Gary was considered by many to be one of the best crooners due to his extaordinary breath control and tonal quality of his voice. He had an exceptionally wide range of three octaves.
Gary was a stylized singer, who recorded 23 albums for RCA Victor Records. His singing ranged from robust baritone to a high sweet tenor often in the same song. Most popular songs of their time - suited to his intimate style - and they were among his recordings.
Gary sang in movies, on Broadway, had his own television show, and appeared at Carnegie Hall, with numerous symphonies. He appeared 30 times as a guest on the The Tonight Show with Jack Parr, Steve Allen and Johnny Carson. He traveled across the U.S. and Canada with approximately 40 concerts per year. For six years he gave Community concerts in over 400 cities and towns.
Considered handsome, personable, and very talented, Gary never quite became a household name. Possibly because his wide range was difficult for fans to sing along to; also his career peaked at the same time as the Beatles, whose unique popularity displaced the works of many artists of the time.
Gary was sometimes called the singer's singer because only another singer could fully appreciate what he was able to do with his voice. Most crooners were able to sing sweetly within a limited range, but Gary was able to carry what is known as a mezza voce up to beyond the staff. What often sounded like falsetto was almost always a legitimate tone.
One of his other talents was his seemingly endless supply of breath (no doubt aided by the fact Gary held several underwater swimming records). In addition to his impeccable phrasing, he artfully shaded words to convey the emotional content of the song. He was a crossover artist before the term was invented, and his 400 community concerts brought pop music to the concert stage. In 1960 he joined ASCAP and composed several popular songs. RCA has reissued some of his recordings and classy 92 track box is now available on the Collectables label.
if
John Gary Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd be but a slave to you
If I had everything
I'd still be a slave to you
If I ruled the night
Stars and moon so bright
Still I'd turn for light to you
Yet humbly, I'd flee to you
If my friends where a crowd
I'd turn in my need to you
If I ruled the earth
What would life be worth
If I hadn't the right to you
If I ruled the night
Stars and moon so bright
Still I'd turn for light to you
If the world to me bowed
Yet humbly, I'd flee to you
If my friends where a crowd
I'd turn in my need to you
If I ruled the earth
What would life be worth
If I hadn't the right to you
In John Gary's beautiful ballad "If", he sings about the devotion and love he has for someone. The song begins with a hypothetical scenario where Gary is made into a king, but he would be nothing more than a slave to the person he loves. He goes on to say that even if he had everything in the world, he would still be a slave to the person he loves. The love he has is so strong that even if he had control over the night sky, he would still turn to the person he loves as his source of light.
Furthermore, Gary sings that if the entire world bowed down to him, he would still flee to the person he loves. He would turn to them with all of his needs, even if he had a crowd of friends surrounding him. In the final verse, Gary states that if he ruled the earth, his life would not be worth anything without the love of this person.
The message of this song is simple but profound; the love and devotion we feel for someone can surpass all of the wealth and power in the world. Gary's poetic lyrics illustrate the depth of his feelings and the lengths he would go to for the one he loves.
Line by Line Meaning
If they made me a king
If I were given great power and influence
I'd be but a slave to you
I would still be at your mercy and under your authority
If I had everything
If I possessed all the wealth and material possessions in the world
I'd still be a slave to you
I would still be dependent on you for my happiness and well-being
If I ruled the night
If I had control over darkness and uncertainty
Stars and moon so bright
Even with the beauty and wonder of the world
Still I'd turn for light to you
I would still seek comfort and guidance from you
If the world to me bowed
If I had everyone's respect and admiration
Yet humbly, I'd flee to you
I would remain grounded and seek your support and love
If my friends where a crowd
If I were surrounded by many people and superficial relationships
I'd turn in my need to you
I would still rely on you for emotional support and connection
If I ruled the earth
If I had absolute power and authority over the planet
What would life be worth
Life would have little meaning and value without you
If I hadn't the right to you
If I didn't have you in my life
Writer(s): Stanley J. Damerell, Tolchard Evans
Contributed by Andrew N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Timothy Himes
John can make a meal of every phrase, use his enormous talent, and the listener comes away satisfied. RIP JG.
Karl Beilstein
One should never compare singers. They all have their assets, but John had perhaps the most significant range of any male singer I have ever heard!!!
Michaelbos
John Gary had a great and powerful voice. When he sings a song when a big voice as needed, John never failed. He is one of those unrated voices of the great era, but has a large fan base that remembers. Thanks for posting and sharing.
Rita Dupree
I had the honor of hearing John Gary in person here in Houston after he had been sick. Still had beautiful voice, breathe control and almost the high notes and still made any song beautiful.
crockacsht
Thanks for sharing this, it is just beautiful I personally prefer this to Perry Como`s , we all have our own favourites. Did you know this song was written in the early 1930s and recorded a number of times but it wasn't till Perry's version in 1951 (which sold over 1 Million records) that it became a "Crooners Standard ", Thanks again for sharing
Andrea DiMartino
I first knew of John Gary as a child. Gratefully, my parents knew what great music truly was. I am now nearly 65. Because of this man, I was inspired to sing and have been doing so since. He filled in for the Danny Kaye show for a couple of summers, creating his ow: The John Gary Show. I hope I can one day join him in the Lord's Choir of Angels.
ericbecker710
I saw JOHN sing this song on Joey Bishop"s Late Night Shoe (with Regis Philbin) and it sounded even better live--if that's possible. John Gary was sheer perfection!!
Phyllis Grellman
Impeccable! How I miss music like this
mdmphd
Nicely done! As a teenager, I remember the librarians in my small town putting his lps at the forefront of the new stacks so people would check them out. Had the exact opposite effect, of course, but now I'm checking him out(thirty years later) - thanks for posting!
Corrie121
This is a most beautiful rendition of this great song. A great addition to my "favourites". 5* post.