A collection of Marlon Brando’s favourite songs
Modern acting wouldn’t be the same without Marlon Brando. Widely regarded as one of the most influential actors of the post-war years, Brando bought method acting to the masses, using the Stanislavski system to imbue his roles with hitherto unseen levels of realism and intensity. Blessed with oodles of charm, he quickly established himself as Hollywood’s most revered leading man, landing roles in everything from László Benedek’s The Wild One to the 1955 musical Guys & Dolls. Here, courtesy of the Marlon Brando estate, we’ll be sifting through the actor’s favourite records from his personal collection.
Raised in Nebraska, California and Illinois, Brando left home in 1943 to start a new life in New York City. On arrival, he enrolled in Erwin Piscator’s Dramatic Workshop at the New School. His mentor, Stella Adler, a member of the famous Yiddish Theatre acting family, introduced him to the “emotional memory” technique espoused by Russian theatre director and practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski.
After treading the boards for a few years, he landed his big-screen debut in 1950’s The Men, a poignant exploration of the lives of disabled World War II Veterans, for which Brando spent months observing the patients in a hospital paraplegic ward. In 1951, he received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance in Kazan’s film adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.
For the next decade, Brando’s star continued to rise. His record collection, mostly comprised of jazz LPs released between 1950 and 1960, evokes the hedonism of the period and reflects the film world’s obsession with jazz culture at the time. It includes numerous cuts from Chet Baker’s 1954 album Chet Baker Sings, including the powerfully moody ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’.
There’s also a shedload of Latin jazz records, including ‘Oye Come Va’ by the great Tito Puente, ‘That Old Black Magic’ by Luiz Bonfá and ‘Guantanamera’ by Cuban percussionist and bandleader Walfredo De Los Reyes. The genre became popular in the US in the 1940s, so Brando might have heard these records growing up. That being said, it seems like something he would have been introduced to after relocating to New York – a hotbed for musical fusion at the time – or after being cast in Guys & Dolls, the score for which makes excellent use of Latin rhythms.
You can listen to a playlist of Marlon Brando’s favourite songs below.
Marlon Brando’s favourite songs:
- Chet Baker – ‘My Funny Valentine’
- ‘Wild Is The Wind’ – Nina Simone
- ‘Danny Boy’ – Harry Dean Stanton
- ‘The Very Thought of You – Nat King Cole
- ‘The Very Thought of You’ – Billie Holiday
- ‘American Pie’ – Don McLean
- ‘La Guagua (Guaracha)’ – Celia Cruz
- ‘Besema Mucho’ – Cesaria Evora
- ‘Straighten Up And Fly Right’ – Nat King Cole Trio
- ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ Mat King Cole’
- ‘Concierto de Aranjuez: Adagio’ – Miles Davis
- ‘A Woman In Love’ – Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons
- ‘Luck Be A Lady’ – Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons
- ‘I Fall In Love Too Easily – Chet Baker
- ‘Oye Como Va’ – Tito Puente
- ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ – Tny Bennett
- ‘Spanish Grease’ – Willie Bobo, Melvin Lastie
- ‘Embraceable You’ – Judy Garland
- ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’ – Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald
- ‘Love Is Here To Stay’ – Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald
- ‘From This Moment On’ – Frank Sinatra
- ‘Moonlight In Vermont’ – Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto
- ‘Sodade’ – Cesaria Evora, Bonga
- ‘Feeling Good’ – Nina Simone
- ‘Black Coffee’ – Sarah Vaughan
- ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’ – Blossom Dearie
- ‘Just You, Just Me’ – Lester Young, Oscar Peterson Trio
- ‘All the Things You Are’ – Paul Weston And His Orchestra
- ‘That Old Black Magic’ – Luiz Bonfá , Harold Arlen
- ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Studio Rio Version)’ – Mel Torme, Studio Rio
- But Not For Me’ – Ella Fitzgerald
- ‘She’s Funny That Way (I Got a Woman Crazy For Me)’ – Tony Bennett
- ‘Days of Wine And Rose’ – Harry Mancini, Jackie Gleason
- ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ – Cal Tjader
- ‘Guantanamera’ – Walfredo De Los Reyes
- ‘Yigi Yigi’ – David Hudson & Friends
