In 1961 she participated in BBC TV's A Song for Europe Contest, the UK qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest. Her entry, "I Will Light a Candle" was placed fourth. Lale Andersen, who recorded the original German version of "Lili Marleen" also entered the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, although her song only made it to #13. Anne made another attempt at Eurovision in 1963 with "My Continental Love" - and came fourth again.
She also sang and acted in several motion pictures.
In 1990 she was awarded the OBE for her work with the "Not Forgotten Association", a charitable organization for disabled former service personnel from all wars. Anne Shelton died in Hurstmonceux, England in 1994 and was interred in the Brenchley Gardens cemetery in South East London.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Anne Shelton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My true love was true
Oh, I of course replied
Something here inside cannot be denied
They said someday you'll find
All who love are blind
Oh, when your heart's on fire
Smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them and I gaily laughed
To think they could doubt my love
Yet today my love has flown away
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I can not hide
Oh, so I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies
Smoke gets in your eyes
Smoke gets in your eyes
In the song “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” sung by Anne Shelton, the lyrics unfold a narrative of the realities of love and heartbreak. The song starts with the singer being asked how they knew their true love was real. The singer responds, “Oh, I of course replied. Something here inside cannot be denied.” The singer describes their deep internal feeling that confirms their love for their partner. The lyrics then transition to other people warning the singer that love makes people blind. However, the singer does not believe them and brushes them off, sure of their love. The chorus comes in, with the iconic line “Smoke gets in your eyes,” which represents the reality of love and how it can fog our rational thinking. This line is repeated several times throughout the chorus, emphasizing the concept of love as a blinding smoke.
As the song continues, we learn that the singer’s love has left, leaving them alone and heartbroken. The singer describes how their friends now make fun of them, and they try to hide their tears by smiling and saying, “When a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your eyes.” The singer reflects on how they once believed that their love was real and how now they realize that love can be fleeting and unreliable. The song ends with an emotional reflection on the true nature of love.
Line by Line Meaning
They asked me how I knew
Someone asked me how I was so certain
My true love was true
of the fact that my love was genuine
Oh, I of course replied
I naturally answered in return
Something here inside cannot be denied
as nothing could deny the feeling inside me
They said someday you'll find
Those individuals further said that one day I would learn
All who love are blind
that all lovers are debilitated by the love they hold
Oh, when your heart's on fire
When an individual is consumed by passion
You must realize
They need to notice or be aware of
Smoke gets in your eyes
That delusions can be unavoidable in this state
So I chaffed them and I gaily laughed
I made fun of them and found the situation amusing
To think they could doubt my love
As I thought their skepticism was unwarranted
Yet today my love has flown away
As now, my dearly beloved has flown away from me
I am without my love
I am without the company and affection of my partner
Now laughing friends deride
Now, such jesting friends make fun of me
Tears I can not hide
As my despair is so powerful that it makes it impossible to mask my sorrow
Oh, so I smile and say
So I put on a happy facade and say
When a lovely flame dies
That when a love once brightly burning, fades away
Smoke gets in your eyes
Delusions become strongly fixed in the lover's psyche
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind