Down in the Depths (On the Ninetieth Floor)

"Down in the Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor)" is a torch song written by Cole Porter, for his 1936 musical Red, Hot and Blue, in which it was introduced by Ethel Merman. The lyric scheme juxtaposes images of high and low. It is a lament from the point of view of a rich woman in a penthouse apartment higher than any building but the Empire State Building, who looks down on the busy city life below her but nevertheless feels she is at the lowest and poorest point of her life because she is lonely. Porter's melody is musically intertwined with the lyric scheme in a similar manner to his song "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye."

The song was a late edition to the show only being added during the Boston tryout.

Notable recordings

Sylvia Syms - Songs By Sylvia Syms (1952)
Johnny Hartman - Songs from the Heart (1956)
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Loves Cole (1972), Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall (1973)
Lisa Stansfield recorded "Down in the Depths" for Red Hot + Blue, a 1990 Cole Porter tribute album in aid of HIV/AIDS awareness.
Tony Bennett included the song in his album Here's to the Ladies (1995)

Popular culture

In Mart Crowley's 1968 play The Boys in the Band one of the gay characters refers to the song as "the gay national anthem."

References

"Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
Lasser, Michael (2013). Routledge. New York: Routledge. p. 143. ISBN 9780415810081.
Porter, Cole (2019). The Letters of Cole Porter. Yale, New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 140. ISBN 9780300219272.
"Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
"www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
"Ella Loves Cole". AllMusic. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
"www.discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
"www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
"www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

v t e Cole Porter
Musicals	See America First Hitchy-Koo of 1919 Paris Fifty Million Frenchmen Wake Up and Dream The New Yorkers Gay Divorce Nymph Errant Anything Goes Jubilee Red, Hot and Blue You Never Know Leave It to Me! Du Barry Was a Lady Panama Hattie Let's Face It! Something for the Boys Mexican Hayride Around the World Kiss Me, Kate Out of This World Can-Can Silk Stockings Happy New Year
Songs	Ace in the Hole After You, Who? All of You All Through the Night Allez-Vous-En Always True to You in My Fashion Another Op'nin', Another Show Anything Goes At Long Last Love Be a Clown Begin the Beguine C'est Magnifique Ca, C'est L'amour The Day Is My Enemy Do I Love You? Don't Fence Me In Down in the Depths Dream Dancing Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye From This Moment On Get Out of Town Give Him the Ooh-La-La High Society Calypso I Am in Love I Concentrate on You I Get a Kick Out of You I Happen to Like New York I Love Paris I Love You I Love You, Samantha I've Got My Eyes on You I've Got You Under My Skin In the Still of the Night It's All Right with Me It's De-Lovely Just One of Those Things Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love Let's Misbehave Little One Love for Sale Mind If I Make Love to You? Miss Otis Regrets My Heart Belongs to Daddy Night and Day Now You Has Jazz Ridin' High So in Love So Near and yet So Far Tom, Dick or Harry Too Darn Hot True Love Well, Did You Evah! What Is This Thing Called Love? Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Why Can't You Behave? You Do Something to Me You'd Be So Easy to Love You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To You're Sensational You're the Top

Cole Porter

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