Lynne was born in Harlem in 1929 to John and Mary Wilson. As a young girl, Lynne sang with the local African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Choir. At the age of 15, she won first prize at the "Amateur Night" at the Apollo Theater. She shared the stage with contemporary night club vocal ensembles as well as with Ella Fitzgerald, recording as part of such groups as the Enchanters and the Dell-Tones in the 1950s. She recorded as a soloist under her birth name, though most of her work was released under her stage name on the Everest and Fontana labels. She was signed to Everest in 1958.
Although showing much promise early on, especially after TV appearances, including the Harry Belafonte Spectacular, her development suffered through poor management: some unscrupulous recording "executives" profited while she was left virtually penniless, saved by the fact that she was able to work steadily and earn her money from performances—a victim of unpaid royalties.
In the 1960s she had several hits including "June Night", "Love I Found You", "I'm Glad There Is You", "I Wish You Love" (1964)—which became her signature song—and her answer to Gene McDaniels's "Tower Of Strength", "(You Don't Have to Be a) Tower Of Strength", a pop hit that proved how versatile she could be in the studio. After her time with Everest Records she moved to Fontana and recorded such albums as Soul Serenade, Love And A Woman, Where It's At, and Here, There And Everywhere, all of which showcased her versatility in jazz, RnB, soul and melodic "pop".
During her earlier years on the road Gloria Lynne shared bills with some of the giants of RnB, jazz, pop and standards including Ray Charles, Billy Eckstine, Johnny Mathis and Ella Fitzgerald. Notable TV specials include two with Harry Belafonte and duets with Billy Eckstine. As Lynne moved into jazz in her later career she worked with top flight musicians and arrangers and performed with many of the jazz greats, including Quincy Jones, Bobby Timmons, Philly Joe Jones, Harry "Sweets" Edison.
She famously wrote lyrics for “Watermelon Man” with Herbie Hancock, and “All Day Long” with Kenny Burrell. New York City proclaimed July 25, 1995 as Gloria Lynne Day. In 1996 Lynne received the International Women of Jazz Award and she was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1997. Other awards and recognitions include the National Treasure Award from the Seasoned Citizens Theatre Company (2003); induction into the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame; Living Legend Award from the State of Pennsylvania (2007).
She and her husband, Harry Alleyne, had a son, Richard. Gloria and Richard Alleyne ran a production company, Family Bread Music Inc. Gloria and Harry Alleyne divorced in 1968.
She died of a heart attack on October 15, 2013 in Newark, New Jersey.
Bewitched
Gloria Lynne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a daisy Iâ??m awake.
With no Bromo Seltzer handy,
I donâ??t even shake.
Men are not a new sensation,
Iâ??ve done pretty well I think,
But this half pint imitation
I'm wild again, beguiled again
A whimpering, simpering child again
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
When love came and told me, I shouldn't sleep.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I lost my heart, but what of it, he is cold I agree
He might laugh, but I love it, although the laugh's on me.
I'll sing to him, bring spring to him
And long, for the day when I'll cling to him.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
Heâ??s a fool and donâ??t I know it,
But a fool can have his charms,
Iâ??m in love and donâ??t I know it,
Like a babe in arms.
Loveâ??s the same old sad sensation,
Lately Iâ??ve not slept a wink,
Since this half pint imitation,
Put me on the blink.
Iâ??ve sinned a lot, I mean a lot,
But Iâ??m like sweet seventeen a lot,
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
Iâ??ll sing to him, each spring to him,
And worship the trousers that cling to him.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
When he talks, he is seeking,
Words to get,.off his chest.
Horizontally speaking
Heâ??s at his very best.
Vexed again, perplexed again,
Thank god I can be oversexed again.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
Wise at last, my eyes at last,
Are cutting you down to your size at last,
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
Burned a lot but learned a lot,
And now you are broke so you earned a lot,
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
Couldnâ??t eat, was dyspeptic,
Life was so hard to bear,
Now my heartâ??s antiseptic,
Since you moved out of there.
Romance finis.
Your chance finis.
