When Marilyn Monroe became a singer too!
Marilyn Monroe was not simply an actress who happened to sing on screen: her voice and musical presence are an inseparable part of her legend. Throughout her film career she performed numerous numbers—some films contain three or four songs—and she left pieces that are now iconic in cinema history, such as “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” and “I Wanna Be Loved By You.” Even in non-musical films she often sang, alternating duets and solo numbers. Technically speaking, one of the songs in which her vocal ability is most evident is “One Silver Dollar” (from River of No Return), where her emotional phrasing and melodic control are particularly striking.
But Marilyn wanted to go further than film soundtracks: she hoped to launch herself as a commercial recording artist. In 1953 she signed a contract with RCA Victor that required her to record “not less than 16 sides,” a formal agreement that placed her within the professional recording industry beyond her movie work. The document, dated October 8, 1953, shows that the plan was serious and was negotiated together with 20th Century-Fox, which had contractual control over her career. The contract itself is material evidence that Monroe was seeking a real musical outlet in the marketplace.
The sessions that followed were not simple demos. She worked with top professional musicians under the direction of figures such as Hal Schaefer. According to several sources and biographical accounts, Monroe recorded a number of studio tracks in 1953 with full arrangements—at least one session included seventeen musicians—and songs like “A Fine Romance” were completed in just a couple of takes after precise vocal coaching (Schaefer even instructed her on breathing and supported her in exploring her vocal range). These sessions show a Marilyn who took her singing very seriously and who wanted her voice to be judged as music, not only as part of her film persona.
The repertoire attributed to those 1953 sessions appears today in modern reissues and compilation albums: “Do It Again,” “You’d Be Surprised,” “She Acts Like a Woman Should,” “A Fine Romance,” and versions of “Kiss,” among others. Most of these recordings remained “previously unreleased” for decades and only surfaced in posthumous collections—often mixed with soundtrack material—explaining why they were not known to the public during Marilyn’s lifetime.
However, it is important to clarify a key point mentioned by Donald Spoto: although the RCA sessions remained unreleased for years, other songs directly tied to her films were issued and sold extremely well. A significant example is “I’m Gonna File My Claim,” from River of No Return, which sold more than 75,000 copies in just the first three weeks of release. In other words, even while some studio recordings remained shelved, Marilyn had genuine commercial success as a singer through her movie-related singles. There was indeed an audience willing to buy Marilyn Monroe records.
Monroe did not develop a traditional concert career; her live musical activity was limited but memorable. In February 1954 she travelled to Korea to perform for American troops—an event that took her off the movie set and into a real performance environment. Those who witnessed it recalled the enthusiastic reaction of the soldiers and how much the experience meant to her. Along with the studio sessions, Korea stands as one of the few occasions in which Marilyn functioned openly as a singer outside of cinema.
In conclusion, the 1953 recordings confirm that Marilyn Monroe was, technically and professionally, also a singer: she signed with RCA, recorded studio material, performed live in a unique context, and showed serious artistic intent. Although she never developed a conventional recording career nor released a full album in her lifetime, the existing material proves that her musical ambitions were real. Some tracks remained unreleased for decades, but film-related songs like “I’m Gonna File My Claim” demonstrated immediate commercial appeal. For a brief but meaningful moment, Marilyn Monroe truly became a recording artist—an aspect of her career that modern listeners can finally appreciate through contemporary reissues and archival collections.
References
Heritage Auctions. “Marilyn Monroe Signed RCA Recording Contract.” Auctioned; document dated October 8, 1953.
Link: https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv-memorabilia/marilyn-monroe-signed-rca-recording-contract/a/997018-2844.s
Heritage Auctions. “Marilyn Monroe Historic Signed RCA Recording Contract from the Year of the Release of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Original document, 1953.
Link: https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/movie-tv-memorabilia/marilyn-monroe-historic-signed-rca-recording-contract-from-the-year-of-the-release-of-gentlemen-prefer-blondes/a/997027-2143.s
Qobuz – Marilyn Monroe Artist Discography Page. Catalog and tracks available digitally.
Link: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/marilyn-monroe/24786
Fresh Sound Records. “Marilyn Monroe – Complete Recordings (2CD set).”
Link: https://www.freshsoundrecords.com/marilyn-monroe-albums/3191-complete-recordings-2cd-set.html
eBay Listing – RCA Victor Vinyl Release (various sellers).
Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/135394879330
Amazon – “Marilyn Monroe – Victor PJL1-8076 (RCA Victor release).”
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Marilyn-Monroe-Victor-PJL1-8076-26-21566/dp/B00KRHG60O
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