Cole Porter wrote "Miss Otis Regrets" for a bet.

He was in a New York restaurant one lunchtime with a circle of friends, one of whom bet him that he couldn't write a song based on the next thing they heard spoken near their table (so the story goes). A waiter appeared at the next table and said, "Miss Otis regrets she's unable to lunch today, madame."

And so was born one of the shortest and most poignant ballads ever written - in my view - encapsulating a seduction, a betrayal, a murder and a lynching in just 3 simple verses. How's that for a murder ballad? I think it's one of the greatest popular song ever written, along with "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?"

It was originally supposed to be sung by a black female singer (whose name escapes me), but was actually performed on the stage for the first time by the brilliant female impersonator, cabaret artist and pantomine dame Douglas Byng. Dougie - whose punchline was "Bawdy, but British" lived his last days in Brighton - and it was he who told me the story of how the song came to be written.

So - what's the motive for writing the song here? A bet, amusement, performance, money? Who gives a toss - it's a great song. Full stop.