Those ants that invaded my pants finis.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
The song "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" by Gloria Lynne tells a story of a woman who is deeply in love with a man who doesn't reciprocate her feelings. The lyrics reveal the singer's struggle to come to terms with her unrequited love. The first few lines reveal that the singer has been drinking brandy and is now awake and alert, which implies that she's been trying to cope with her feelings by drinking. She goes on to talk about how she's had many men in her life but has fallen head over heels for this particular man who she feels is a fool.
The lyrics in the song use a lot of repetition to emphasize the singer's state of mind. The phrases "Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered" and "I'll sing to him" are repeated several times throughout the song, adding a poetic air to the lyrics. The song is also quite melancholic because, despite the singer's love for this man, she knows deep down that there's no hope for them.
Overall, "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" is a heart-wrenching love song that perfectly captures the feeling of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
After one whole quart of brandy,
After consuming a quart of brandy,
Like a daisy I'm awake.
I'm awake and feeling good.
With no Bromo Seltzer handy,
Without the medication to treat a hangover,
I don't even shake.
I'm not even shaking from the alcohol.
Men are not a new sensation,
I'm no stranger to men.
I've done pretty well I think,
I've been successful with them.
But this half pint imitation
But this small, insignificant guy
Put me on the blink.
Got me all confused and upset.
I'm wild again, beguiled again
I'm excited and entranced once more.
A whimpering, simpering child again
Feeling vulnerable and powerless.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
Couldn't sleep, wouldn't sleep
I couldn't and wouldn't fall asleep
When love came and told me, I shouldn't sleep.
When my lover told me not to sleep.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
I lost my heart, but what of it, he is cold I agree
I fell in love with him, but he's unemotional.
He might laugh, but I love it, although the laugh's on me.
I love how he makes me feel, even if he's not serious.
I'll sing to him, bring spring to him
I'll sing for him and make him happy.
And long, for the day when I'll cling to him.
And dream of the day when I'll be with him.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
He's a fool and don't I know it,
I know he's foolish and yet,
But a fool can have his charms,
I find his foolishness charming.
I'm in love and don't I know it,
I'm in love with him and well aware.
Like a babe in arms.
Like an innocent child, naive and defenseless.
Love's the same old sad sensation,
Love brings pain just like before.
Lately I've not slept a wink,
I haven't slept at all recently.
Since this half pint imitation,
Because of this small, insignificant guy,
Put me on the blink.
Made me confused and upset.
I've sinned a lot, I mean a lot,
I've done wrong, many times.
But I'm like sweet seventeen a lot,
But I'm still full of youthful desire.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
I'll sing to him, each spring to him,
I'll sing for him all the time,
And worship the trousers that cling to him.
And adoring the pants that he wears on his legs.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
When he talks, he is seeking,
When he speaks, he's often searching,
Words to get,.off his chest.
For words to express himself.
Horizontally speaking
When we're lying down,
He's at his very best.
He's at his peak performance.
Vexed again, perplexed again,
I'm annoyed and confused once more.
Thank god I can be oversexed again.
Thankfully, I can satisfy my sexual desires.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - am I.
I'm under a spell, agitated, and confused.
Wise at last, my eyes at last,
Finally, I'm starting to understand,
Are cutting you down to your size at last,
I'm seeing you as the small person you are finally.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
I'm no longer under a spell, agitated or confused.
Burned a lot but learned a lot,
I've suffered a lot, but gained wisdom too,
And now you are broke so you earned a lot,
And now you're broke, so you've lost a lot.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
I'm no longer under a spell, agitated, or confused.
Couldn't eat, was dyspeptic,
I lost my appetite and felt sick.
Life was so hard to bear,
Life felt unbearable.
Now my heart's antiseptic,
Now my heart is disinfected/cleanse.
Since you moved out of there.
Since you left my life.
Romance finis.
Romance is over.
Your chance finis.
Your chance is over too.
Those ants that invaded my pants finis.
Those annoying things that bothered me are gone.
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered - no more.
I'm no longer under a spell, agitated, and confused.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind