You Light Up My Life
Boone released her first solo effort, You Light Up My Life, in 1977. The song became the biggest hit of the 1970's on the Billboard Hot 100 spending 10 weeks at the No. 1 - longer than any of her father's No. 1 Billboard hits. At the time, only Elvis Presley's double-sided Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog spent more weeks (11) atop Billboard's Hot 100. The song earned her a Grammy award for Best New Artist and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single. She also received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Female and Record of the Year. You Light Up My Life also reached No. 1 Adult Contemporary (one week) and No. 4 Country. The single and the album (No. 6 Pop, No. 6 Country) of the same name were both certified platinum. Boone's overnight success led to a tour with her father and frequent television appearances.
The song, written and produced by Joe Brooks, was from the film of the same name. Brooks earned Song of the Year awards at both the 1978 Grammys and Oscars for writing the song. Boone's version, contrary to popular belief, was not used in the movie or featured on its soundtrack. The song was lip-synched in the film by its star, Didi Conn, performing to vocals recorded by Kasey Cisyk. Although written as a love song, Boone admitted it was instead God who "lit up her life."
Boone was unable to maintain her success in Pop music after You Light Up My Life. Her follow-up single, California (also written and produced by Joe Brooks), stumbled peaking at No. 50 Pop and No. 20 AC. California was included on Boone's second album, Midstream, which faltered at No. 147 Pop. Her next single, the double-sided God Knows/Baby I'm Yours, performed even worse peaking at No. 74 Pop becoming her last entry on the Hot 100. However, the single returned Boone to the Country (No. 22) and AC (No. 14) charts. Boone then released another movie theme, When You're Loved, from The Magic of Lassie. Like You Light Up My Life, the song was nominated for an Academy Award for its composers, the Sherman Brothers. But, it failed to replicate the chart success of her first single only reaching No. 48 AC. Boone's wholesome persona was in contrast to the image-conscious Pop music industry leading her in different musical directions.
[edit] Country Music
With the crossover success of You Light Up My Life and God Knows/Baby, I'm Yours, Boone began to focus on Country music. (Her father, Pat, and maternal grandfather, Red Foley, had also recorded in that genre.) Her first country single, 1978's In Memory of Your Love, fizzled at No. 61. But, she then hit No. 11 in 1979 with a remake of Connie Francis' My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own. Boone amassed three more Top 50 country singles that year - two more Connie Francis remakes (the No. 25 Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart and the No. 48 Everybody's Somebody's Fool) and a remake of the Happenings' See You In September (No. 41 Country, No. 45 AC). Boone included the Francis remakes, but not See You In September, on her 1979 eponymous album which failed to chart.
Her next album, 1980's Love Has No Reason (No. 17 Country), was produced by Larry Butler who guided much of Kenny Rogers' music during this period. It resulted in the No. 1 Country and No. 31 AC hit, Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again. Two weeks before Road ascended to No. 1, Boone was part of a historic Top 5 on the Billboard Country chart. For the week ending April 19, 1980, the Top 5 positions were all held by women:
Crystal Gayle (It's Like We Never Said Goodbye)
Dottie West (A Lesson in Leavin')
Debby Boone (Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again)
Emmylou Harris (Beneath Still Waters)
Tammy Wynette (Two Story House with George Jones)
The album generated two more Country singles, the No. 14 Free to Be Lonely Again and the No. 44 Take It Like a Woman. The latter charted simultaneously with her father's Colorado Country Morning (No. 60). Butler also produced Boone's next album, 1981's Savin' It Up (No. 49 Country), which yielded two more country singles, the No. 23 Perfect Fool (also No. 37 AC) and the No. 46 It'll Be Him.
[edit] Broadway Bound
Boone wrote her autobiography, Debby Boone So Far, in 1981 and spent a year touring the United States with the stage adaptation of the film Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. The play was a success nationwide before reaching Broadway in July 1982. The Broadway reviews were lackluster, but a scathing review by the New York Times led the show to close after just five performances. The day after the show's closing, several of the the show's stars and theater-goers protested the closing outside the New York Times building hoping for a retraction of its review and the re-opening of the show. But, despite the enthusiastic reception of the show from Broadway theater-goers, the producers believed that the show could not overcome its reviews and the show remained closed.
Boone continued her theater work appearing periodically in stage productions nationwide including lead roles in Camelot, Meet Me in St. Louis, Mississippi Love, South Pacific, The Human Comedy and The King and I. Boone returned twice to the New York stage. Her 1990 performance as Maria in The Sound of Music at Lincoln Center garnered her a Drama Desk nomination. In 1996, Boone played against her image as Rizzo in the 1990's revival of Grease.
Boone occasionally acted on television as well. Her first foray into television was a 1978 musical adaptation of O'Henry's The Gift of the Magi co-starring John Rubinstein. Boone headlined two of her own NBC television music specials - The Same Old Brand New Me (1980) and One Step Closer (1982). She stunned many in 1984 by portraying Clarissa Hope, a former call girl turned Christian singer, in the television movie, Sins of the Past. The film, co-starring Anthony Geary, Barbara Carrera and Kim Cattrall, was a Top 10 Nielsen hit. Boone also made guest appearances on several television shows including Step by Step and Baywatch Nights and was featured in the television films Come On Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story and Treehouse Hostage.
