Ella Fitzgerald

I never bother with people I hate

When I was in college at Tufts in the 80s we listened to a radio station that had Twofer Tuesday every week. The DJs played two songs per artist—two by The Cure, then two by Simple Minds, then two by Yaz, etc.—all day long.

We all have lists of favorite songs, but I also have a list of songs that I will listen to whenever they come on—no matter where I am or how I feel. They may not be among my favorite songs, they may not be the best songs ever written or sung but, for whatever reason, I love them. They transcend mood, setting, or even preference. They simply demand to be listened to at the time of their choosing.

ELLA FITZGERALD

I love Ella. She is, in my view, the greatest American vocalist ever. She brings me joy. Her voice is pure in a way nobody else’s is. There is an ebullience in her singing that is simply unmatched. I love the way she sings even songs I’m not particularly fond of (“Miss Otis Regrets” comes to mind). But the song at the top of my list, that I will listen to no matter what, is her version of "The Lady Is a Tramp" written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers.

My second Ella cut is her live version of "Mack the Knife" written by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht, and Marc Blitzstein. It was performed and recorded at the Deutschehallen in Berlin in 1960. I won’t give away the surprise, but Ella is so supremely skilled, so unpretentious, so willing to laugh with us that there’s a reason this whole album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

Please share your Twofer Tuesday with everybody.

Enjoy!