Cole Porter was basically the only guy who could rhyme "strategy" with "sat-is-gee" and make you feel like the smartest person in the room for laughing at it. When people talk about the songs of Kiss Me, Kate, they usually start with the hits. You know the ones. "Another Op'nin', Another Show" or "Always True to You in My Fashion." But there’s a weird, brilliant tension under the surface of this 1948 masterpiece that most modern jukebox musicals just can’t touch. It’s a show about a show, based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, and the music has to do double duty. It has to sound like "real life" backstage and "theatrical" onstage.
It’s messy. It’s loud. Honestly, it’s a bit problematic if you look too closely at the 16th-century gender dynamics, but the music? The music is bulletproof.
The Genius Behind the Songs of Kiss Me, Kate
Porter was in a rough spot before this show. Critics thought he was washed up. He’d had a string of flops, and his legs were a constant source of agony after a 1937 riding accident. Then Bella and Samuel Spewack approached him with this "Shrew" idea. Porter initially hated it. He thought Shakespeare was too highbrow for his brand of witty, suggestive songwriting. Thank god he changed his mind.
What makes the songs of Kiss Me, Kate work is the stylistic whiplash. One minute you're in Baltimore in the 1940s hearing jazz-influenced Broadway standards, and the next, you're in "Padua" listening to mock-operetta and faux-Renaissance melodies. Take "Wunderbar." It’s a total parody of the Viennese waltz. Fred and Lilli—the divorced leads—sing it while reminiscing about an old show they did together. It’s sugary, over-the-top, and deeply sarcastic, yet somehow remains a genuine love song. That’s the Porter magic. He lets you have your cake and eat it too.
Why "Too Darn Hot" Breaks All the Rules
Most people forget that the most famous jazz standard from the show doesn't actually involve the main characters. "Too Darn Hot" opens the second act. It’s sung by Paul (Fred’s dresser) and the ensemble during a break in the heat of a Baltimore summer.
Why is it there?
From a plot perspective, it does almost nothing. It’s a literal "showstopper." It captures that specific, sweltering tension of being stuck in a theater alleyway when it’s too hot to sleep, too hot to work, and—as the lyrics suggestively imply—too hot for anything else. The song is a masterclass in rhythm. It builds from a low simmer to a full-blown percussive explosion. It’s arguably the most "modern" sounding piece in the score, bridging the gap between old-school musical theater and the swing era.
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The Shakespearean Satire in the Lyrics
You can't talk about these tracks without looking at how Porter handled the Bard. He didn't just set Shakespeare's words to music; he translated the vibe of the plays into mid-century slang.
"I've Come to Wive it Wealthily in Padua" is a direct lift from Petruchio’s lines in the play. But Porter adds that signature wink. Then you have "Tom, Dick, or Harry," which is a dizzying patter song. It’s incredibly difficult to sing. The triple-rhymes and the rapid-fire delivery require a level of breath control that makes modern pop singers look like they're taking a nap.
Brush Up Your Shakespeare: The Ultimate Meta-Joke
If you want to know why the songs of Kiss Me, Kate are considered the peak of the Golden Age, look at the late-show comedy number "Brush Up Your Shakespeare."
It’s performed by two gangsters.
Actual mobsters.
They’ve spent the whole show trying to collect a gambling debt, and suddenly they’re in front of the curtain delivering a vaudeville routine filled with atrocious puns about Othello and The Merchant of Venice. "If she says your behavior is heinous / Kick her right in the 'Coriolanus'." It’s low-brow humor meeting high-brow literature. It’s the kind of thing that shouldn't work, but it’s consistently the biggest laugh of the night. It reminds the audience that even though we’re watching a "classic," we’re really here to have a good time.
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Dealing with the "I Hate Men" Problem
We have to talk about Lilli’s big solo. "I Hate Men" is a tour de force for a soprano with a comic edge. Lilli Vanessi (playing Katherine) bangs a pewter tankard on a table and screams about the inadequacies of the male sex.
It’s hilarious. It’s also a little uncomfortable in a 2026 context if played too straight.
But the brilliance of the song is in the specificity of the gripes. She isn't just complaining; she’s detailing the "palaver" of suitors and the "disgusting" nature of husbands. The song works because it’s a release of all the character’s pent-up frustration regarding her ex-husband, Fred. When you hear the songs of Kiss Me, Kate in sequence, this is the moment where the "onstage" character of Kate and the "offstage" reality of Lilli perfectly blur together.
