Unissued Marlene: Aus der Jugendzeit (1954)

Marlene performs "Aus der Jugendzeit", one of a set of unissued recordings made in July 1954 for Columbia Records. The orchestra is directed by Jimmy Carroll.

"Wenn die beste Freundin"

I have never researched Marlene Dietrich's Weimar-era music, but I just heard "Wenn die beste Freundin," a 1928 Electrola-label single infamously laden with lesbian undertones that Dietrich recorded with Margo Lion and Oskar Karlweis.

Cabaret Berlin wrote more extensively on the single; therefore, you should refer to them for more information. Someone who speaks and understands German, however, could help me by telling me whether the translated lyrics on that site are accurate because I can't vouch for them. All I can add is that Dietrich's tone is at its clearest and that Margo Lion's (it is her, no?) counter-melodic scatting underpins the song's coquettish content. Katy Perry, take some pointers if you ever toy with liquor lesbianism again.