"(You'd Be So) Easy to Love" is a popular

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

written by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

for

William Gaxton William Gaxton (né Arthur Anthony Gaxiola, December 2, 1893 – February 2, 1963) was an American star of vaudeville, film, and theatre. Gaxton was president of The Lambs Club from 1936 to 1939, 1952 to 1953, and 1957 to 1961. He and Victo ...

to sing in the 1934 Broadway show '' Anything Goes''. However Gaxton was unhappy about its wide vocal range and it was cut from the musical. Porter re-wrote it for the 1936 film ''

Born to Dance ''Born to Dance'' is an American musical film starring Eleanor Powell and James Stewart, directed by Roy Del Ruth and released in 1936 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The score was composed by Cole Porter. Plot summary While on leave, sailor Ted ...

'', where it was introduced by

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars du ...

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

, and

Frances Langford Julia Frances Newbern-Langford (April 4, 1913 – July 11, 2005) was an American singer and actress who was popular during the Golden Age of Radio and made film and television appearances for over two decades. She was known as the "GI Nightinga ...

under its alternate title, "Easy to Love". The song was later added to the 1987 and 2011 revivals of ''Anything Goes'' under the complete title "You’d Be So Easy to Love". Early hit versions were by Shep Fields,

and Ray Noble.

Other Notable recordings

* Shep Fields - recorded with his Rippling Rhythm Orchestra (1936) *

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

- ''Quintessential Billie Holiday: Vol. II'' (1936) (recorded with Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra, October 21, 1936). *

Josephine Baker Josephine Baker (born Freda Josephine McDonald; naturalised French Joséphine Baker; 3 June 1906 – 12 April 1975) was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in her adopted Fran ...

- ''C'est si facile de vous aimer'' (1937) * Maxine Sullivan - recorded for Vocalion on October 22, 1937. * Lee Wiley - recorded April 15, 1940, ''Hot House Rose'' (1996), ''Legendary Song Stylist'' (1999) *

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

- ''

Life Begins for Andy Hardy ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' is a 1941 American comedy film and the 11th installment of the 16 popular Andy Hardy movies. Directed by George B. Seitz, ''Life Begins for Andy Hardy'' was also the last Andy Hardy movie to featu ...

'' (1941). Cut from final film. Released on the album ''Collector's Gems from MGM Films'' (1996). *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

- recorded December 24, 1947 and included in the album '' Bing Crosby Sings Cole Porter Songs'' (1949) *

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

- '' Charlie Parker with Strings'' (Studio recordings of July 1950) * Sammy Davis Jr. – '' Starring Sammy Davis Jr.'' (1955) *

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 ...

- '' Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook'' (1956) *

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

- ''

'' (1957) *

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to de ...

- '' Hank'' (with Donald Byrd playing the lead melody) (1957) *

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/ hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of h ...

- '' Personal Appearance'' (1957) *

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

- '' Hooray for Hollywood'' (1958) * Lem Winchester and Ramsey Lewis trio - '' A Tribute to Clifford Brown'' (1958) *

Shirley Bassey Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalist ...

- '' The Fabulous Shirley Bassey'' (1959) *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

- '' Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Songbook'' (1959) * Linda Lawson - ''Introducing Linda Lawson'' (1960) *

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

- '' Jug'' (1961) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

- '' Ring-A-Ding-Ding'' (1961) *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the theme ...

- ''

Trumpet and Strings ''Trumpet and Strings'' is an album by Al Hirt released on RCA Victor. The album was arranged by Marty Paich. The album landed on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 1962, reaching #96.Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

- '' Conception'' (Studio recording of April 1962, issue 1981, reissue 2014) *

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 ...

- ''Mellophonium Moods'' (1962) *

Cannonball Adderley Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928August 8, 1975) was an American jazz alto saxophonist of the hard bop era of the 1950s and 1960s. Adderley is perhaps best remembered for the 1966 soul jazz single " Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", w ...

- ''

Nippon Soul ''Nippon Soul'' is a live album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley recorded at the Sankei Hall in Tokyo during his 1963 Japanese tour and released on the Riverside label (RLP 477) featuring performances by Adderley with Nat Adderley, Yusef ...

'' (1963) *

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...

- '' All Through the Night: Julie London Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter'' (1965) *

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for his ...

- '' Thank You for Everything'' (1998), rec. 1976 * Susannah McCorkle - ''Easy to Love: The Songs of Cole Porter'' (1996), * Howard McGillin - ''Anything Goes'' 1987 revival cast recording (1987). * Grover Mitchell - ''On Track'' with his New Blue Devils (1997) * Harry Connick Jr. - '' Come by Me ''(1999)

Film appearances

*1936 ''

'' - sung by Eleanor Powell and James Stewart, Frances Langford and danced by her and Buddy Ebsen *1946 '' Night and Day'' - sung by chorus *1947 '' This Time for Keeps'' - sung by

Johnnie Johnston Johnny Johnston (December 1, 1915 – January 6, 1996) was an American actor and singer who was popular in the 1940s. Early years He was born John Clifford Johnston in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Radio In the late 1930s, Johnston had hi ...

*1950 ''

Side Street A side road is a minor highway typically leading off a main road.Main road — definition

'' - sung by Jean Hagen *1953 '' Easy to Love'' - sung by Tony Martin and played often throughout the picture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:You'd Be So Easy to Love 1936 songs Songs written by Cole Porter Johnny Mathis songs Carmen McRae songs Songs from Anything Goes