Ann-Margret (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish actress and singer who was b… Read Full Bio ↴Ann-Margret (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish actress and singer who was born Ann-Margret Olsson in Valsjöbyn, Jämtland, Sweden. She moved to the United States when she was young and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. She attended Northwestern University and was discovered singing in a nightclub by George Burns. She was often referred to as a "sex-kitten" and the "female Elvis".

Ann-Margret started recording for RCA in 1961, but her recording career was not as successful as her concurrent movie career. She had a sexy, throaty singing voice comparable to Eartha Kitt or Nancy Sinatra, and RCA attempted to capitalize on her "Female Elvis" comparison by her recording a version of Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" and other songs stylistically similar to Presley. She scored one minor hit, "I Just Don't Understand" (which entered the Billboard Top 40 in the third week of August 1961 and stayed 6 weeks, peaking at #17.) Her only charting album is The Beauty and the Beard (1964), on which she was accompanied by trumpeter Al Hirt. The contract with RCA ended in 1966.

Years later, she returned to music at the end of Disco era. Her 1980 album, "Ann-Margret" became a success with both singles, "Midnight Message" and "Love Rush" reaching the Top 10 of the Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In the early 1980s, the album was followed up with the single, "Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes" and the B-Side "Hold Me/Squeeze Me." Ann Margret has continued to record music sporatically since then.
[edit]Film career

In 1961 she also made her film début for in Pocketful of Miracles, starring Bette Davis, Glenn Ford, and Hope Lange, a remake of the Oscar-winning 1933 film Lady for a Day; both versions were directed by the great Frank Capra. She followed that role with the successful remake of Rodgers' and Hammerstein's musical State Fair in 1962. Her next starring role, as the all-American teenager in Bye Bye Birdie, made her a major star. When she filmed Viva Las Vegas with Elvis Presley the two began an affair that received considerable attention from the gossip columnists in various media. The reports led to a showdown with a very worried Priscilla Beaulieu, which she recounts in her 1985 book, Elvis and Me, including Ann-Margret's attempt to "cut her off at the pass" with a press announcement that Ann-Margret and Elvis were engaged to be married. Although he ended the affair, Presley remained a friend and continued to send her flowers at the opening of each of her stage appearances until he died. Of all the Hollywood starlets he had worked with or had a relationship with, Ann-Margret was the only one to attend his funeral.
In 1963, Ann-Margret was featured and guest-starred, in animated form, in an episode of Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones as "Ann-Margrock." Decades later, she recorded the theme song to the live-action film The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas in character as Ann-Margrock. The song she recorded was a modified version of the "Viva Las Vegas" theme.\

In March 1966, Ann-Margret and entertainers Chuck Day and Mickey Jones teamed up for a USO tour to entertain U.S. servicemen in remote parts of Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia. She still has great affection for the veterans and refers to them as "my gentlemen". [1] Ann-Margret, Day and Jones reunited for an encore of this tour for veterans and troops at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada in November 2005. [2]

In 1971, she starred in Mike Nichols's Carnal Knowledge, marking a change from her sex-kitten musical roles, garnering a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, while performing at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, she fell 22 feet from the stage and suffered injuries that put her out of commission for several months. Throughout the 1970s, Ann-Margret balanced her live performances with a string of critically acclaimed dramatic film performances that played against her glamorous image, including Tommy in 1975, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, she has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning five times including Best Actress for Tommy. She also did a string of successful TV specials, starting with The Ann-Margret Show for NBC in 1968. Now in her mid-60s, she continues to act in movies.

In 1994, she published an autobiography titled Ann Margret: My Story (ISBN 0-399-13891-9). She has been married to actor Roger Smith since 1967. Smith suffers from myasthenia gravis, and Ann-Margret has devoted much of her life to caring for him.
In 2001 Ann-Margret made her first appearance in a stage musical, playing the character of Mona Stangley in a new touring production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

She has also filmed the movie "Mem-o-re", where she stars with Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper.

Begin the Beguine
Ann-Margret Lyrics

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When they begin the beguine
It brings back the sound of music so tender
It brings back a night of tropical splendor
It brings back a memory ever green

I'm with you once more under the stars
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying

When they begin the beguine

To live it again is past all endeavor
Except when that tune clutches my heart
And there we are, swearing to love forever
And promising never, never to part

What moments divine, what rapture serene
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I know but too well what they mean

So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine

Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you"
Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine

When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
When they begin the beguine

Overall Meaning

Ann-Margret's "Begin the Beguine" is a song about experiencing a rush of nostalgic memories brought about by a particular melody. The song is about the way that "the beguine," in this case understood to be a type of dance music typically associated with the French Caribbean, brings the singer back to a night of tropical luxury from their past. The sound of the beguine resonates deeply with the singer, filling them with emotion as they remember the romantic night they spent with a lover under the stars by the shore, dancing to the beguine on the warm breeze.

However, the memories are bittersweet, as the singer is forced to acknowledge that the romance the beguine reminds them of is no longer present. While they are able to lose themselves in the music and vividly recall the joy of that long-ago night, the singer knows that the love they shared has since ended, leaving them to recall only what could have been. Consequently, the song contains both moments of elation and sorrow, as the singer revels in the enduring power of music to evoke memories and emotions, even as they recognize that the moment itself has passed.

Line by Line Meaning

When they begin the beguine
The sound of the beguine song evokes memories and emotions associated with a past romantic experience.

It brings back the sound of music so tender
The melody of the song is very soft and evokes romantic feelings.

It brings back a night of tropical splendor
The song reminds the singer of a night spent in a tropical location that was full of romance.

It brings back a memory ever green
The song triggers a vivid memory that is permanently embedded in the singer's mind.

I'm with you once more under the stars
The memory evoked by the song puts the singer back in the moment when they were with their romantic partner under the stars.

And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
The memory is further enhanced by the sound of an orchestra nearby.

And even the palms seem to be swaying
The romantic atmosphere is so strong that even the palm trees seem to be dancing along with the song.

To live it again is past all endeavor
The singer acknowledges that it would be impossible to recreate that moment exactly as it was in the past.

Except when that tune clutches my heart
The only way to experience those emotions again is by listening to the beguine song.

And there we are, swearing to love forever
The memories associated with the song include a promise to love each other forever, made during that romantic evening.

And promising never, never to part
The promise made during that evening was to never break up or separate from each other.

What moments divine, what rapture serene
The singer reflects on the perfect, blissful moments that they experienced during that romantic evening.

Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
The joy and happiness of the moment was later dampened by some negative event, like an argument or a difficult situation.

And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
The singer understands when people express regret over a missed romantic opportunity or a failed relationship.

I know but too well what they mean
The singer can empathize with others who have experienced similar romantic disappointments.

So don't let them begin the beguine
The singer is hesitant to listen to the beguine song again, given the intense emotions and memories that it brings back.

Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
It's better to let the romantic love that was once so strong settle into a more subdued feeling that still lingers, like a glowing ember.

Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
Rather than waking up the intense desire that the song evokes, it's better to let it remain a memory of a past experience that can never be fully recreated.

Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
Despite the hesitancy, the singer eventually succumbs to the powerful emotions triggered by the beguine song and wants to listen to it again.

Till the stars that were there before return above you
The singer wants to relive the moment when they were with their partner under the stars, as if the stars were still visible.

Till you whisper to me once more, 'Darling, I love you'
The singer wants to hear their partner say those words of love once again.

Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
Listening to the beguine song and remembering that romantic evening is like experiencing a moment of heavenly bliss.

When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
The repetition of the line emphasizes how powerful and all-encompassing the emotions evoked by the beguine song are.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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