High Society – 1956
High Society is a 1956 soundtrack album, featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly. This was Crosby’s fifth LP album, and his first recorded for Capitol Records. It was the soundtrack for the MGM feature film High Society, also released in 1956. Initially issued on vinyl either in mono or stereo format, the album has been issued on CD by Capitol in Japan (CD: TOCP-6587) in 1991 and by Capitol in the UK (CD: CDP 793787-2) in 1995. The album was also included in a 3-CD box set called “Original Soundtrack Recordings” issued by the EMI Music Group Australasia
Crosby’s exclusive recording contract with Decca Records expired at the end of 1955 and he chose to go freelance.
After his recording of “True Love” with Grace Kelly went gold, Crosby joked that it was the only gold record to feature a real-life princess. “True Love” was the only song in the album to be nominated for an Academy Award but it lost out to “Que Sera, Sera”.
Track listing
SIDE ONE
“High Society” (Overture) – Johnny Green, conducting the MGM Studio Orchestra – 3.32
“High Society Calypso” – Louis Armstrong and His Band – 2.14
“Little One” – Bing Crosby – 2.33
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” – Celeste Holm, Frank Sinatra – 2.08
“True Love” – Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly – 3.07
SIDE TWO
“You’re Sensational” – Frank Sinatra – 3.56
“I Love You, Samantha” – Bing Crosby – 4.30
“Now You Has Jazz” – Louis Armstrong and His Band, Bing Crosby – 4.18
“Well, Did You Evah!” – Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra – 3.50 (Note: the stereo version does not include Crosby’s adlib “You must be one of the newer fellas.”)
“Mind If I Make Love to You?” – Frank Sinatra – 2.24
All songs written by Cole Porter.