Ella Fitzgerald - Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered (lyrics) Apr 2026

For her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book , she chose to record the unabridged version . At over seven minutes long, it remains one of the few recordings to include the full, original Broadway "patter" lyrics.

In 1956, Ella Fitzgerald was at a turning point in her career. Her manager, , had just formed Verve Records specifically to provide her with a platform to record the definitive versions of the American Songbook. For her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers

Lorenz Hart’s original lyrics were highly provocative for 1940, including lines like "Horizontally speaking, he’s at his very best" and "Thank God, I can be oversexed again" . Her manager, , had just formed Verve Records

The song is sung by Vera Simpson , a wealthy, married socialite who has fallen for the "heel" Joey (originally played by a young Gene Kelly ). including lines like "Horizontally speaking