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.
The Boys in the Back Room
Marlene Dietrich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And tell them I'm having the same
Go see what the boys in the backroom will have
And give them the poison they name
And when I die don't spend my money
On flowers and my picture in a frame
Just see what the boys in the backroom will have
And tell them I sighed and tell them I cried
And tell them I died of the same
And when I die don't buy a casket of silver
With the candles all aflame
Just see what the boys in the backroom will have
And tell them I sighed and tell them I cried
And tell them I died of the same
And when I die don't pay the preacher
For speaking of my glory and my fame
Just see what the boys in the backroom will have
And tell them I sighed and tell them I cried
And tell them I died of the same
Marlene Dietrich's song "The Boys in the Back Room" is a sultry and seductive tune that speaks to the freedom and indulgence of a carefree night out. The lyrics suggest that there are boys in the backroom of the establishment that the singer is in, and the implication is that these boys are up to no good. However, rather than condemn or judge them, the singer embraces their behavior, even mirroring it herself.
In the chorus, the singer advises her friends not to waste their time or money on mourning her death. Instead, she wants them to honor her memory by living in the same indulgent and carefree way that she did. She asks them to go back to the same backroom and order the same poison that she did, implying that her freedom-loving spirit is not lost with her death.
The message of the song is clear: life is meant to be lived fully and without apology. The boys in the backroom represent the allure of the forbidden and the thrill of rebellion. The singer's desire to be remembered through indulgence rather than mourning is a testament to her free spirit and independent streak.
Line by Line Meaning
See what the boys in the backroom will have
Go and check what the guys in the back room are ordering
And tell them I'm having the same
Order me the same thing as the guys in the back room
Go see what the boys in the backroom will have
Go and check what the guys in the back room are ordering
And give them the poison they name
Give them whatever they want to drink
And when I die don't spend my money
Don't waste my money when I pass away
On flowers and my picture in a frame
Don't buy expensive flowers or pictures when I die
Just see what the boys in the backroom will have
Order the guys in the back room whatever they want
And tell them I sighed and tell them I cried
Tell the guys in the back room that I was sad and upset
And tell them I died of the same
Tell the guys in the back room that I died from drinking the same thing as them
And when I die don't buy a casket of silver
Don't waste money on an expensive silver casket when I die
With the candles all aflame
Don't buy expensive candles for my funeral
And when I die don't pay the preacher
Don't pay the preacher for speaking about me when I die
For speaking of my glory and my fame
Don't pay the preacher to glorify me and talk about my achievements
Just see what the boys in the backroom will have
Order the guys in the back room whatever they want
And tell them I sighed and tell them I cried
Tell the guys in the back room that I was sad and upset
And tell them I died of the same
Tell the guys in the back room that I died from drinking the same thing as them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANK LOESSER, FREDERICK HOLLANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Samuel Dieckmann
Everything in life gets better to the sound of Marlene Dietrich.
Alesandro Bobadilha
Marlene Dietrich was a goddess. What a fabulous woman.
sunnysolaris23 Bakerstreet
What an absolut icon!
Andrew Gibbon-Williams
Somehow she remained ageless. A miracle.
Oleg Gorky
Also covered excellently in the German sci-fi classic, World on a Wire from 1973. 👍
Connie Foster
That wink at 0:56... It's easy to see why people fell for her!
Astro_Seas
chocolatesquirrel100 Well, she was 62 here. So she wasn’t so young.
MarleneXtreme2
Awesome !MARLENE FOREVER !!
kimmy loves vintage
I love her! she was beautiful and entertaining!
O MELHOR DO MELHOR
I love Marlene Dietrich.