"Whatever Lola Wants" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song, sometimes rendered as "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". The music and words were written by

Richard Adler Richard Adler (August 3, 1921 – June 21, 2012) was an American lyricist, writer, composer and producer of several Broadway shows. Life and career Adler was born in New York City, the son of Elsa Adrienne (née Richard) and Clarence Adler. His ...

and Jerry Ross for the 1955 musical play ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...

''. The song is sung to Joe Hardy by Lola, the Devil's assistant, a part originated by

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

, who reprised the role in

the film The Film is a 2005 Indian thriller film directed by Junaid Memon also produced along with Amitabh Bhattacharya. The film stars Mahima Chaudhry, Khalid Siddiqui, Ananya Khare, Chahat Khanna, Ravi Gossain, Vaibhav Jhalani and Vivek Madan in lea ...

. The saying was inspired by

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

, an Irish-born "Spanish dancer" and mistress of King

Ludwig I of Bavaria en, Louis Charles Augustus , image = Joseph Karl Stieler - King Ludwig I in his Coronation Robes - WGA21796.jpg , caption = Portrait by Joseph Stieler, 1825 , succession=King of Bavaria , reign = , coronation ...

, who later became a

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

vamp.

Also recorded by

Natacha Atlas Natacha Atlas ( ar, نتاشا أطلس}; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern popular music). Her mu ...

Les Baxter Leslie Thompson "Les" Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was a best-selling American musician and composer. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica a ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...

(1955) *

Ran Blake Ran Blake (born April 20, 1935) is an American pianist, composer, and educator. He is known for his unique style that combines blues, gospel, classical, and film noir influences into an innovative and dark jazz sound. His career spans over 40 rec ...

* Lola Blanc * Bob & Ray * Les Brown *

Reeve Carney Reeve Jefferson Carney (born April 18, 1983) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He is best known for originating the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in '' Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'' on Broadway and playing Orpheus in the original B ...

''Live at Molly Malone's'' (2006) *

Petula Clark Petula Sally Olwen Clark, CBE (born 15 November 1932) is an English singer, actress, and composer. She has one of the longest serving careers of a British singer, spanning more than seven decades. Clark's professional career began during the ...

Alma Cogan Alma Angela Cohen Cogan (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. C ...

(1957) *

Annie Cordy Léonie Juliana, Baroness Cooreman (16 June 1928 – 4 September 2020), also known by her stage name Annie Cordy, was a Belgian actress and singer. She appeared in more than 50 films from 1954 and staged many memorable appearances at Bruno Coq ...

- French version ''Tout ce que veut Lola'' (1957) *

Xavier Cugat Xavier Cugat (; 1 January 1900 – 27 October 1990) was a Spanish musician and bandleader who spent his formative years in Havana, Cuba. A trained violinist and arranger, he was a leading figure in the spread of Latin music. In New York City ...

Carla Boni Carla Boni (17 July 1925 in Ferrara, Italy – 17 October 2009 in Rome, Italy), was an Italian singer. Life and career Born as Carla Gaiano in Ferrara, Boni had worked on RAI, the Italian State Radio and television network, as a singer sinc ...

Chiwetel Ejiofor Chiwetel Umeadi Ejiofor ( ; born 10 July 1977) is a British actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, an NAACP Image Award, and nominations for an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...

* Gracie Fields *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

(1963) *

Gotan Project Gotan Project is a musical group based in Paris (France), consisting of musicians Eduardo Makaroff (Argentine), Philippe Cohen Solal (French) and Christoph H. Müller (Swiss), a former member of Touch El Arab.Madlen Albrecht ''Le développement ...

The Hi-Lo's The Hi-Lo's were a vocal quartet formed in 1953, who achieved their greatest fame in the late 1950s and 1960s. The group's name is a reference to their extreme vocal and physical ranges (Bob Strasen and Bob Morse were tall, Gene Puerling and Cla ...

- ''A Musical Thrill'' (2006) *

Molly Johnson Margaret Leslie "Molly" Johnson, Order of Canada, OC is a Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter of pop and jazz. Biography Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff Schoo ...

* Louis Jordan *

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

- ''The Stage Door Swings'' (1958) * Eartha Kitt (1962) *

Abbe Lane Abbe Lane (born Francine Lassman; December 14, 1931) is an American singer and actress. Lane was known in the 1950s and 1960s for her revealing outfits and sultry style of performing. Her first marriage was as the fourth wife of Latin bandleader ...

(with

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

and His Orchestra (1957) *

Marinella Marinella ( el, Μαρινέλλα) (born 20 May 1938, Thessaloniki) is one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades. She has sung professionally since 1957. Since the beginning of her career, she has release ...

(1992, album '' I Marinella Tragouda Megales Kyries'') *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

(1955) *

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

: On album '' With Love'' (2006) *

Sophie Milman Sophie Milman (born 1983) is a Russian-born Canadian jazz vocalist. After emigrating from Russia in the early 1990s, Milman, who is Jewish, spent most of her childhood years in Israel where she listened extensively to jazz. Her family later emigr ...

