Born over a fish and chip shop owned by her grandmother in Molesworth Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, she made her first stage appearance as a child in 1905. Her two sisters, Edith and Betty, and brother, Tommy, all went on to appear on stage, but Gracie was the most successful. Her professional debut in variety took place at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre in 1910 and she soon gave up her job in the local cotton mill.
She met comedian Archie Pitt and they began working together. Pitt would come to serve as her manager and the two married in 1923. Their first revue in 1915 was called Yes I think so and the two continued to tour Britain together until 1922 in the revue Mr Tower of London.
Her most famous song, which became her theme, "Sally," was worked into the title of her first cinema film, Sally in Our Alley (1931), which was a major box office hit. She went on to make several films initially in Britain and later in the United States (for which she was paid a record fee of US$200,000 for four films), despite never performing without a live audience.
Ironically, the final few lines of the song 'Sally' were written by her husband's mistress, and Gracie sang this song at nearly every performance she made from 1931 onwards.
Love In Bloom
Gracie Fields Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart has never known such ecstasy
Am I on earth, am I in heaven?
Can it be the trees that fill the breeze with rare and magic perfume?
Oh, no, it isn't the trees, it's love in bloom
Can it be the spring that seems to bring the stars right into this room?
Oh, no, it isn't the spring, it's love in bloom
My heart was a desert
You planted a seed
And this is the flower
This hour of sweet fulfillment
Is it all a dream, the joy supreme that came to us in the gloom?
You know it isn't a dream, it's love in bloom
My heart was a desert
But you planted a seed
And this is the flower
This hour of sweet fulfillment
Is it all a dream, the joy supreme that came to us in the gloom?
You know it isn't a dream, it's love in bloom
The lyrics of Gracie Fields's song "Love In Bloom," express the pure ecstasy and happiness of being in love. The first stanza describes a moment between two people where everything else fades away, leaving them alone, wrapped up only in one another. The singer asks if they are still in reality or have drifted away, possibly to heaven itself. The next two stanzas ask whether the perfume-filled air could be causing such joy or perhaps the springtime sky, but it's clear that neither could bring the indescribable wonder they are experiencing.
As the song continues, the lyrics reveal that what they are feeling is love. The following two lines, "My heart was a desert / You planted a seed," suggest that the singer had been alone until the other person came into their life and made them feel truly alive. The next stanza describes the height of their joy and how it feels surreal, asking if it is all just a dream. But the final line repeats that it is, in fact, love in bloom, confirming that the love between the two people is very real.
Overall, the lyrics of "Love In Bloom" celebrate the joy of falling in love and finding happiness with another person. It also suggests that love itself has the power to transform, to make the desert of the heart bloom with life and joy once again.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue night and you, alone with me
This is a moment of intimacy where we are alone in the blue night.
My heart has never known such ecstasy
The pleasure I feel in this moment is beyond anything my heart has ever felt before.
Am I on earth, am I in heaven?
The intense emotions I'm experiencing make me unsure if I'm on earth or in heaven.
Can it be the trees that fill the breeze with rare and magic perfume?
The scent in the air is magical and unique. Could it be the trees responsible for it?
Oh, no, it isn't the trees, it's love in bloom
The scent in the air is not from the trees but it's the feeling of love that is blooming between us.
Can it be the spring that seems to bring the stars right into this room?
The springtime feels magical as though it's brought the stars into this confined space.
Oh, no, it isn't the spring, it's love in bloom
The magical feeling is not from the spring but from the love that is blooming between us.
My heart was a desert
I felt empty and dry before meeting you.
You planted a seed
You brought the possibility of love into my life.
And this is the flower
Now, my heart has blossomed into something beautiful.
This hour of sweet fulfillment
This moment is very fulfilling and sweet.
Is it all a dream, the joy supreme that came to us in the gloom?
I feel overwhelmed by the happiness I'm experiencing, and I wonder if it's just a dream.
You know it isn't a dream, it's love in bloom
I'm reassured that the feelings we're experiencing are real because it's the love that's blooming between us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LEO ROBIN, RALPH RAINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joe Dredd
on In My Little Bottom Drawer
Gracie Fields's song, "In My Little Bottom Drawer," is a humorous take on the life of a spinster who is all prepared for married life. The lyrics describe a woman who has spent years alone, preparing for her future marriage by hoarding various items that she believes will be necessary. She has saved up a bridal gown, an eiderdown, ribbons, bows, and other odds and ends that are all packed up in her little bottom drawer. She has also bought items for her future children, including a baby's cot, a flower pot, and a bassinet.
The woman's preparations extend beyond her home and family, as she has also bought a set of Priestley's works and a case of eggs from Turks. She has answered every advertisement in the Matrimonial Times and is eager to start her life with her future husband. The lyrics are full of humor, but they also reflect the pressure that society places on women to get married and start a family. The woman in the song has internalized this pressure and feels like she must be fully prepared for every aspect of married life.
Overall, "In My Little Bottom Drawer" is a lighthearted song about a woman who has been waiting so long to meet a man that her continued years as a spinster have allowed her to continue adding to her trousseau beyond practicality and reason.
Joe Dredd
on Wish Me Luck (As You Wave Me Goodbye)
Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye is sung from the point of view of a soldier farewelling his girlfriend (or wife) as he leaves for the front. The song was intended to encourage women not to make the men feel sadness and grief as they left home (which would depress morale in the trenches) but to give them cheery goodbyes instead.