Starting in 1931 and continuing through the 1950s, MacDonald did regular concert tours between films. Her first European tour was in 1931, where she sang in both France and England. Her first American concert tour was in 1939, immediately after the completion of Broadway Serenade and Nelson Eddy's marriage. After that she, like him, did frequent U.S. tours between films. She sang several times at the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall.
MacDonald recorded more than 90 songs during her career, working exclusively for RCA-Victor in the United States. She also did some early recordings for HMV in England and France while she was there on a concert tour in 1931. She earned numerous Gold Records, one for an LP album that she did with Nelson Eddy in 1957.
MacDonald died on January 14, 1965 at 4:32 p.m., at the age of 61 after a long battle with heart problems, with her husband Gene Raymond at her bedside.
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
Jeanette MacDonald Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gay and tender
Love came to me
Sweet surrender
Love came to me
In bright romantic splendor
Fickle was she
Fickle was she
And clever
So will it be, forever, forever
Softly, as in a morning sunrise
The light of love comes stealing
Into a new born day, oh
Flaming with all the glow of sunrise
A burning kiss is sealing
The vow that all betray
For the passions that thrill love
And lift you high to heaven
Are the passions that kill love
And let you fall to hell
So ends the story
Softly, as in an evening sunset
The light that gave you glory
Will take it all away
The first stanza of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's song Softly As In A Morning Sunrise captures the experience of falling passionately in love with someone who is fickle and disloyal. The singer describes love as coming to them in a bright and romantic manner, but then goes on to reveal that the object of their affection is fickle and unfaithful. They acknowledge the cleverness of their lover, and suggest that this fickle behavior will continue indefinitely.
In the second stanza, the singer reflects on the intensity of the feelings that come with falling in love. They describe love as "the passions that thrill" and that "lift you high to heaven". However, they also suggest that these same passions can lead to destruction and ultimately "let you fall to hell". The final lines of the song suggest that love is fleeting, and that the same light that once gave the singer glory will soon take it all away.
Overall, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise captures the experience of falling in love with someone who is ultimately unfit for a lasting relationship. The song acknowledges the intense emotions that come with falling in love, but cautions the listener to be aware of the potential for those emotions to become destructive.
Line by Line Meaning
Love came to me
I experienced the feeling of love
Gay and tender
It was warm and affectionate
Love came to me
I felt loved by someone else
Sweet surrender
I gave in to the feeling of love
Love came to me
It was a beautiful, captivating feeling
In bright romantic splendor
It was intense and passionate
Fickle was she
The feeling of love was unfaithful and constantly changing
Faithful never
It could not be relied upon and was not trustworthy
Fickle was she
The feeling of love was unreliable
And clever
It was cunning and manipulative
So will it be, forever, forever
This is the nature of love, it will always be this way
Softly, as in a morning sunrise
The feeling of love beginning is gentle and quiet like a sunrise
The light of love comes stealing
This feeling sneaks up on you
Into a new born day, oh
It is a new experience
Flaming with all the glow of sunrise
It is passionate and intense
A burning kiss is sealing
Love solidifies through physical contact
The vow that all betray
Promises made in the heat of passion are often broken
For the passions that thrill love
The excitement that comes with love
And lift you high to heaven
Can also lead to feelings of euphoria
Are the passions that kill love
But these same feelings can also lead to the end of love
And let you fall to hell
Causing heartbreak and emotional pain
So ends the story
This is the end result of love, it comes to an end
Softly, as in an evening sunset
The end of love is a gentle process
The light that gave you glory
The feeling of love that once brought happiness
Will take it all away
Can also cause heartache and sadness
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind