Julie Andrews got her big break when her stepfather introduced her to Val Parnell, whose Moss Empires controlled prominent venues in London. Andrews made her professional solo debut at the London Hippodrome singing the difficult aria "Je Suis Titania" from Mignon as part of a musical revue called "Starlight Roof" on 22 October 1947.
Andrews gained fame at a young age in 1950s Britain by acting and singing on light entertainment radio programmes such as "Educating Archie". She rose to international prominence after starring in Broadway musicals such as My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as musical films like Mary Poppins (1964) and The Sound of Music (1965).
Andrews had a major revival of her film career in the 2000s, in children's films such as The Princess Diaries (2001), its sequel The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004), and the Shrek animated films (2004-2007). In 2005, Andrews made her debut as a stage director with a revival of The Boy Friend, in which she also made her Broadway acting debut in 1954.
She was married with Blake Edwards in 1965 until his death in 2010.
I'm An Ordinary Man
Julie Andrews Lyrics
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I'm an ordinary man,
Who desires nothing more than an ordinary chance,
to live exactly as he likes, and do precisely what he wants...
An average man am I, of no eccentric whim,
Who likes to live his life, free of strife,
doing whatever he thinks is best, for him,
Well... just an ordinary man...
BUT, Let a woman in your life
and your serenity is through,
she'll redecorate your home,
from the cellar to the dome,
and then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you...
Let a woman in your life,
and you're up against a wall,
make a plan and you will find,
that she has something else in mind,
and so rather than do either you do something else that neither likes at all
You want to talk of Keats and Milton, she only wants to talk of love,
You go to see a play or ballet, and spend it searching for her glove,
Let a woman in your life and you invite eternal strife,
Let them buy their wedding bands for those anxious little hands...
I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling than to ever let
a woman in my life,
I'm a very gentle man, even tempered and good natured who you never hear complain,
Who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein,
A patient man am I, down to my fingertips,
the sort who never could, ever would, let an insulting remark escape his lips
Very gentle man...
But, Let a woman in your life, and patience hasn't got a chance,
she will beg you for advice,
your reply will be concise, and she will listen very nicely,
and then go out and do exactly what she wants!!!
You are a man of grace and polish, who never spoke above a hush,
all at once you're using language that would make a sailor blush,
Let a woman in your life, and you're plunging in a knife,
Let the others of my sex, tie the knot around their necks,
I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition than to ever let a
woman in my life
I'm a quiet living man,
who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room,
who likes an atmosphere as restful as an undiscovered tomb,
A pensive man am I, of philosophical joys,
who likes to meditate, contemplate, far for humanities mad inhuman noise,
Quiet living man....
But, let a woman in your life, and your sabbatical is through,
in a line that never ends comes an army of her friends,
come to jabber and to chatter and to tell her what the matter is with YOU!,
she'll have a booming boisterous family,
who will descend on you en mass,
she'll have a large Wagnerian mother, with a voice that shatters glass,
Let a woman in your life, Let a woman in your life, Let a woman in your life
I shall never let a woman in my life.
The song "I'm An Ordinary Man" by Julie Andrews is a humorous take on the concept of the unassuming, average man and how allowing a woman into his life can uproot the quiet existence he's built for himself. At the beginning of the song, the singer introduces himself as a man who just wants an ordinary chance at living his life as he pleases. He describes himself as average, and someone who isn't interested in eccentricity or strife. However, he quickly switches gears when he muses about the idea of letting a woman into his life. Suddenly, he's filled with anxiety about redecorating his home, being forced to attend plays and ballets, and enduring the endless chatter of a woman's friends and family. The singer's quiet existence is threatened by the notion of letting someone into his life who is seemingly incapable of existing in silence.
The song, though comedic in nature, highlights the patriarchal norms of the time period. The singer is selfish in his thinking, and he's threatened by the idea of a woman having her own wants and needs. The song highlights the idea that men were expected to live their lives alone in order to maintain their autonomy and control over their surroundings. The song's central idea is that women are inherently troublesome and create chaos for men, making men's lives miserable.
Line by Line Meaning
Well after all, Pickering,
I'm an ordinary man,
Who desires nothing more than an ordinary chance,
to live exactly as he likes, and do precisely what he wants...
I'm just a regular guy who wants to live my life on my own terms.
BUT, Let a woman in your life
and your serenity is through,
she'll redecorate your home,
from the cellar to the dome,
and then go on to the enthralling fun of overhauling you...
Whenever a woman enters your life, be prepared to have your peace and quiet shattered. She will completely revamp your home and then move on to trying to change you.
You want to talk of Keats and Milton, she only wants to talk of love,
You go to see a play or ballet, and spend it searching for her glove,
Let a woman in your life and you invite eternal strife,
Let them buy their wedding bands for those anxious little hands...
I'd be equally as willing for a dentist to be drilling than to ever let
a woman in my life,
Women are interested in love and romance, while men might prefer discussing literature and art. Once you let a woman in your life, you may find that you are constantly at odds with her. The idea of settling down with a woman is just as unbearable as going to the dentist.
I'm a very gentle man, even tempered and good natured who you never hear complain,
Who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein,
A patient man am I, down to my fingertips,
the sort who never could, ever would, let an insulting remark escape his lips
Very gentle man...
I'm a nice guy, who never raises his voice or complains. I'm a patient person who never says anything mean-spirited.
But, Let a woman in your life, and patience hasn't got a chance,
she will beg you for advice,
your reply will be concise, and she will listen very nicely,
and then go out and do exactly what she wants!!!
As gentle and patient as I may be, once a woman arrives on the scene, all bets are off. She will ask for your input and may even listen, but at the end of the day, she will do what she wants.
You are a man of grace and polish, who never spoke above a hush,
all at once you're using language that would make a sailor blush,
Let a woman in your life, and you're plunging in a knife,
Let the others of my sex, tie the knot around their necks,
I prefer a new edition of the Spanish Inquisition than to ever let a
woman in my life
I'm normally a very refined and distinguished gentleman, but when a woman comes into my life, all bets are off. Suddenly, I'm using foul language and losing my composure. I'd rather go through Spanish Inquisition than let a woman enter my life.
I'm a quiet living man,
who prefers to spend the evening in the silence of his room,
who likes an atmosphere as restful as an undiscovered tomb,
A pensive man am I, of philosophical joys,
who likes to meditate, contemplate, far for humanities mad inhuman noise,
Quiet living man....
I'm a solitary man, who enjoys peace and quiet. I like to think deeply and ponder the meaning of life in solitude.
But, let a woman in your life, and your sabbatical is through,
in a line that never ends comes an army of her friends,
come to jabber and to chatter and to tell her what the matter is with YOU!,
she'll have a booming boisterous family,
who will descend on you en mass,
she'll have a large Wagnerian mother, with a voice that shatters glass,
Let a woman in your life, Let a woman in your life, Let a woman in your life
I shall never let a woman in my life.
Once you let a woman into your life, all of your peace and quiet goes out the window. Suddenly, you will be bombarded by her friends and family, all of whom have opinions about you. Her mother will be especially difficult to deal with.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, FREDERICK LOEWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind