Bootleg Betty
Video – Bette Midler – I’ve Still Got My Health – Beaches
By Mister D
June 23, 2026
“I’ve Still Got My Health” (often shortened in references) is a short, upbeat, comedic song performed by Bette Midler in the 1988 film Beaches.
Context in the Movie
In Beaches, Bette Midler plays C.C. Bloom, a brash, aspiring singer/dancer from New York. The song appears early in the film, during a bar or club scene in which a young adult C.C. performs it live on stage. It’s a lively, vaudeville-style number that showcases her character’s resilient, wisecracking personality amid struggles in show business. She sings it with her signature flair—energetic, theatrical, and humorous—before the story shifts to her deeper friendship with Hillary Whitney (Barbara Hershey).
The track is brief (about 1:30 long on the soundtrack) and serves as a fun character moment rather than one of the film’s big emotional ballads like “Wind Beneath My Wings.”
About the Song
Original Source: Written by Cole Porter (from his 1940 musical Panama Hattie).
Lyrics Style: It’s a cheeky, self-deprecating list of misfortunes (bad luck in love, cheap jewelry, etc.) contrasted with a refrain that emphasizes resilience: “But I’ve still got my health, so what do I care?” Example opening lines:
“I’m always a flop at a top-notch affair,
But I’ve still got my health, so what do I care?
My best ring, alas, is a glass solitaire…”
Arrangement: On the Beaches soundtrack, it features a jazzy, upbeat arrangement suited to Midler’s performance.
Soundtrack and Legacy
The song is track 3 on the Beaches (Original Soundtrack Recording) album, which was a big success thanks to Midler’s performances and the film’s popularity. Other notable tracks include “Wind Beneath My Wings” (her massive hit from the movie), “Under the Boardwalk,” and Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today.”
Midler has performed “I’ve Still Got My Health” live in concerts over the years, including during her 2015 Divine Intervention tour, where it was a crowd-pleaser.
