Arthur Prysock (Born January 2, 1929 in Spartanburg, South Carolina – Died … Read Full Bio ↴Arthur Prysock (Born January 2, 1929 in Spartanburg, South Carolina – Died Bermuda, June 7, 1997) was an American baritone singer, whose widest exposure may have come from singing the "Tonight, Let It Be Lowenbrau" beer jingle in the late 1970's. Prysock who recorded for 43 years, released some 60 albums, with bandleaders including Buddy Johnson & Count Basie, on labels such as Mercury & Verve, but the bulk of his work was released via the Old Town label. His voice had a deep, rich smokey resonance, comparable to the smooth balladeering of Billy Eckstine, Brook Benton or Lou Rawls.

In 1944 popular touring bandleader Buddy Johnson found Prysock in Hartford Connecticut and signed him as a vocalist. Prysock became a mainstay of the live big band performance circuit, singing on several of Buddy Johnson’s hits on Decca Records ("Jet My Love", 1947 and "I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone", 1948) and later on Mercury Records ("Because", 1950). Other signature tracks that Prysock recorded for Buddy Johnson's Orchestra between 1944 and 1952 included “They All Say I’m the Biggest Fool,” and “At Last.”

He went solo in the early 1950's, and had an R&B hit with "I Didn't Sleep a Wink Last Night," and was oft found performing on the road with his saxophonist brother Red Prysock. Tracks like "I Worry 'Bout You" in 1958, "The Very Thought of You" in 1960, and 1965's "It's Too Late Baby, It's Too Late" were hits on the Old Town label. Old Town, became his home through much of the late 50's & early 60's and again through the 70's after a brief late 60's stint with Verve.

With his concert popularity building, Verve picked him up, and paired him with Count Basie for an album in 1965, and after years of one-nighters on the Chitlin circuit, he finally performed at Carnegie Hall in 1966. Many productions from the 60's & 70's place Prysock in baths of syrupy strings & over orchestrated arrangements that have woefully buried his voice. He remains largely under appreciated as an 'easy listening' artist by modern audiences, with the Verve Music Group not even bothering to provide a bio on their website, despite selling his recordings.

In the 70s, he kept recording for Old Town, and had smatterings of success like the circa '73 Northern Soul In The Rain fave and a surprise disco hit with "When Love Is New". By 1980 "I'm Never Gonna Let You Go" was recorded for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label . In 1985, recorded his first new album in almost a decade,signing with Milestone Records in 1986. He continued recording jazz ballads & blues for Milestone, accompanied by his brother Red Prysock. His Milestone recordings were considered comebacks and “A Rockin’ Good Way,” (’85) and its follow up, “This Guy’s in Love with You,” (’86) rekindled his career, and he received 2 Grammy nomination for his latter career efforts, one a duet with Betty Joplin. His last studio effort was released in 1987, and a collection of his Milestone Recordings was re-issued in 2000 via the Concord Music Group. Prysock received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1995 and passed away in 1997 after suffering an aneurysm at age 73 in Bermuda where he had a retirement residence.

You Are So Beautiful
Arthur Prysock Lyrics

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You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true
And I am a fool for beauty
Fooled by a feeling that because I have found you
I could have bound you too

You are too beautiful for one man alone
For one lucky fool to be with
When there are other men

With eyes of their own to see with

Love does not stand sharing
Not if one cares
Have you been comparing
My every kiss with theirs

If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
It's not through a sense of duty
You are too beautiful
And I am a fool for beauty

Love does not stand sharing
Not if one cares
Have you been comparing
My every kiss with theirs

If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
It's not through a sense of duty

You are too beautiful
And I am a fool for beauty

Overall Meaning

The song "You Are Too Beautiful" is a ballad that speaks of an almost obsessive love between the singer and his lover. The opening line, "You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true" suggests that the singer is in awe of his lover's beauty and is almost hesitant to believe that it exists. He admits to being a "fool for beauty" and being "fooled by a feeling" because he believes that he has found the perfect woman.

However, he also acknowledges that his love may not be enough for her as she is "too beautiful for one man alone" and there are other men who might also be attracted to her. He implies that love cannot stand sharing, and that he cannot bear the thought of her being with anyone else. He even questions whether she has been comparing his kisses to those of other men.

Despite his anxieties, he promises to remain faithful to her not out of duty, but because he truly believes that she is too beautiful to let go. The singer is captivated and overwhelmed by the beauty of his lover, admitting his own weakness for her. It is a song that captures the depth of love and how it can be both powerful and paralyzing.

Line by Line Meaning

You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true
You are so incredibly gorgeous that it seems impossible for you to be real.

And I am a fool for beauty
I have a weakness for beautiful things and I can't help being foolishly drawn to them.

Fooled by a feeling that because I have found you
I have convinced myself that just because I have discovered someone as beautiful as you, I have a right to keep you.

I could have bound you too
I thought I could have you all to myself and keep you from other men.

You are too beautiful for one man alone
Your beauty is too much for just one person to handle or appreciate fully.

For one lucky fool to be with
I feel like a lucky fool to have the chance to be with someone as beautiful as you.

When there are other men
There are other men in the world who could also see your beauty.

With eyes of their own to see with
These other men have their own ability to recognize beauty and appreciate it.

Love does not stand sharing
Love cannot be shared or divided if it is truly meant to be genuine and strong.

Not if one cares
If someone truly cares about their partner or love interest, they won't want to share them with anyone else.

Have you been comparing
Have you been comparing my love or physical affection to someone else's?

My every kiss with theirs
Are you comparing the way I kiss you to how other men might kiss you?

If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
But if I am faithful and committed to you alone...

It's not through a sense of duty
My faithfulness and commitment do not stem from an obligation or sense of duty, but rather from my genuine feelings for you.

You are too beautiful
Your beauty is so overwhelming and captivating.

And I am a fool for beauty
I am foolishly and helplessly drawn to your beauty and cannot resist it.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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