He was born as William Thomas Murray in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of immigrants from Ireland. He became fascinated with the theater and joined a traveling vaudeville troupe in 1893. He also performed in minstrel shows early in his career. He made his first recordings for a local phonograph cylinder company in San Francisco, California in 1897. He started recording regularly in the New York City and New Jersey area in 1903, when the nation's major record companies as well as the Tin Pan Alley music industry were concentrated there.
In 1906 he waxed the first of his popular duets with Ada Jones. He also performed with Aileen Stanley, the Haydn Quartet, the Premier Quartet, and the American Quartet (the latter two actually being the same group), in addition to his solo work.
He had a strong tenor voice with excellent enunciation and a more conversational delivery than common with bel canto singers of the era. On comic songs he often deliberately sang slightly flat, which he felt helped the comic effect.
While he often performed romantic numbers and ballads which sold well at the time, his comedy and novelty song recordings continue to be popular with later generations of record collectors.
Murray's popularity faded with changes in public taste and recording technology; the rise of the electric microphone in the mid 1920s coincided with the rise of the crooners. His "hammering" style, as he called it, essentially yelling the song into the recording horn, did not work in the electronic era, and it took him some time to learn how to soften his voice. While he continued to work, his singing style was considered "dated" and less in demand. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he also did voices for animated cartoons, especially the "follow the bouncing ball" type which incorporated songs from his salad days. He also did radio work.
Murray made his last recordings in 1943 and retired to Freeport, Long Island, New York in 1944. He died in nearby Jones Beach.
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Billy Murray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silvery moon is shining through the trees
Cast, two, me, you
Summer kisses floating on the breeze
Act one, be done
Dialog, where would ya like to spoon?
My cue, with you
Underneath the silvery moon
By the light, not the dark but the light
Of the silvery moon, not the sun but the moon
I wanna spoon, not croon, but spoon
To my honey, I′ll croon love's tune
Honeymoon, honeymoon, honeymoon
Keep a-shinin′ in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We'll be cuddlin′ soon
By the silvery moon
Act two, scene new
Roses blooming all around the place
Cast three, You me
Preacher with a solemn-looking face
Chior Sings, bell rings
Preacher, you are wed forever more
Act two, all though
Every night the same encore
By the light, not the dark but the light
Of the silvery moon, not the sun but the moon
I wanna spoon, not croon, but spoon
To my honey, I′ll croon love's tune
Honeymoon, honeymoon, honeymoon
Keep a-shinin′ in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We′ll be cuddlin' soon
By the silvery moon
The lyrics to Billy Murray's "By The Light Of The Silvery Moon" describe a romantic evening between two people under the night sky. The setting is a dark scene, surrounded by trees with the silvery moon shining upon them, providing the perfect atmosphere for summer kisses that float on the breeze. The dialog between the two people sets the tone of the evening as they consider where to spoon. As the first act comes to a close, the two people are both underneath the silvery moon, a symbol of their shared intimacy.
In the second act, the scene has changed to one of blooming roses with a preacher present. The couple is now married, and as the choir sings and the bell rings, they are wed forever more. However, the encore is every night the same as they will continue to cuddle under the silvery moon, keeping their love shining throughout June.
The lyrics paint a picture of a night of passion and commitment where two people are entwined under the silvery moon. The contrast between the light and the dark, the moon and the sun, creates an ethereal ambiance that is not lost throughout the song. Overall, the message is clear that love should shine as bright as the moon for all to see.
Line by Line Meaning
Place, park, scene, dark
The setting is a place in a park in the dark.
Silvery moon is shining through the trees
The moon's light is shining through the trees.
Cast, two, me, you
There are two people, me and you, in the scene.
Summer kisses floating on the breeze
The air is filled with summer kisses floating on the breeze.
Act one, be done
Act one is over.
Dialog, where would ya like to spoon?
One person asks the other where they would like to cuddle.
My cue, with you
It is their turn to cuddle.
Underneath the silvery moon
The two people are cuddling under the moonlight.
I wanna spoon, not croon, but spoon
The person wants to cuddle, not sing.
To my honey, I'll croon love's tune
The person will sing a love song to their significant other.
Honeymoon, honeymoon, honeymoon
They are on their honeymoon.
Keep a-shinin' in June
They want the moon to keep shining in June so they can continue to cuddle.
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
The moon's light brings dreams of love.
We'll be cuddlin' soon
They will cuddle again soon.
Act two, scene new
Act two begins with a new scene.
Roses blooming all around the place
There are roses blooming all around them.
Cast three, you me
There are three people now, including me and you.
Preacher with a solemn-looking face
The preacher looks serious.
Choir sings, bell rings
A choir sings and a bell rings.
Preacher, you are wed forever more
The preacher pronounces them married forever.
Act two, all though
Act two continues, even though it's the same thing every night.
Writer(s): Michael E Renzi
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ladycavalier
Really good quality! As always.
@LetoTheThird
ayo this shit slaps dawg
@superretroboy4360
Lovely song.
@rangerbud
How did you process the audio?.....or were you using one of the $10k laser "needle" turntables???
@frankgunold268
Popular recordings in 1910 were by Billy Murray and The Haydn Quartet; Ada Jones; and The Peerless Quartet. (1910)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_the_Light_of_the_Silvery_Moon_(song)
@joandenham2903
Atmospheric
@Gunslinger_Rasponov
Been wondering how you record these digitally, I got a bunch of prohibition era records laying at home and a Decca Trench Gramophone that can play them, but I would love to have a digital version of the records as well
@YoutubeHatesJapaneseLetters58
Damn 1909? Also Bing Crosby Made A Very Good Version In 1940.
@CPorter
Some of these 78s go back to 1888 if you can believe that!
@karongreen3224
Puff the origin