Anything Goes (song)

"Anything Goes" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his musical Anything Goes (1934). Many of the lyrics feature humorous (but dated) references to various figures of scandal and gossip in Depression-era high society. For example, one couplet refers to Sam Goldwyn's notorious box-office failure Nana, which featured a star, Anna Sten, whose English was incomprehensible except to Goldwyn, who came from the same part of Europe. Other 1930s society references include film producer Max Gordon, socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean and her highly promoted trip to the Soviet Union, interior design pioneer Lady Mendl's scandalous predilection for performing hand stands and cartwheels in public at the age of 70, and the financial woes common to "old money" families during the Depression, such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Whitneys. Most modern versions omit these lyrics, replacing them instead with generic examples of social upheaval.

Notable recordings

 * Sutton Foster and Company: Anything Goes Sondheim Theatre Broadway Cast Recording (2011).
 * John Barrowman Anything Goes (2003 National Theatre's London Cast Recording) (2003)
 * Frank Sinatra: Songs For Swingin' Lovers (1956)
 * Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956) and Ella Loves Cole (1972).
 * Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan: Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi (1957)
 * Tony Bennett (with Count Basie and his Orchestra): Basie Swings, Bennett Sings (1958)
 * The Dave Brubeck Quartet: Anything Goes: Plays Cole Porter (1966)
 * Kate Capshaw: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) (performed in Mandarin)
 * Susannah McCorkle: Ballad Essentials (2002), Easy to Love—The Songs of Cole Porter (1996)
 * Lindsay Pearce: Glee - "The Purple Piano Project" (2011) (mashed up with Anything You Can Do)
 * Recorded as a top 1967 Billboard single hit by Harpers Bizarre, (#43 pop, #6 easy listening.). It became namesake for the group's album Anything Goes.  This version was heard in the opening of the 1970 film "The Boys in the Band"
 * In 2012 Melanie C recorded the song for her musical theatre-inspired album Stages

In popular culture

 * Cole Porter's rendition of "Anything Goes" is featured in the 2008 video game Fallout 3, on the in-game radio station of Galaxy News Radio.
 * The melody can be heard in Club Obi Wan during the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
 * Laurence Olivier's character listens to the song while relaxing in the film Sleuth (1972)