Grant was born as Myrtle Audrey Arinsberg in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the eldest of six children of Russian Jewish parents, Rose (née Jacobson) and Alexander Arinsberg. At the age of 12, she moved to Los Angeles, where she attended Venice High School. In California, she won a teenage singing contest and appeared on television talent shows.
She worked as a car salesperson in the early 1950s.In 1952 she began to record, using first the name "Audrey Brown" and later "Audrey Grant." She was given the name "Gogi" by Dave Kapp, the head of Artists and Repertory at RCA Victor, who liked to patronize a restaurant called "Gogi's LaRue." (Another source says that Grant asked Kapp, "What is a Gogi?" She continued, "His answer was, 'Darned if I know, I dreamed it last night.'")
In 1955 Grant signed with a small record company, Era Records, and had her first top ten hit with "Suddenly There's a Valley." The next year, she had an even bigger hit, reaching number 1 on Billboard 's Top 100 chart with "The Wayward Wind" and holding there for six weeks. The song sold over one million copies in the United States alone, and peaked at No. 9 in the UK Singles Chart. She was voted the most popular female vocalist by Billboard magazine. This single returned to the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961.
In 1957, she supplied the vocals for Ann Blyth's portrayal of Helen Morgan in the biographical film, The Helen Morgan Story. The soundtrack occasioned her return to RCA Victor (the soundtrack album climbed to No. 25 in the Billboard album chart), where she had a minor hit the following year with "Strange Are the Ways of Love." Moreover, she was signed to star in The Big Beat in the spring of 1957. The film, which featured musical performances by the Cal Tjader Quintet, George Shearing, and the Del Vikings, was produced and directed by William Cowan and released in February 1958.
In 1958, Grant was one of the three solo singers featured in the first stereo LP of the classic musical Show Boat. The other solo singers were Howard Keel, who had appeared in the 1951 film version of the show, and Anne Jeffreys.
Although she made albums and appeared on television into the 1960s, her popularity declined and she initially retired from singing in 1967 after a final US chart single, "The Sea" (top 20 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart). An album of hers was released in UK some 20 years later. Grant survived cancer surgery and was in remission. In 2004, aged 80, she made an appearance on the PBS 1950s pop music special Magic Moments and sang "The Wayward Wind."
Grant headlined with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies in Palm Springs, California. One of her more notable appearances of her later years was with the Follies on December 31, 2006. She was still performing as late as 2013, at the age of 89.
In 1959, Grant married attorney Robert Rifkind. The couple had two children.
Grant died on March 10, 2016, aged 91. Her death was announced by her son, Joshua Beckett. She also had a daughter, Jeri Brown.
Lover Come Back to Me
Gogi Grant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
Gogi Grant's song "Lover" is a timeless ballad about a lost love. The lyrics of the song articulate the pain and longing of a broken heart that cannot forget the magic of the night when love was first found. The singer acknowledges that she let go of her lover, but cannot shake the memory of what they shared during the short time they were together. The imagery used in the song paints a picture of a blue sky, high moon, and an eager heart, all of which emphasize the feeling of youthful and hopeful love.
The singer's memory of the past is so strong that every little thing her lover used to do still lingers in her mind and heart. She walks alone but remembers all the times she shared with her lover, and it only worsens her loneliness. Despite the night being cold, the moon being new, and love being old, her heart continues to sing for her lover's return. The lyrics are raw and relatable, as almost everyone has experienced the pain of losing someone they loved dearly.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
You left me
I let you
I didn't fight to make you stay
We broke the ties that bind
We ended our relationship
I wanted to forget you
I tried to erase you from my mind
And leave the past behind
And move on from what we had
Still, the magic of the night I met you
However, the enchantment of the night we first met
Seems to stay forever in my mind
Is still vividly present in my memory
The sky was blue
The color of the sky was blue
And high above
And far up in the sky
The moon was new
It was a new moon
And so was love
And love was also new
This eager heart of mine was singing
My heart was filled with excitement and joy
Lover where can you be
My lover, where are you now?
You came at last
You finally arrived
Love had its day
We were in love for a period of time
That day is past
That time has now ended
You've gone away
You have left me again
This aching heart of mine is singing
My heart is in pain and longing
Lover come back to me
Please, my lover, come back to me
When I remember every little thing
When I think back on all the memories we shared
You used to do
Things you used to say and actions you used to take
I'm so lonely
I am feeling very alone
Every road I walk along
Every path I take
I walk along with you
It feels like you are walking with me
No wonder I am lonely
It's no surprise that I feel lonely
The sky is blue
The sky remains blue
The night is cold
The night is chilly
The moon is new
The moon is still new
But love is old
But our love has been around for a while
And while I'm waiting here
While I'm patiently waiting
This heart of mine is singing
My heart is expressing its feelings
Lover come back to me
Please, my lover, come back to me
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind