Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 - July 15, 1980), son of Russian-immigrant Jewish… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Selvin (March 5, 1898 - July 15, 1980), son of Russian-immigrant Jewish parents, was a musician, bandleader, record producer and innovator in recorded music. He was known as The Dean of Recorded Music.

Selvin started his professional life at age 15 as a fiddle player in New York City night clubs. A "husky" lad, he looked older than he was and as such was permitted into such establishments.

A mere six years later, as leader of his own dance band, the "Novelty Orchestra," Selvin released the biggest-selling popular song in the first quarter-century of recorded music. That single, "Dardanella", eventually went on to sell more than 5 million copies and an additional 2 million pieces of sheet music.

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, Selvin recorded more musical sides (on 78-rpm discs) than any other person. One reason for this prolific output is that he recorded for dozens of different labels during this high-growth time in the industry, using a different name (or slightly different name) for each label.
Selvin's output has been estimated at 13,000 to 20,000 song titles.

Three Little Words
Ben Selvin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Three little words,
Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase
To hear those three little words
That's all I'd live for the rest of my days.

And what I feel in heart they tell sincerely,
No other words can tell it half so clearly.
Three little words, eight little letters

Which simply mean I love you

Overall Meaning

The song "Three Little Words" by Ben Selvin is an expression of love and the desire to hear the three little words "I love you" from someone special. The first verse talks about the tremendous value those three words hold and how the person singing would give anything to hear them. The second verse expresses that the feeling in their heart can only be conveyed through those three little words and that no other words can do justice. The song ends with the declaration that these words hold so much power, as they are simple yet deep and meaningful, just eight letters that encapsulate a world of emotion.

The song is essentially about the importance of verbalizing our emotions and expressing our love for the people we care about. The lyrics emphasize that sometimes actions are just not enough and we need to say those three little words to truly convey what we feel in our hearts. The simplicity of these words makes them all the more powerful, as they can have a profound impact and convey deep and genuine emotion.

Line by Line Meaning

Three little words,
These three words hold immense power and significance.

Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase
I would do anything to hear those three little words.

To hear those three little words
The mere thought of hearing these three little words fills my heart with joy and hope.

That's all I'd live for the rest of my days.
Hearing those three little words would be enough to satisfy me for the rest of my life.

And what I feel in heart they tell sincerely,
These three little words would express my true feelings with utmost sincerity.

No other words can tell it half so clearly.
These three little words are the most clear and concise way to express my feelings.

Three little words, eight little letters
Despite its brevity, these three words contain eight powerful and meaningful letters.

Which simply mean I love you
These three little words simply and accurately convey the depth of my love for you.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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