(2007, ''Live at Winter Garden Theatre'') * Bebe Neuwirth * Caroline O'Connor * Patti Page (1960) * Perez Prado and His Orchestra (1955) * Julius Pringles (2001) *

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

(1960) * Aldemaro Romero *

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

(1955) *

Bria Skonberg Bria Skonberg is a Canadian jazz trumpeter and vocalist. Early life Skonberg was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia; her great-grandparents on her father's side came from Sweden. She took piano lessons in elementary school, switching to trumpe ...

(2017) * Dee Snider for the ''

Dee Does Broadway ''Dee Does Broadway'' is the second album by Dee Snider, the frontman of Twisted Sister, after 12 years without any release. It was produced by Snider, Patti LuPone and Bebe Neuwirth. Guests in the album include the Grammy and Emmy Award-winnin ...

'' album (2012) *

Ruby Stewart Ruby Stewart (born June 17, 1987) is an American fashion model and singer, who is the daughter of rock singer Rod Stewart and former model Kelly Emberg. Biography Ruby Stewart was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up there. She was the ...

Anthony Strong Anthony Strong (born 29 October 1984) is an English jazz singer, pianist, and songwriter. Early life Strong was born in Croydon, Surrey, England and educated at Whitgift School, the Royal Academy of Music, the Purcell School, and The Guildhal ...

* Mel Tormé (1960) * Sarah Vaughan (1955) *

Baby Face Willette Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (September 11, 1933 – April 1, 1971) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician who played the Hammond organ. Life and career He was born Roosevelt James Willett (no "e"), in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 19 ...

* John Williams (''Johnny Williams And His Orchestra, Rhythm In Motion,'' 1961)

Other instances

"Whatever Lola Wants" is the title of an episode of the 2005

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' Hot Properties'' and the title of an episode of ABC-TV's 1965 crime drama ''

Honey West Honey West is a fictional character created by the husband and wife writing team Gloria and Forest Fickling under the pseudonym "G.G. Fickling", and appearing in eleven mystery novels by the duo. The character is notable as being one of the firs ...

''. A film entitled '' Whatever Lola Wants'', directed by

Nabil Ayouch Nabil Ayouch (born 1 April 1969) is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival. Early life H ...

and starring

Laura Ramsey Laura Ramsey is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as 2006's ''She's the Man'' and '' The Covenant'', 2008's '' The Ruins'', 2009's '' Middle Men'', 2011's '' Kill the Irishman'', and 2013's '' A ...

as Lola, premiered on 11 December 2007 at the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...

and was scheduled for release in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on 16 April 2008. The Lola Car company is reportedly named after this song when company founder Eric Broadley heard the line "What Lola wants, Lola gets" in 1959. Norman Bailey played the song as a trumpet solo on the first live television broadcast of ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1 ...

'' on July 2, 1955.

sang the song for the 2005 film '' Kinky Boots''. The song was also used by

Mario Lopez Mario Lopez (born October 10, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on '' Saved by the Bell'', '' Saved by the Bell ...

and his partner Karina Smirnoff in Season 3 of '' Dancing with the Stars''. Their tango to it was voted the best celebrity dance ever by the judges of DWTS on their 100th Episode show. Several seasons later,

Joanna Krupa Joanna Krupa (; born April 23, 1979) is a Polish-born American model and actress. She is known internationally as the host and head judge of Polish '' Top Model'' as well as for appearances on reality television shows ''Dancing with the Stars'' ...

and her temporary partner

Maksim Chmerkovskiy Maksim "Maks" Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy ( uk, Максим Олександрович Чмерковський ; born January 17, 1980) is a Ukrainian-American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known ...

performed an Argentine tango to the song, in Season 9. The song was featured in the 2006 French film '' Hors de Prix'' (English title, '' Priceless'') starring

Gad Elmaleh Gad Elmaleh ( ar, جاد المالح, Latn, ar, Gād el-Māleḥ; born 19 April 1971) is a Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor who achieved fame in France, Morocco and the United States. He is best known in the French-speaking wor ...

and Audrey Tatou. The song can also be found in a 2011 Diet Pepsi commercial featuring

Sofia Vergara Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and has ...

and David Beckham. The song can also be found in a 2014 Magnum Italian commercial, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the ice cream brand owned by the British/Dutch Unilever. In the ''

Pen15 ''PEN15'' is an American cringe comedy television series, created by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Sam Zvibleman, that premiered on February 8, 2019, on Hulu. The series stars Erskine and Konkle, who also serve as executive producers alongsi ...

'' episode "Bat Mitzvah," Becca (Sami Rappoport) sings "Whatever Lola Wants" as she enters her bat mitzvah reception.

References

External links

''Whatever Lola Wants'' - versions and originals
on ''SecondHandSongs'' * *
Damn Yankees
at the Internet Broadway Database *''Hot Properties'
episode plot summary
on tv.com {{authority control Songs from musicals Songs written by Richard Adler Songs written by Jerry Ross (composer) 1955 songs Sarah Vaughan songs