shooting box in Scotland,
I’ve a chateau in Touraine,
I’ve a silly little chalet
In the Interlaken Valley,
I’ve a hacienda in Spain,
I’ve a private fjord in Norway,
I’ve a villa close to Rome,
And in traveling
It’s really quite a comfort to know
That you’re never far from home!
Suggested Listening
If you’d like to explore further—or begin your own tradition—here are a few recommended songs:
Night and Day – A rhythmic masterpiece with it’s verse built on a single, hypnotic note. Iconic and endlessly interpreted.
Begin the Beguine – Exotic, sultry, and sophisticated. A dance with shadow and light.
You're the Top – Witty, dazzling wordplay at its finest. Porter as a lyrical acrobat.
Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye – Bittersweet elegance in a minor key. I find this to be the quintessential song of sorrowful parting. I feel the ache of it, when it is sung properly. You may also.
His songs do not require specific context, however if you do see his musicals Kiss Me Kate, Can-Can and Silk Stockings and others you will see how his most popular songs are perfectly embedded into the story.
Why Porter Still Matters
Porter’s music is timeless because it sparkles with wit, sophistication, and often an undercurrent of longing. He managed to make popular music smart without losing its soul.
His lyrics wink and flirt while his harmonies weep. In a cultural landscape often flattened by simplicity, Porter reminds us that elegance, nuance, and intelligence still can transport the listener. He left behind so many songs of what are termed standards, but I always felt his songs needed an even better term, something more iconic.
A Favorite Quotation
You're the Nile, you're the Tower of Pisa, you're the smile on the Mona Lisa.
—Cole Porter
Cole lived at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City from 1939 until his death in 1964, surrounded by the quiet luxury he so adored. The grand piano that once stood in his suite, where he undoubtedly composed many of his classics, was later moved to the Cocktail Terrace in the Park Avenue lobby of the hotel.
I was the music director of the Waldorf for many years and personally booked the pianists who played that very famous piano each day.
For decades, it continued to sing in his absence, serenading guests with echoes of Cole's wonderfully hummable melodies.
To walk through that lobby and hear a Porter tune in the air, was to feel, if only briefly, that he had never truly left at all.
The pianists were always prepared for me to swing by and make a Porter song request. Depending on my mood, it would be: You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, I've Got You Under My Skin, or maybe So in Love from his musical Kiss Me Kate.
Those NYC pianists that worked all the major hotel lobbies in those days were impossible to stump with any Porter or Gershwin repertoire. It was a very special time for me, as well as any guests returning back to the hotel from a night at the theater through the Park Avenue side entrance.
Join the Birthday Celebration
If this composer’s work speaks to you, consider adding their birthday to your calendar. Each year, you’ll get a reminder to step away from the noise and spend a day with something transcendent.
What are you listening to today in honor of Cole Porter?
Share your favorites in the comments. I’d love to learn what speaks to you.