What was Marilyn Monroe’s favourite song, and why?
We all have favourite songs, and they don’t often tend to be what people expect. We associate music with a specific time in our lives, and usually, the song’s overall quality has little influence over what people consider to be the best. The likes of ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ are obviously masterpieces, but unless they were playing at the same time someone first kissed the love of their life, then they probably aren’t going to be favourites. At the same time, people also turn to their comfort songs during hard times, as they have the power to lift them up. Marilyn Monroe’s top pick falls into the latter category, as she would turn to it whenever she was struggling.
Monroe enjoyed a tremendous relationship with music. Several great songs are dedicated to her, and she was also a fantastic singer. When she performed in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, she was responsible for almost all of her singing, including the vocals on the hit track ‘Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend’. Monroe gave a dazzling performance that is still widely remembered today and shows how in tune she was with the world of music.
She connected with music on the performance level but also did it as a means of therapy when life was tough. To say she had a difficult life would be an understatement, as from a young age, she was exposed to tragedy. She never knew her father, and her mother, Gladys Baker, suffered from severe mental health issues. Monroe was placed in an adoption centre shortly after being born. When her mother eventually took Marilyn back in, she was readmitted to the hospital shortly afterwards and diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Monroe was later forced into marrying her neighbour, given another one of the foster homes she was in at the age of 16 could no longer afford to look after her. Instead, they arranged for her to marry James Dougherty, who was 21 years old. Their marriage accounts differ, as he says they were in love, whereas Monroe later wrote, “My relationship with him was basically insecure from the first night I spent alone with him.”
This is all before Monroe entered the public eye, of course. Later, when she did become famous, she had issues with the likes of Hugh Hefner and Joe Dimaggio, whom she was only married to for a year amid abuse claims. She received backlash from the public as she was stereotyped as a dumb blonde, and she suffered from horrible stage fright. Music helped her through these challenging times, specifically her favourite song, ‘Who Cares?’ by George and Ira Gershwin.
‘Who Cares?’ was originally written by George Gershwin for Ida to sing in their musical Of Thee I Sing. It was in the Broadway production and has been covered by various singers since, including Tony Bennett. The calmness of the tune, paired with its message of love conquering overall, even in the darkest of times, is likely what Monroe liked so much about it and why she called it one of her favourites.
This song perfectly exemplifies how an individual’s connection to music paves the way for someone’s favourite. Though ‘Who Cares?’ is a popular song, there are more significant songs from the time, but this was the one that Marilyn connected with the most. When you listen to it, consider her love for music and consider the trials and tribulations she had throughout her life; it makes a lot of sense.
