Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.
In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer's piano that is heard, for example, on Presley's first national hit, "Heartbreak Hotel."
However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called "Last Date." An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.
Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.
In 2003, he was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee offers the "Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship."
Strangers in the Night
Floyd Cramer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Exchanging glances
Wandering the night,
What were the chances
We'd be sharing love
Before the night was through
Something in your eyes
Something in your smile
Was so exciting
Something in my heart
Told me I must have you
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
And ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right
Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
For strangers in the night.
The song "Strangers in the Night" by Floyd Cramer is a love song that tells the story of two strangers who meet at night and fall in love. The lyrics describe the chance encounter of two people, both alone and wandering the night. They exchange glances, and the singer becomes drawn to the other's inviting eyes and exciting smile. As they talk, they both feel an instant connection, and by the end of the night, they find themselves "sharing love" and in a warm embrace.
The song captures the feeling of being suddenly struck by intense attraction and love for someone despite being strangers. The singer senses from the beginning that they are destined to be together and takes a chance on pursuing the other person. The lyrics describe how sometimes love can come from unexpected places and in unexpected ways.
Overall, "Strangers in the Night" is a timeless classic that has been covered by many artists and continues to be popular today. Its simple story of two people falling in love and the catchy melody make it easy to sing along to and evoke feelings of romantic nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
Strangers in the night,
Two people who are strangers to each other are together in the night.
Exchanging glances
They have eye contact, which leads to something else.
Wandering the night,
Being without a destination or purpose to fulfill, they are wandering around in the dark streets.
What were the chances
They wonder what the probability is that they will meet someone in this big, vast world.
We'd be sharing love
They were not aware that they would be sharing love with each other on this night.
Before the night was through
Before the end of the night, they would both be in love with each other.
Something in your eyes
Something about the way you looked at me felt genuine and sincere.
Was so inviting
It felt very welcoming to me.
Something in your smile
When you smiled, something inside me flickered with excitement.
Was so exciting
It felt stimulating and thrilling in that moment.
Something in my heart
An emotion emanating from deep within me.
Told me I must have you
It was an intense feeling that caused me to become infatuated with you.
Two lonely people
Two people who were previously alone.
Up to the moment
Until the point when they encountered each other.
When we said our first hello
The first words spoken between them.
Little did we know
They had no idea.
Love was just a glance away
They were unaware of how close they were to falling in love.
A warm embracing dance away
It only took a simple act of embracing each other to start a beautiful relationship.
And ever since that night
Following that particular night.
We've been together
They have stayed together as a couple.
Lovers at first sight
They fell in love with each other shortly after meeting.
In love forever
They see each other as long-term partners and will love each other forever.
It turned out so right
It was the perfect outcome for both of them.
For strangers in the night.
Despite being strangers, their chance encounter brought them together and would change their lives forever.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton, Eddie Snyder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind