Marlene was known in school for her "bedroom eyes" and her first affairs were at this stage in her life - a professor at the school was terminated.
Marlene enjoyed music and attended concerts. She was adept at playing the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Acting was to be her vocation. In 1921, Marlene applied for an acting school run by Max Reinhardt. She was accepted. She appeared in several stage productions, but never had more than a couple of spoken lines. In short, she wasn't setting the stage world on fire.
She attempted films for the first time in 1922 Her first film was So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon) (1923) which was followed by Tragödie der Liebe (Love Tragedy) (1923). On this last project, she met Rudolf Sieber and married him in 1924. The union lasted until his death in 1976 although they didn't live together the whole time.
The remainder of her early film career was generally filled with bit roles. After being seen in the German production of Der blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) (1930) in 1930, Marlene was given a crack at Hollywood. Her first US film was Morocco (1930) with Gary Cooper, which was followed by Dishonored (1931). This latter movie had her cast as a street walker who is appointed a spy. The film was rather boring but was a success because of Marlene's presence. In 1932, Marlene filmed Shanghai Express (1932) which proved to be immensely popular, grossing $3 million. Once again, she was cast as a prostitute. The next film was Blonde Venus (1932) which turned out to be a horrible production. Her co-star was Cary Grant and once again she was cast as a prostitute.
During this period Dietrich had been typecast as a woman of low morals and she wanted different parts. Her chance came in 1939 in Destry Rides Again (1939) when she was cast as "Frenchy", a Western saloon hostess. This began a new direction for Marlene since it shed the previous typecasting. All through the 1940s, she appeared in well-produced, well-directed films such as Manpower (1942), The Spoilers (1942), The Lady Is Willing (1942) and Pittsburgh (1942).
Afterwards the roles came less frequently, perhaps one to two films every year. In 1945, Marlene didn't appear in any. She only made seven productions in the 1950's. Her last role of any substance was Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Despite the lack of theatrical roles, Marlene still made appearances on the stage. However, by 1979, she was a shell of her former self. After breaking her leg in one performance, she never made a go of it in show business again.
Spending the last 12 years of her life bed-ridden, Marlene died on May 6, 1992 in Paris, France of kidney failure at the age of 90.
I Can't Give You Anything but Love
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
The song "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" is a melancholic tune in which the singer expresses her inability to provide material possessions to her lover. She talks about how difficult it is to be broke and how her luck seems to keep getting worse. However, she also talks about her hopes for the future and how she will one day be able to provide everything her lover desires. The lyrics talk about the transience of life and how the most important thing is to spend time with the ones you love. This song is a message of hope in the face of adversity.
The lyrics begin with the singer admitting to the difficulties of being poor. She portrays this as a curse and not a joking matter. As the song progresses, we see her transition to a more optimistic mindset. She talks about how things will change, and she will one day be able to provide the material things her lover desires. However, she also acknowledges that at this moment, all she has is her love, and that is what she can offer.
The song ends with a message of hope for the future, encouraging her lover to dream and scheme while waiting for the better days to come. The singer also talks about her admiration and love for her partner, and that regardless of the material possessions she can offer, she will always be there to love and cherish them.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being broke is not easy, it's difficult and hard to deal with.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
Being broke is not something that can be laughed off, it's a curse which brings a lot of trouble.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from simply rotten to something worse
My luck is not favorable, and it's getting worse day by day.
Who knows, some day I will win too.
Maybe someday luck will favor me, and I will be successful.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
I will start achieving my goals and reaching the peak of my success.
Now though I see what our end is,
Currently, I understand what the future holds for us.
All I can spend is just my time.
I don't have wealth or money to spend, all I can do is give you my time and affection.
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
The only thing I have to give is my love and care for you.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
I may be broke, but I have a lot of love to give.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile, We're sure to find
Let's dream and plan together and it's only a matter of time that we will find what we're looking for.
Happiness and I guess, All those things you've always pined for.
We will find the happiness that we both have always wanted and desired for, along with all the other things that we've wanted and dreamed of.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
I would love to see you happy and doing well, looking great and feeling good about yourself.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
I may not be able to buy you expensive things like diamond bracelets sold at Woolworth, but my love for you is priceless.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
We both know that until we are financially successful and stable, I can only give you my love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
Success and wealth cannot be achieved overnight, it takes time and effort.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
To achieve something, you have to work for it and pay with hard work and dedication.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
I am willing to wait and put in the effort to achieve my goals and dreams, so we can both have a better life together.
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I promise that I will never forget about you, and I will always be there to support you.
You have a lifetime before you.
You have your whole life ahead of you to achieve your dreams and reach your goals.
I'll adore you, come what may.
I will always love and care for you, no matter what happens in our lives.
Please don't be blue for the present,
Don't be sad or upset about our current situation.
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
It makes me happy to hear you speak, and it brings me joy to be with you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Àlex Xifré
Maravillosamente maravillosa!!!
Àlex Xifré
Divina y Espectacular
DAS MARILYN MONROE ARCHIV
The best opening ever! Full of courage!
X X
SHE IS TRILLING AND I'LL ALWAYS LOVE HER !
Vidiod
Thanks so much for sharing! Would love to hear the full concert
Sperruzza90
marvellous song & perfomance...pure Art...
X X
A SAINT !!!!
MBM96
Dietrich could deliver a song like no one else. Her only modern equivalent is Lana Del Rey.
Ken Taylor
lousy vooice, too angular face to be pretty, one of the greatest entertainers of all time, extremely sensuous, showstopping talent, every song oozes with a unapproachable come-on, everything written about her totally true---was there ever anyone as incredible? i don't think so.
Rudi Polt
ALOHA