Open the Door (Betty Carter song)
Encyclopedia
"Open the Door" is a popular
song
written by Betty Carter
in 1964. Carter recorded it several times and made it a frequent part of her live performances, to the extent that it became her signature song
. It has also been performed and recorded by other singers including Elsa Hedberg.
Carter's biographer William R. Bauer wrote of "Open the Door":
Carter's original 1964 recording of "Open the Door" was included on the soundtrack
of the 1999 film American Beauty
.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Betty Carter
Betty Carter
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
in 1964. Carter recorded it several times and made it a frequent part of her live performances, to the extent that it became her signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
. It has also been performed and recorded by other singers including Elsa Hedberg.
Carter's biographer William R. Bauer wrote of "Open the Door":
The song's persistent bossa novaBossa novaBossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
rhythm and its haunting, sensual melody make it easy to hear the lyrics as a sexy come-on. But in such phrases as "I must get in your heart" and "No matter how you try to avoid me you can't get away so easily," hints of aggressiveness surface, suggesting that, although the narrator seems to be offering herself, she is in fact seeking her lover's surrender. Her sexuality becomes a means of obtaining control over the object of her desire and making him accept her as she is.
Carter's original 1964 recording of "Open the Door" was included on the soundtrack
American Beauty (soundtrack)
American Beauty is a 1999 soundtrack album to the film of the same name starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. The soundtrack features two excerpts from the film's score, composed by Thomas Newman, which won several awards...
of the 1999 film American Beauty
American Beauty (film)
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged magazine writer who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela...
.
Recordings
- Inside Betty CarterInside Betty CarterInside Betty Carter is a 1964 Betty Carter album. It contains the first recording of Carter's signature song, "Open the Door". Originally released on the United Artists label with eight tracks, it was reissued by Capitol Records in 1993 with seven previously unreleased tracks from a 1965 recording...
(1964) - Now It's My TurnNow It's My Turn (album)-Track listing:#"Music Maestro, Please"/"Swing Brother Swing" – 4:29#"I Was Telling Him About You" – 5:04#"Wagon Wheels" – 7:17#"New Blues " – 5:25#"Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love" – 3:03#"Making Dreams Come True" – 2:55...
(1976) - The Audience with Betty CarterThe Audience with Betty CarterThe Audience with Betty Carter is a 1979 live double album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter. It is considered by some critics to be the finest jazz vocal performance ever recorded....
(1979) - Whatever Happened to Love?Whatever Happened to Love?Whatever Happened to Love? is a 1982 live album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter. It is her only live album to include a string section on some tracks."Abre la Puerta" is a wordless version of Carter's signature tune "Open the Door"....
(1982) - a wordless rendition under the title "Abre la Puerta" - Droppin' ThingsDroppin' ThingsDroppin' Things is a 1990 live album by the American jazz singer Betty Carter.At the 32nd Grammy Awards, Carter's performance on this album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female.-Track listing:...
(1990) - under the title "Open the Door '90"