# Did Marlene Dietrich think she could sing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421 "2004-12-06T21:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/21 "2004-12-07T17:27:20Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > If her daughter can be believed . . . Well, she can’t. To quote Mary McCarthy, “Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/22 "2004-12-07T17:29:10Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Yeah, I suppose it might be. After all, he not only couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, he also used the most remarkably bad phrasing, sounding like he was singing from a lyrics sheet he was reading for the first time. Which, I understand, he often was. At least Cocker and Dietrich went to the trouble of learning their songs before recording them. But I threw him in as a sop to his fans who actually believe the nice things I said about him. _shrug_ Seriously… you think Sinatra couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, and used “bad phrasing”? I am curious, who do you consider a brilliant, tune carrying singer, who uses “good phrasing”? ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/23 "2004-12-07T21:57:39Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > But I have her singing _The Little Drummer Boy_ on a Christmas compilation CD that never ceases to amaze everyone who hears it with its awfulness. I think she’s an okay singer, but I don’t care for her particular style. But that performance of TLDB is the worst I’ve ever heard. Her style is just wrong for it, and that arrangement just makes me cringe. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/24 "2004-12-07T22:00:25Z")
I tell you, people, _listen to her early stuff_ (c1920s–40s). Her '60s stuff was crap, due mainly to unfortunate song choices and appalling arrangements. Her early recordings are easily the equal of Edith Piaf or Libby Holman. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/25 "2004-12-07T22:08:31Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > …her overly dramatic rendition of “Whewe have all the Flowews gone?” is awful. 😕 Pwincess Precious, is that you? Anyhoo, I agree. My 76-year-old has some ancient smokey cabaret style stuff from that brief respite between the wars, and some snazzy stuff from the Weimar Republic days. Not a lot of Dietrich, but what he does have – wow! – _completely_ different than the crap she did in later years. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/26 "2004-12-07T22:23:02Z")
Think of it this way - she did some grand stuff à la Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Friedrich Hollaender… politically savvy, clever, smokin’ tunes… Then she went off to do guest appearances on the Bing Crosby Show and Ed Sullivan! I mean, come _on_. That’s comparing apples to oranges. Totally different stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Deesings63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Deesings63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deesings63)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/27 "2019-06-11T10:46:31Z")
Are you all deaf. I’m a singer. Dietrich had no tone, no style, only one kind of inflection, and only had the range of a bullfrog. Have to turn the channel every time she sings. The only redemption is Madeline Kahn’s version of “See What the Boys in the Backroom will Have.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/28 "2019-06-11T11:39:07Z")
“My voice is gone…if I don’t get this picture…Godfather…ahh, I dunno. What am I gonna do?” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/29 "2019-06-11T12:19:16Z")
Funnily enough, I recently saw Ute Lemper doing a one-woman show about Marlene Dietrich. Dietrich could certainly sing - she wasn’t particularly technically gifted but she made the most of what she had and did it with style. Chacun a son gout and all that, but she could sing (and God knows Lemper certainly can). However, anyone saying Sinatra couldn’t carry a tune deserves public scorn. Frank did get rather “loose” stylistically in his later Vegas-y years (which is why I’m not a fan of that material) but his original version of “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” is technical perfection, and even his early Big Band stuff is incredibly skilled. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/30 "2019-06-11T14:27:16Z")
Wasn’t she the one who kept getting jobs because [del]Kane[/del]Hearst was in love with her? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/31 "2019-06-11T14:52:44Z")
> [@Deesings63](#): > > Are you all deaf. I’m a singer. Dietrich had no tone, no style, only one kind of inflection, and only had the range of a bullfrog. Have to turn the channel every time she sings. The only redemption is Madeline Kahn’s version of “See What the Boys in the Backroom will Have.” The discussion you are replying to played itself out 15 years ago. I’m sure you’re an excellent singer, but you’re no Marlene Dietrich. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/32 "2019-06-11T14:56:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wasn’t she the one who kept getting jobs because [del]Kane[/del]Hearst was in love with her? No that was Marion Davies. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/33 "2019-06-11T15:07:18Z")
Quit making me think that **Eve** is posting again. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/34 "2019-06-11T15:10:53Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Quit making me think that **Eve** is posting again. I know, right! Although Marlene Dietrich sings about as well as other well known singers like Bob Dylan and Florence Foster Jenkins. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/35 "2019-06-11T23:32:39Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Quit making me think that **Eve** is posting again. Anybody have her current email? The one I have is a work email from 15 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/36 "2019-06-12T02:08:11Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I know, right! Although Marlene Dietrich sings about as well as other well known singers like Bob Dylan and Florence Foster Jenkins. Have you heard the live duets with Dylan and Dietrich? On “Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again” she beats it all to bits. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/37 "2019-06-12T18:10:43Z")
Her version of Lili Marleen is one of my favorite songs. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xdzoIHJBGt0/hqdefault.jpg "Smells like Victory") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdzoIHJBGt0) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/38 "2019-06-12T18:55:36Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Her version of Lili Marleen is one of my favorite songs. > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdzoIHJBGt0](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdzoIHJBGt0) If that’s the correct link, I’m very confused. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/39 "2019-06-12T20:17:28Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Her version of Lili Marleen is one of my favorite songs. > [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdzoIHJBGt0](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xdzoIHJBGt0) You are correct. This is the best I’ve ever heard her sing. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421/40 "2019-06-13T15:33:52Z")
“…smells like failure.” :smack:Ooops, try this: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7heXZPl2hik/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGFwgXChcMA8=&rs=AOn4CLDvSMISnMSeFDQRkavsL_kr-haqNQ "Marlene Dietrich - Lili Marleen") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7heXZPl2hik) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-marlene-dietrich-think-she-could-sing/278421.md?page=1)