In part because of his expressive phrasing and graceful interpretation, Astaire was chosen to introduce many now-classic songs, including standards by Cole Porter (example, "Night and Day"), his friend Irving Berlin ("Let's Face the Music and Dance"), Jerome Kern ("The Way You Look Tonight"), Johnny Mercer ("One for My Baby") and George and Ira Gershwin ("They Can't Take That Away from Me").
Fred Astaire is interred at Oakwood Memorial Park, Chatsworth, California, USA, the same cemetery where Ginger Rogers, is located. (http://encyclopaediaoftrivia.blogspot.com/2011/09/fred-astaire.html)
After You
Fred Astaire Lyrics
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That at last you came my way,
There's no further use concealing
That I'm feeling far from gay,
For the rare allure about you
Makes me all the plainer see
How inane, how vain, how empty life without you would be.
Could supply my sky of blue?
After you, who
Could I love?
After you, why
Should I take the time to try,
For who else could qualify
After you, who?
Hold my hand and swear
You'll never cease to care,
For without you there what could I do?
I could search years
But who else could change my tears
Into laughter after you?
The lyrics of Fred Astaire's song "After You" express conflicted feelings of joy and sadness. The singer is thrilled that the person they've been waiting for has finally come into their life, but this happiness is tinged with apprehension at the possibility of losing them. The second line, "There's no further use concealing that I'm feeling far from gay," suggests that the singer is struggling to mask their true emotions from others. They are aware of the rare allure of this person, and this has made them realize that life without them would be inane, vain, and empty.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, with the singer pondering what would happen to them if this person left their life. The lyrics "After you, who/ Could supply my sky of blue?" suggest that this person has brought light and happiness into the singer's life that no one else could. In the next line, the singer asks "After you, why/ Should I take the time to try?" indicating that they don't see the point in pursuing anyone else because no one else could qualify after this person.
The final line of the chorus, "I could search years/ But who else could change my tears into laughter after you?" highlights the profound impact that this person has had on the singer's life. They have the power to turn tears into laughter, and this kind of transformative power is something that the singer would be hard-pressed to find in anyone else.
Line by Line Meaning
Though with joy I should be reeling
Despite being happy to see you
That at last you came my way,
That you finally crossed paths with me
There's no further use concealing
There's no point in hiding
That I'm feeling far from gay,
That I'm actually unhappy
For the rare allure about you
Because of the unique attraction I feel towards you
Makes me all the plainer see
Makes me realize even more clearly
How inane, how vain, how empty life without you would be.
How pointless, futile, and meaningless life would be without you.
After you, who
Who could replace you
Could supply my sky of blue?
Could bring me happiness
After you, who
Who would be my love
Could I love?
Could I feel the same way about
After you, why
What's the point of even trying
Should I take the time to try,
To find someone else
For who else could qualify
Who else could measure up
After you, who?
After you, who else is there
Hold my hand and swear
Promise me
You'll never cease to care,
That you'll never stop caring
For without you there what could I do?
Without you, what would be the point
I could search years
I could spend years looking
But who else could change my tears
But who else could make me happy
Into laughter after you?
After you, who else could turn my sadness into joy.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elisa
One of my all-time favorite recordings of one of my all-time songs. Thank you!
Matjaž Antončič violin
Though with joy I should be reeling
That at last you came my way,
There's no further use concealing
That I'm feeling far from gay,
For the rare allure about you
Makes me all the plainer see
How inane, how vain, how empty life without you would be.
After you, who
Could supply my sky of blue?
After you, who
Could I love?
After you, why
Should I take the time to try,
For who else could qualify
After you, who?
Hold my hand and swear
You'll never cease to care,
For without you there what could I do?
I could search years
But who else could change my tears
Into laughter after you?
Osamah Mandawi
I love you, Aliecia