Irene's older brother, Roy Kral, was a successful musician when Irene started singing professionally as a teenager. She sung with bands on tours led by Woody Herman and Chubby Jackson, former Herman bass player.
Irene joined Maynard Ferguson's band in the late 1950s and sang with groups led by Stan Kenton and Shelly Manne.
Irene then started a solo career until her death at 46 years of age. She was a ballad singer who stated that Carmen McRae was one of her inspirations.
Irene was made more famous posthumously when Clint Eastwood used her recordings in his 1995 movie, The Bridges of Madison County.
(from Wikipedia)
The Song Is You
Irene Kral Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
I feel it start, then melt away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
A beautiful melody
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I alone have heard this glad refrain:
Must it be forever inside of me,
Why can't I let it go,
Why can't I let you know,
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.
In Irene Kral's "The Song Is You," the singer is overwhelmed with emotion when they are in the presence of another person. The singer states that they hear music when they look at the person, and the melody is the embodiment of all the pleasant memories and hopes of their life. The music plays deep within the singer's heart and they feel it come alive and then disappear. Similarly, when they touch the person, the singer hears a beautiful melody that takes them away to a magical place in their mind. The singer is held in a trance, wondering if this is the day when everything changes.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear music when I look at you,
Just by looking at you, I am able to hear beautiful music that reminds me of all my dreams.
A beautiful theme of every
Dream I ever knew.
The music that I hear when I look at you is the perfect representation of every dream I have ever had.
Down deep in my heart I hear it play.
I feel it start, then melt away.
This beautiful music I hear is coming from the depths of my heart, but it fades away as quickly as it starts.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
A beautiful melody
From some enchanted land.
When I touch your hand, I am able to hear a beautiful melody that sounds like it's from a magical place.
Down deep in my heart, I hear it say,
Is this the day?
This music I hear when I touch your hand makes me wonder if this is the day that my dreams will finally come true.
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I alone have heard this glad refrain:
I am the only one who is able to hear this beautiful music that brings me so much joy and happiness.
Must it be forever inside of me,
Why can't I let it go,
Why can't I let you know,
I wonder why I am unable to share this beautiful music with you, and why I am unable to let go of it.
Why can't I let you know the song
My heart would sing?
I want to share this song that my heart sings with you, but I am unable to articulate it in words.
That beautiful rhapsody
Of love and youth and spring,
This music I hear represents a beautiful mix of love, youthfulness, and springtime.
The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.
All of this beautiful music that I hear is a reflection of how I feel about you - you are the perfect person who represents everything I love and value.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Jerome Kern, Oscar II Hammerstein
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind