Shirley Luster was born in Springfield, Illinois, and moved with her family to Decatur, Illinois, when she was three years old. She began to sing with the Decatur-based Bill Oetzel Orchestra at thirteen. While attending Decatur High School she appeared with Oetzel and his society band, the Ben Bradley Band, and Bill Madden's Band. After high school she moved to Chicago, changed her name to Sharon Leslie, and sang with a group led by Boyd Raeburn. Later she joined Benny Strong's band. In 1944, Strong's band moved to New York at the same time Christy was quarantined in Chicago with scarlet fever.
In 1945, after hearing that Anita O'Day had left Stan Kenton's Orchestra, she auditioned and was chosen for the role as a vocalist. During this time, she changed her name once again, becoming June Christy.
Her voice produced successful hits such as "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy," the million-selling "Tampico" in 1945, and "How High the Moon". "Tampico" was Kenton's biggest-selling record. When the Kenton Band temporarily disbanded in 1948, she sang in nightclubs for a short time, and reunited with the band two years later in 1950.
Beginning Sept. 28, 1959, Christy began a five-week road tour of 38 performances called "Road Show". The all-star billing: Stan Kenton and his orchestra, June Christy, The Four Freshmen. Capitol recorded highlights on October 10 at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, for a two-disc LP, reissued in 1991 on CD.
From 1947, she started to work on her own records, primarily with arranger and bandleader Pete Rugolo. In 1954, she released a 10" LP entitled Something Cool, recorded with Rugolo and his orchestra, a gathering of notable Los Angeles jazz musicians that included her husband, multi-instrumentalist Bob Cooper and alto saxophonist Bud Shank. Something Cool was re-released as a 12" LP in 1955 with additional selections, and then entirely rerecorded in stereo in 1960 with a somewhat different personnel. Christy would later say that the album was "the only thing I've recorded that I'm not unhappy with." Something Cool was also important in launching the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, and it hit the Top 20 Charts, as did her third album, The Misty Miss Christy.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Christy appeared on a number of television programs, including the short-lived CBS show Adventures in Jazz (1949), Eddie Condon's Floor Show (1949), The Jackie Gleason Show (1953), The Tonight Show (1955), The Nat King Cole Show (1957), Stars of Jazz (1958), The Steve Allen Show (1959), The Lively Ones (1963). and The Joey Bishop Show (1967). She also appeared on the first sponsored jazz concert on television, The Timex All-Star Jazz Show I (December 30, 1957), which also featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McRae, Duke Ellington and Gene Krupa.
Christy embarked on dozens of concert tours, playing in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Japan. She toured to such an extent that eventually it began taking a toll on her marriage. She began to pull back from touring in the early 1960s.
R.M. Cook and Brian Morton, writers of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, appreciated the singer's body of work: "Christy's wholesome but particularly sensuous voice is less an improviser's vehicle than an instrument for long, controlled lines and the shading of a fine vibrato. Her greatest moments—the heartbreaking 'Something Cool' itself, 'Midnight Sun,' 'I Should Care'—are as close to creating definitive interpretations as any singer can come."
Christy semi-retired from the music business in 1969, in part due to her battle with alcoholism.
In 1972, she sang at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York City, where she was reunited with the Kenton Orchestra. She also performed at a handful of jazz festivals during the late 1970s and 1980s, playing with a band of all-star West Coast jazz musicians led by Shorty Rogers, as well as taking part in a number of world tours.
Christy returned to the recording studio in 1977 to record her final solo LP, Impromptu. She recorded an interview for a Paul Cacia produced an album in 1987 called "The Alumni Tribute to Stan Kenton" on the Happy Hour label. A number of other Kenton the alumni-Shorty Rogers, Lee Konitz, Jack Sheldon, among them, plus Mort Sahl - interspersed their tunes with reminiscences of the man and the years on the road.
Christy toured one final time in 1988, again with Shorty Rogers. Her final performance was sharing the stage with Chet Baker.
Christy died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California of kidney failure on June 21, 1990, at the age of 64. Her remains were cremated and scattered off the coast of Marina Del Rey.
Irresistible You
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your kissable lips
Makes my heart realize
I'm in love I'm in love
And I know it's true
For who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Well I don't know what you got
Like a fish in the sea
You make angles call from above
You could make the Devil fall in love
An-a who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Oh, come on
Lets dance awhile
I wanna talk
I wanna talk to you child
Been blessed
So much, too much
There is a wonder of love in your touch.
Ah, don't you fret
Don't you worry about me â??cause I never forget
How much you mean to me
I love you I love you
My whole life through
Tell me who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Lets twist awhile
Don't you ever fret
Don't you worry about me I never forget
How much you mean to me
I love you I love you
My whole life through
But tell me who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
The lyrics to June Christy's "Irresistible You" describe the overwhelming feeling of falling in love and being unable to resist someone's charms. The singer describes the magic and allure of her lover, from their "lovin' eyes" to their "kissable lips" and "magic hands." The singer acknowledges that she is "hooked" on this person and would never be able to resist them, even going so far as to say that they could make the devil fall in love.
Despite the overwhelming feeling of love and attraction, the singer also acknowledges that there is a deep connection between them beyond just physical attraction. They want to talk and dance with their lover and comment on the "wonder of love" in their touch. The singer reassures their lover that they never forget how much they mean to them and that they will love them "my whole life through."
Overall, the lyrics celebrate the feeling of being absolutely smitten with someone and being unable to resist their charms. It's a classic love song that captures the intensity and joy of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Your magic hands your lovin' eyes
Your touch and the way you look at me are filled with magic and love.
Your kissable lips
I can't resist the temptation of your lips.
Makes my heart realize
You make me realize that I'm truly in love.
I'm in love I'm in love
I've fallen deeply in love with you.
And I know it's true
I know that my feelings for you are real.
For who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Anyone who experiences your irresistible charm and allure would fall for you.
Well I don't know what you got
I'm not sure what it is about you that makes me feel this way.
But it's got me and baby I'm hooked
Whatever it is that you have, it's captured me completely.
Like a fish in the sea
I feel helpless and unable to escape your grasp, like a fish caught in the ocean.
You make angles call from above
Your heavenly presence is so powerful that even angels are called upon to witness it.
You could make the Devil fall in love
Your charm and allure are so potent that even the devil himself could fall in love with you.
An-a who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Your charisma and charm are so irresistible that anyone would be compelled to fall in love with you.
Oh, come on
Let's enjoy each other's company.
Lets dance awhile
Let's dance together and have some fun.
I wanna talk
I want to share my thoughts and feelings with you.
I wanna talk to you child
I want to talk to you, my dear.
Been blessed
I feel lucky and fortunate.
So much, too much
I have so much love for you, it's almost overwhelming.
There is a wonder of love in your touch.
The way you touch me fills me with wonder and love.
Ah, don't you fret
Don't worry about me.
Don't you worry about me â??cause I never forget
I will always remember how much you mean to me, so don't worry.
My whole life through
I will love you for the rest of my life.
Tell me who-o-o wouldn't fall for irresistible you.
Anyone who doesn't fall for your irresistible charm must not have a heart.
Don't you ever fret
Don't worry about me, my dear.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind