Emile Ford was born in Castries, Saint Lucia, in the West Indies. He was the son of Barbadian politician, Frederick Edward Miller, and Madge Murray, a singer and musical theatre director whose father had founded and conducted the St. Lucia Philharmonic Band. His mother married again, taking the name of Sweetnam; some sources erroneously give Emile Ford's birth name as Sweetnam or Sweetman.
He was educated at St Mary’s College, Castries. He moved to London with his mother and family in the mid-1950s, partly motivated by his desire to explore improved sound reproduction technology, and studied at the Paddington Technical College in London.[4] It was during this time that he taught himself to play a number of musical instruments, including guitar, piano, violin, bass guitar and drums. Using an abbreviated form of his name, as Emile Ford, he first entered show business at the age of 20, and made his first public performance at the Buttery, Kensington. His first appearance with a backing group was at the Athenaeum Ballroom in Muswell Hill. His TV appearances in 1958 included outings on The Music Shop, the Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson Show, Oh, Boy!, and Six-Five Special.
He teamed up in January 1959 with his half-brother, bassist George Sweetnam-Ford (born 1 January 1941), electric guitarist Ken Street (born 1943) and drummer John Cuffley to form Emile Ford & the Checkmates. The band appeared on the TV programme Sunday Serenade, which ran for six weeks. They won the Soho Fair talent contest in July 1959, but turned down a recording contract with EMI because the company would not allow Ford to produce their records, and instead agreed to a deal with Pye Records. Their first self-produced recording, "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?", a song originally recorded by Ada Jones and Billy Murray in 1917, went to number one in the UK Singles Chart at the end of 1959 and stayed there for six weeks. Ford was the first black British artist to sell one million copies of a single.
In January 1960, Ford signed a two-year employment management contract with Leslie Grade. He had several more hits in the UK, and also scored a number one EP in 1960. The readers of the British music magazine New Musical Express voted Emile Ford and the Checkmates as the "Best New Act" in 1960. Ford's debut album was made up of covers. He made several albums, but his last studio recordings were in 1963. His half-brothers George and Dave Sweetnam-Ford were later members of the Ferris Wheel.
As a sound engineer, Ford was responsible for creating a backing track system for stage shows, first used in 1960, which provided a basis for what became known as karaoke. In 1969, he set up a recording studio in Barbados with the help of his father, before moving to Sweden.[6] While there, he further developed a new open-air playback system for stage shows, patented as the Liveoteque Sound Frequency Feedback Injection System.
Counting Teardrops, an anthology including all of Ford's recordings with Pye Records, was released in 2001.
Emile Ford died in London on 11 April 2016.
On a Slow Boat to China
Emile Ford & The Checkmates Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do, do
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do, do...
M-mm, t'get you and keep you in my arms evermore
Leave all your lovers weeping on the faraway shore
Out on the briny with a moon big and shiny
Melting your heart of stone
I'd love to get you a slow boat to China all to myself alone
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do, do...
I'd love to get you on a slow boat to China all to myself alone
M-mm, get you and keep you In my arms evermore
Leave all your lovers weeping on the faraway shore
Out on the briny with a moon big and shiny
Melting your heart of stone
O-oh, I'd love to get you on a slow boat to China all to myself alone
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do, do
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Dit, dit, do-do, do...
The song "On a Slow Boat To China" by Emile Ford & The Checkmates talks about the desire to take someone on a romantic adventure all by themselves. The repetitive "Dit, dit, do-do-dit" throughout the song serves as a background beat to the lyrics. The singer dreams of taking their love interest to China on a slow boat where they could be alone together. The words "to myself alone" emphasize the desire for privacy and intimacy. The singer wants to "get you and keep you in my arms evermore," suggesting a desire for a committed relationship. Leaving all of the lovers crying on the shore implies that the singer wants exclusivity, and their love interest to choose them over any other suitors. The lyrics "Out on the briny with a moon big and shiny, melting your heart of stone" create a dreamy image of the couple's romantic journey sweep their sweetheart off their feet, making their heart thaw.
Line by Line Meaning
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repetitive non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repeating non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do, do
Repeating non-lyrical melody with an additional beat
I'd love to get you on a slow boat to China all to myself alone
I want to take you on a romantic adventure all by ourselves
M-mm, t'get you and keep you in my arms evermore
To hold you and never let you go
Leave all your lovers weeping on the faraway shore
Abandon any past relationships and start anew with me
Out on the briny with a moon big and shiny
In the middle of the oceanside with a large, bright moon in the sky
Melting your heart of stone
Softening your previously unyielding heart
I'd love to get you a slow boat to China all to myself alone
I want to take you on a romantic adventure all by ourselves
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repetitive non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repeating non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do, do
Repeating non-lyrical melody with an additional beat
I'd love to get you on a slow boat to China all to myself alone
I want to take you on a romantic adventure all by ourselves
M-mm, get you and keep you In my arms evermore
To hold you and never let you go
Leave all your lovers weeping on the faraway shore
Abandon any past relationships and start anew with me
Out on the briny with a moon big and shiny
In the middle of the oceanside with a large, bright moon in the sky
Melting your heart of stone
Softening your previously unyielding heart
O-oh, I'd love to get you on a slow boat to China all to myself alone
An emphatic repetition of the desire to take you on a romantic adventure all by ourselves
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repetitive non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do-dit
Repeating non-lyrical melody line
Dit, dit, do-do, do
Repeating non-lyrical melody with an additional beat
Contributed by Kennedy F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rubyjones7868
Listening to my grandad sing this in the car is Wonderful 🥺 x
@davidwalsh3439
A classic song by the brilliant Emile Ford. A great gentle man a joy to listen to.
@garyhewitt4344
Great old song, my late wife's favorite song.
@roderickroy8020
Happy Memories!!
RIP Emile
@RobWilliams888
What a Singer !
@mikestrafford6169
reminds me of my Aunty Mavis. What a briliant song
@Truegho
Love the "Doo Doo Dororoo" backing. They don't make 'em like this anymore.
@someotherguy8777
the song was written by Frank Loesser, who also wrote 'Baby, it's cold outside.'
@YYCkike
1960