Billy Stewart began singing publicly with his mother's group, the Stewart Gospel Singers, as a teenager. He made the transition to secular music by filling in occasionally for the Rainbows, a D.C. area vocal group led by future soul star Don Covay. It was also through the Rainbows that Stewart met another aspiring singer, a very young Marvin Gaye. Seminal rock and roller Bo Diddley has been credited with discovering Stewart playing piano in Washington, D.C. in 1956 and inviting him to be one of his backup musicians. This led to a recording contract with Bo Diddley's label, Chess Records, and Bo Diddley played guitar on Stewart's 1956 recording of "Billy's Blues". Stewart then moved to Okeh Records and recorded "Billy's Heartache" backed by the Marquees, another D.C. area group which was now featuring Marvin Gaye.
Back at Chess in the early 1960s, Stewart began working with A&R man Billy Davis. He cut a song called "Fat Boy". Showing additional promise with his recordings of "Reap What You Sow" and "Strange Feeling", major chart success was not far away. Stewart hit both the pop and R&B charts big in 1965 with the songs, “I Do Love You” and “Sitting in the Park.” His improvisational technique of doubling-up, scatting his words and trilling his lips made his style unique in the 1960s.
In 1966, wishing to appeal to a wider audience, Stewart recorded the LP "Billy Stewart Teaches Old Standards New Tricks" in 1966. The first single released from that album was Billy's radical stand-out interpretation of the George Gershwin classic "Summertime", a top ten hit on both the pop and R&B charts in 1966. The follow-up single was Billy's remake of the Doris Day hit "Secret Love", which just missed the top ten on the R&B chart.
While Stewart continued to record throughout the remainder of the 1960s, his weight problem worsened and he developed diabetes. He also suffered minor injuries in a motorcycle accident in 1969. His life was tragically cut short on January 17, 1970, just 2 months prior to his 33rd birthday, when the car he was driving plunged into the Neuse River in North Carolina, killing him and three members of his band.
Billy Stewart was inducted into the Washington Area Music Association Hall of Fame in 1982.
Secret Love
Billy Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That lived within the heart of me
All too soon my secret love
Became impatient to be free
So I told a friendly star
The way that dreamers often do
Just how wonderful you are
Now I shout it from the highest hills
Even told the golden daffodils
At last my heart's an open door
And my secret love's no secret anymore
The lyrics to Billy Stewart's "Secret Love" represent the passage through time from having a private love to becoming courageous enough to reveal that love. Initially, the love was concealed in the singer's heart, but it became too overpowering to keep hidden. The words depict the singer's decision to share his emotions with his confidante. The person he chooses to convey his unsaid passion to is a star, which represents the capacity to be heard and accepted without being judged. Then the lyrics go on to explain how this love has since grown stronger and how he is no longer afraid to express his feelings for all to hear.
The chorus "Now I shout it from the highest hills, Even told the golden daffodils, At last my heart's an open door, And my secret love's no secret anymore" is a metaphor for how the singer is expressing his newfound love to anyone who would listen. He went from being reticent to assertive, proclaiming his affection with conviction. The song's overall meaning is the transformative power of falling in love and the courage it takes to express that love openly.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I had a secret love
There was a time when I lovingly kept a special feeling hidden away
That lived within the heart of me
This love existed only in my heart
All too soon my secret love
Before long, my hidden love
Became impatient to be free
Made a hasty demand to be expressed
So I told a friendly star
I confided in a receptive and understanding celestial body
The way that dreamers often do
The same way in which an idealist might disclose their secrets
Just how wonderful you are
This was how I described your magnificence
And why I am so in love with you
This was in explanation of my adoration for you
Now I shout it from the highest hills
And now I declare it triumphantly to every corner
Even told the golden daffodils
Even to the natural elements, like the bright yellow flowers that symbolize rebirth
At last my heart's an open door
Finally, my heart is unrestricted
And my secret love's no secret anymore
Meaning my concealed love is no longer confidential
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Francis Webster, Sammy Fain
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind