Just Because Music: Really listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s “Just One Of Those Things”

I’ve been a passionate Ella Fitzgerald fan for decades now. The problem with that, though, is that I’m so familiar with her work that I often don’t really listen to it. I hear it, of course, when the songs come up on my playlist, but I don’t listen. Tonight, though, I listened hard when Ella sang “Just One Of Those Things.”

The lyrics are exquisite — among Cole Porter’s best, I think — and to hear her cradle them and then let them go is a wonderful thing. Ella is in complete control: confident, smooth, easy, and free. With Ella, you never worry whether she’ll somehow miss a note or a beat. The musicality flows from her like water from the Trevi Fountain. This, my friends, is music!