Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Marilyn Monroe lights up the silver screen with her iconic 1953 performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from the hit movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Playing the gold-digging Lorelei Lee, Monroe sings, “The French are glad to die for love / They delight in fighting duels / But I prefer a man who lives / And gives expensive jewels / A kiss on the hand may be quite continental / But diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
Later in the the song, Monroe acknowledges that physical beauty won’t last forever, but diamonds will always stand the test of time: “But square-cut or pear-shaped / These rocks don’t lose their shape / Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
Written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” was sung by Carol Channing in the original 1949 Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
It was Monroe’s version, however, that has stood the test of time. Her performance has inspired contemporary interpretations by Beyonce, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Gerri Halliwell, Nicole Kidman, Christina Aguilera, Anna Nicole Smith and many more. The American Film Institute voted Monroe’s performance the 12th most important film song of all time.
It’s been reported that the elaborate showstopper took four days to shoot on the Fox lot, with Monroe providing nearly all of the vocals. The operatic “No, no, no’s” at the beginning of the song were dubbed by soprano Marni Nixon.
Please check out the video of Monroe’s amazing rendition of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”
Written by Leo Robin and Jule Styne. Performed by Marilyn Monroe.
The French are glad to die for love
They delight in fighting duels
But I prefer a man who lives
And gives expensive jewels
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental
But diamonds are a girl’s best friend
A kiss may be grand but it won’t pay the rental
On your humble flat, or help you at the automat
Men grow cold as girls grow old
And we all lose our charms in the end
But square-cut or pear-shaped
These rocks don’t lose their shape
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend
…Tiffany’s… Cartier… Black Star, Frost, Gorham
Talk to me, Harry, Winston, tell me all about it!
There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer
But diamonds are a girl’s best friend
There may come a time when a hard-boiled employer
Thinks you’re awful nice
But get that ice or else no dice
He’s your guy when stocks are high
But beware when they start to descend
It’s then that those louses go back to their spouses
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend
I’ve heard of affairs that are strictly platonic
But diamonds are a girl’s best friend
And I think affairs that you must keep liaisonic
Are better bets if little pets get big baguettes
Time rolls on and youth is gone
And you can’t straighten up when you bend
But stiff back or stiff knees
You stand straight at Tiffany’s
Diamonds… diamonds…
– I don’t mean rhinestones –
But diamonds, are a girl’s best friend
Credit: Screen capture via YouTube.com.