Frank Chacksfield (9 May 1914 - 9 June 1995) was an English pianist, organi… Read Full Bio ↴Frank Chacksfield (9 May 1914 - 9 June 1995) was an English pianist, organist, composer and conductor of popular light orchestral easy listening music, who had great success in Britain and internationally in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Francis Charles Chacksfield was born in Battle, East Sussex, and as a child learned to play piano and organ. He appeared at Hastings Music Festivals by the time he was 14, and then became deputy church organist at Salehurst. After working for a short period in a solicitor's office he decided on a career in music, and by the late 1930s led a small band at Tonbridge in Kent. At the beginning of World War II he joined the Royal Corps of Signals, and, following a radio broadcast as a pianist, was posted to ENSA at Salisbury where he became the arranger for Stars In Battledress, an armed forces entertainment troupe, and shared an office with comedian Charlie Chester.[1][2]

After the war, he worked with Chester and on BBC Radio as an arranger and conductor. He also worked as musical director for both Henry Hall and Geraldo, and began recording under his own name in 1951 as "Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths". In early 1953 he had his first top ten hit, "Little Red Monkey", on the Parlophone label. This was a novelty recording featuring Jack Jordan on the clavioline, and reportedly the first record featuring an electronic instrument to feature on the UK pop chart.[citation needed] He signed a recording contract with Decca Records in 1953, and formed a 40-piece orchestra with a large string section, the "Singing Strings". His first record release for Decca, Charlie Chaplin's themes for his film Limelight, won him a Gold Disc in the USA, and in Britain, where it reached #2 in the charts, won him the New Musical Express award as Record of the Year. His next 78 single, "Ebb Tide", became the first British instrumental recording to reach #1 in some American charts, providing a second Gold Disc, and he was voted the most promising new orchestra of the year in the US.[1]

He became one of Britain's most well known orchestra leaders internationally, and is estimated to have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.[2] His material was "mood music", similar to that of Mantovani, including ballads, waltzes, and movie themes.[3] In 1954 he began presenting a series on BBC TV, which continued occasionally until the early 1960s. Chacksfield was responsible for the musical arrangement of the first UK entry into the Eurovision Song Contest 1957; "All" by Patricia Bredin.[citation needed] He continued to write music, release singles and albums through the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared regularly on BBC radio.[2]

He continued to record occasionally until the 1990s, from the 1970s primarily on the Phase 4 label.[1] He also developed business interests in publishing and recorded for Starborne Productions, a company supplying "canned music" for use by easy listening radio stations and others. Many of these recordings were made commercially available in 2007. His last album was Thanks for the Memories (Academy Award Winners 1934-55), released in 1991.[1] Chacksfield died in Kent in 1995, after having suffered for several years from Parkinson's Disease.[2]

His song, "Après Ski", was featured in the 2006 video game Saint's Row for the Xbox 360.[4]

Lover Come Back to Me
Frank Chacksfield Orchestra Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You went away
I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind

The sky was blue
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be

You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing

You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely

The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing

You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely

The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here

This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me

Overall Meaning

The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra's song, "Lover Come Back to Me," presents a melancholic and yearning tale of a lover pining for someone who has left. The first verse portrays a conflicted character, who has let go of someone out of necessity but, despite their efforts to move on, cannot forget the magic of the night they met. The following verse narrates the eagerness and joy felt when love first enters one's life, which is then again followed by the lover's dejection after losing that love.

The chorus, "Lover come back to me," repeats the central theme of wanting one's lover back. The bridge provides the context of memory, as every little thing the lover used to do is remembered, and the singer finds it hard to move on. The final verse reaffirms the melancholic tone as the singer waits alone, observing the cold night with a heart still singing for the return of a lost love.

The song, written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Sigmund Romberg, was first introduced in the operetta "The New Moon" in 1928. Several artists have recorded their versions of the song, including Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Lover Come Back to MeFrank Chacksfield Orchestra Lyrics

Lover Come Back to Me
Frank Chacksfield Orchestra Lyrics