[edit] Faith and family
After Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, Boone followed her heart and turned her musical career to Christian music winning two GMA Dove Awards and two more Grammys. Boone first recorded in this genre in 1980 with the Grammy winning With My Song ... I Will Praise Him. Subsequent Christian albums included Surrender (1983), Choose Life (1985), Friends For Life (1987) and Be Thou My Vision (1989). In 1989, Boone released her Christmas album, Home For Christmas, which boasted a duet with her mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, on Clooney's signature White Christmas.
Boone's career was always secondary as she devoted herself first to raising her four children: son Jordan (b. 1980), twin daughters Gabrielle and Dustin (b. 1983), and daughter Tessa (b. 1986). Boone married her husband, Gabriel Ferrer (son of Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney and cousin of George Clooney), in 1979. The couple collaborated on several children's books. Boone wrote Bedtime Hugs For Little Ones (1988), Tomorrow Is a Brand New Day (1989), Snow Angel (1991), Welcome to This World (1996), Nightlights (1997) and Counting Blessings (1998) which were all illustrated by her husband. Boone and her children appeared frequently on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine as they grew. Boone also released two children's videos, Debby Boone's Hug-a-Long Songs: Volumes 1 and 2.
Once her children were grown, Boone revived her recording career in 2005 with the release of Reflections of Rosemary. The CD was a fond tribute to her mother-in-law, Rosemary Clooney, featuring songs performed by Clooney as well as other songs not associated with Clooney which Boone felt showed Clooney as the person she and her family knew and loved. Boone toured extensively for the album including several nights at New York's famed cabaret, Feinstein's, where Clooney often performed.
Baby I'm Yours
Debby Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'll be yours (yours) until the stars fall from the
sky,
Yours (yours) until the rivers all run dry
In other words, until the day I die
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
And I'll be yours (yours) until the sun no longer
Yours (yours) until the poets run out of rhyme
In other words, until the end of time
I'm gonna stay right here by your side,
Do my best to keep you satisfied
Nothin' in the world can drive me away
Every day, you'll hear me say
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
And I'll be yours (yours) until two and two is three,
Yours (yours) until the mountains crumble to the sea
In other words, until eternity
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the rivers all run dry
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the stars fall from the sky
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the sun no longer shines
Baby, I'm yours
'Til the poets run out of rhyme
The lyrics of Debby Boone’s song Baby I'm Yours express a deep and committed love. The singer is making a promise to her partner that she will be with him until the end of time. She repeats the phrase “Baby, I’m yours” throughout the song, emphasizing her dedication and loyalty to her loved one. The lyrics also highlight the certainty of her love, as she claims it will endure until the stars fall from the sky, the rivers run dry, the sun no longer shines and the poets run out of rhyme.
The singer expresses her determination to make her partner happy and content by her side. She claims that “Nothing in the world can drive me away” and vows to do her best to keep her partner satisfied. The lyrics reinforce the idea that love is an eternal and unbreakable bond that can survive anything, even time and nature.
Overall, the lyrics of Baby I’m Yours are a powerful declaration of love, commitment, and devotion. The song’s romantic message has made it a favorite for weddings and love-themed occasions.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, I'm yours (baby, I'm yours)
I belong to you completely, and I want you to know it
And I'll be yours (yours) until the stars fall from the sky,
My love for you will last until the end of time
Yours (yours) until the rivers all run dry
I will always be loyal to you, even if circumstances change
In other words, until the day I die
My devotion to you is unwavering, even in death
And I'll be yours (yours) until the sun no longer shines,
My love for you is constant, even if the world around us changes
Yours (yours) until the poets run out of rhyme
No matter what happens, my feelings for you will never fade
In other words, until the end of time
My dedication to you is eternal and unbreakable
I'm gonna stay right here by your side,
I will always be there for you, through thick and thin
Do my best to keep you satisfied
My greatest desire is to make you happy and fulfilled
Nothin' in the world can drive me away
My love for you is stronger than any obstacle we may face
Every day, you'll hear me say
I want you to know how much you mean to me, every single day
And I'll be yours (yours) until two and two is three,
My commitment to you is unwavering, even if the impossible were to happen
Yours (yours) until the mountains crumble to the sea
My love for you is as enduring as the earth itself
In other words, until eternity
My devotion to you is infinite
Baby, I'm yours
You have all of me, forever and always
'Til the rivers all run dry
My loyalty to you will never falter or fade
Baby, I'm yours
I am completely and irrevocably yours
'Til the stars fall from the sky
My love will last until the end of time
Baby, I'm yours
My heart belongs to you and no one else
'Til the sun no longer shines
My devotion to you will not diminish, even in the face of darkness
Baby, I'm yours
You are the one I love, always and forever
'Til the poets run out of rhyme
My love for you will never run out of words, no matter what
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, VAN MCCOY MUSIC, INC.
Written by: Van McCoy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rebecca Havner
Beautiful. Love this song - love her. Takes me back to good times as a child.
Lupton2000
Love her too. Finally got to see her recently:)
DarkFlamage
I love her performance, she makes every man want to be the one she's singing to, am I right?
Ronald Nock
DarkFlamage - YES! You are right😍
Vee
She has such a pure beautiful voice...
Joey Jolley
Debby Boone is a very powerful singer! When she did a duet with John Denver, she outsung him by ten-to-one!
Joey Jolley
Debby sings like an angel.
Joey Jolley
Debby Boone is a breath of fresh air,
Sarna Hudane
She's always had a beautiful voice.
Joey Jolley
Debby sings with such beauty and grace!