I think Merman and Jolson should have performed together.

"I'm Still Here" from Follies.

I don't know if Merman ever sang 'Love Me Or Leave Me.' If not, I'd pick that song.

I think Ethel Merman would have been great singing Al Jolson's best known songs.

Re: "Defying Gravity" - would have been interesting in Merman's prime vocal years, the 1930s/1940s - you would NEVER have seen or heard her shrieking to be heard over the orchestra like Menzel and others do - she wouldn't have stood for that. Merman herself may have said she "beat her brains out" on stage sometimes, but you never ever saw the effort, nor did she ever sound like she was forcing it.
"Stone-cold sober I find myself absolutely
fascinating!"
Katharine Hepburn

Defying gravity. Lol. She'd sound like a chain saw.

I once saw Bonnie Hunt on a talk show state that on the set of
Jumanji
she and Robin Williams discussed some of the songs Ethel should have sung but didn't, such as
The Sound of Silence
. ("Hello, Darkness, my old friend!") It was hilarious.
Here's my list of songs I would have loved her take on:
Physical
Gonna Make You Sweat ("Everybody Dance Now!")
Nothing Compares 2 U
Work It (Missy Elliott)
Get the Party Started (Pink)
I Touch Myself (Divinyls)
Erotica (Madonna)
Smooth Operator
"Lemme Hear You Body Talk! Your Body Talk!"
"Well, for once the rich white man is in control!"
C. M. Burns

It was in her autobiography. I don't know Love Revolution.
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." ~Confucius~

Well, if that's what you heard, that's what you heard. "Love Revolution" seems to suit her voice (as much as any 1970s pop-rock song would), and I just don't see her doing a jokey patter song like "Turning On" unless she was duetting with Jimmy Durante!
"so love has certainly taken the ginger out of
her!"

I believe the song was Everyone Today Is Turning On from I Love My Wife.
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." ~Confucius~

An old friend of mine used to do a bogus "Merman Sings Mitchell" routine, with Ethel Singing the Joni Mitchell songbook.
Merman actually considered recording "Love Revolution" from
I Love My Wife
(her belt would have sounded great on this song!) but someone apparently pointed out to her that the lyric contradicted her rather conservative beliefs, so she droppped the idea.
"so love has certainly taken the ginger out of
her!"

That would have been great.
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." ~Confucius~

Even more, from the same show, I'd love to have had her sing "I'm Still Here"!

I wish she had sung "Broadway Baby" from Follies.
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." ~Confucius~

This message has been deleted.

I wish she'd done an album of Loretta Lynn songs.
JUST
KIDDING!
Merman wasn't really a "pop" singer - although she sometimes sang popular songs of the 30s, 40s & 50s on albums or tv shows, her voice and style weren't suited to most of the music you refer to. Because of her perfect pitch and clear diction, Merman was a favorite of songwriters, and most of the hit songs she introduced in her shows were tailored to her theatrical, straight-from-the-shoulder singing style. She did do the famous ETHEL MERMAN DISCO ALBUM, but it was simply her old songs sung with disco orchestrations. In the same vein, it would be silly to imagine some of the artists you mentioned singing Merman's songs or songs from her era - DE-LOVELY, the film "bio" of Cole Porter, was proof positive of
that

• most of the contemporary artists who sang in the film had no clue how to sing or phrase a Cole Porter song, and at least one was rendered almost unrecognizable.
  Those of you who think you know everything should politely defer to those of us who do!