… Read Full Bio ↴Connie Stevens (born August 8, 1938) is an American actress and singer.
She was born Concetta Rosalie Anna Ingoglia in Brooklyn, New York, a daughter of Peter Ingoglia (known as musician Teddy Stevens) and singer Eleanor McGinley.
Connie adopted her father's stage name of Stevens as her own. Her parents were divorced and she lived with grandparents. Coming from a musical family, she formed a singing group called The Fourmost, the other three vocalists went on to fame as The Lettermen. In 1953, Stevens moved to Los Angeles with her father. When she was sixteen, she started another singing group, The Three Debs. She enrolled at a professional school (Georgia Massey's School of Song and Dance in Los Angeles), sang professionally and appeared in local repertory theater.
Stevens then started working as a movie extra. After appearing in four B movies, Jerry Lewis saw her in Dragstrip Riot and cast her in Rock-A-Bye Baby. Soon after that, she signed a contract with Warner Brothers.
She played 'Cricket Blake' in the popular Television detective series Hawaiian Eye from 1959 to 1962, a role that made her famous. In a televised interview on August 26, 2003, on CNN's Larry King Live, Stevens recounted that while on the set of Hawaiian Eye she was told she had a telephone call from Elvis Presley. She didn't believe it, but in fact it was Elvis, inviting her to a party, saying he would come to her house and pick her up personally. They dated for a time and she says they remained lifelong friends.
Her first album was titled Concetta (1958). She had minor hits with the songs Blame It On My Youth, Looking For A Boy, and Spring Is Here. She appeared opposite James Garner in a comedy episode of the TV western series Maverick entitled "Two Tickets to Ten Strike," and after making several appearances on the Warner Bros. hit TV series 77 Sunset Strip, she recorded the hit novelty song Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb, a duet with one of the shows stars, Edward Byrnes. She also recorded the hit single Sixteen Reasons (1960). It hit the top five in both Billboard and Cashbox.
On a Slow Boat to China
Connie Stevens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a slow boat to China
All to myself alone
Get you and keep you
In my arms, evermore
Leave all your lovers
Weeping on a faraway shore
Out on the briny
With a moon big and shiny
Melting your heart of stone
I'd love to get you
On a slow boat to China
All to myself alone
Out on the briny
With a moon big and shiny
Melting your heart of stone
I'd love to get you
On a slow boat to China
All to myself alone
The lyrics of Connie Stevens' song "On a Slow Boat to China" describe the singer's desire to take a slow boat ride to China with the person she loves. The song is essentially a romantic ballad with a playful tone. The singer says she wants to keep her lover in her arms while leaving all other lovers weeping on a faraway shore. This is a rather possessive desire, with the singer wanting to be alone with her love.
The lyrics are also quite poetic, with the use of imagery such as "out on the briny" to describe the ocean waves and "a moon big and shiny" to set the scene. The singer also suggests that her love has a "heart of stone," which she hopes to melt. Overall, the song's lyrics express a longing for love and companionship that is both tender and a little bit playful.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd love to get you
I really want to have you
On a slow boat to China
We could have a long journey together, enjoying each other's company
All to myself alone
I want to have you to myself, with no other distractions or interruptions
Get you and keep you
I want to secure your love and have you for my own
In my arms, evermore
I want to hold you close forever, never letting you go
Leave all your lovers
I want you to forget about anyone else you may be seeing or interested in
Weeping on a faraway shore
They will be sad and alone without you
Out on the briny
We will be out at sea
With a moon big and shiny
The moon will be bright and beautiful, illuminating our journey
Melting your heart of stone
Being with me on this journey will make you feel more open and loving
Writer(s): FRANK LOESSER
Contributed by Gavin O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.