The Musical Architecture of a Hit
Cole Porter was a Yale-educated, classically trained musician who spent his nights in Parisian jazz clubs. You can hear both worlds fighting for dominance in this score.
- So In Love: This is the emotional anchor. It’s a haunting, minor-key ballad that repeats a simple, obsessive melody. It doesn't follow the typical AABA pop structure of the time. It feels more like a fever dream.
- Always True to You in My Fashion: This is pure cabaret. Based on a poem by Ernest Dowson (of all things), it’s the ultimate "cheating" anthem. Lois Lane explains that while she might sleep around, she’s "true" in her own weird way. The wordplay here—rhyming "terrapin" with "Macy's or Phil-er-pin"—is peak Porter.
- Where Is the Life That Late I Led?: This is Fred’s big moment. He’s listing all his former flames (Alice, Allegra, Lucretia) and wondering why he’s about to settle down. It’s a quintessential patter song that requires a charismatic leading man who can handle incredibly fast lyrical shifts.
Why This Score Is Better Than the Movie Version
The 1953 film version is great (and it was shot in 3D!), but the stage version of the songs of Kiss Me, Kate has more teeth.
The movie had to deal with the Hays Code, which meant a lot of the "spicier" lyrics had to be scrubbed. In the original stage version of "Too Darn Hot," the references to why exactly it’s too hot to "play" are much more explicit. The stage version also allows for more breathing room in the arrangements.
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When the 1999 revival hit Broadway with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie, they beefed up the orchestrations. They made it sound huge. That’s the version most people think of now—the brassy, loud, high-energy sound that defines the "Broadway" brand. But if you go back to the original 1948 recordings with Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison, there’s a certain crispness to the delivery that you just don't hear anymore. They sang the words like they were lethal weapons.
How to Actually Listen to Kiss Me, Kate
If you're looking to dive into this music, don't just put it on as background noise. You’ll miss the jokes. Porter is a lyricist first. If you aren't paying attention to the internal rhymes in "Bianca," you're missing half the fun.
First, grab the 1999 Broadway Revival Cast Recording. The sound quality is top-tier, and the performances are definitive for the modern era. Then, compare it to the 2019 Revival with Kelli O'Hara. You’ll notice how they tweaked some of the lyrics in "I Am Ashamed that Women are so Simple" to make the ending feel less like a total surrender of female agency and more like a tactical move in a relationship.
The songs of Kiss Me, Kate aren't just museum pieces. They’re living things. They get reinterpreted every decade because the core themes—ego, jealousy, and the performance of love—never actually go out of style.
Actionable Insights for Theater Fans
- Check the Rhyme Schemes: If you're a songwriter or a poet, study "Always True to You in My Fashion." Porter uses multi-syllabic rhymes that land on the "off-beat," which creates a sense of instability that matches the character's flighty nature.
- Watch for the Reprise: Pay attention to how "So In Love" changes from the first act to the finale. The context shifts from a lonely lament to a shared realization.
- Context Matters: Before listening, read a quick summary of The Taming of the Shrew. It makes the "Padua" songs ten times funnier when you realize which Shakespearean tropes Porter is skewering.
- Listen for the "Patter": Try to sing along with "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" without tripping over your tongue. It’s an actual vocal workout.
The reality is that Cole Porter wrote these songs while in immense physical pain, during a time when his style was supposedly "dead." Instead of fading away, he delivered a score that won the first-ever Tony Award for Best Musical. It's a reminder that wit and craft usually outlast trends. Whether you're a theater nerd or just someone who likes a good tune, these songs represent a moment where the American Musical found its grown-up voice.
Next time you hear "Another Op'nin', Another Show," remember it isn't just a generic anthem about the theater. It's a song about the desperate, frantic, and slightly delusional hope that every performer feels right before the lights go up. That's why we’re still talking about it. That's why it still works.
Step 1: Listen to the 1999 Revival Recording of "Too Darn Hot" to understand the orchestration's evolution.
Step 2: Compare the lyrics of "I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple" between the 1948 and 2019 versions to see how theatrical storytelling adapts to modern sensibilities.