Kate Baldwin is an American actress and singer known for her work in musica… Read Full Bio ↴Kate Baldwin is an American actress and singer known for her work in musical theatre.

Baldwin was born in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated from Northwestern University's theatre program in 1997.

Baldwin has appeared in several Broadway productions, including her debut in The Full Monty (2000), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002), and Wonderful Town (2003). She performs frequently in regional theater, including South Pacific as Nellie Forbush (receiving a Helen Hayes Award nomination) at Arena Stage in Washington, DC (2002); The Sound of Music as Maria (2005) and The Music Man as Marian Paroo (2009), both at The Muny, St. Louis, Missouri) and A Little Night Music as Countess Charlotte at Centre Stage, Baltimore, Maryland, in March 2008.

She played the role of Sharon in the 2009 Encores! staged concert production of Finian's Rainbow. The New York Times critic Charles Isherwood praised her performance, writing that she sang the role "beautifully... her rich, pure soprano riding the crests of the melodies with ease", most notably in the "famous wistful ballad 'How Are Things in Glocca Morra?'" and called her a "discovery". She is repeating the role as Sharon in the Broadway revial of Finian's Rainbow at the St. James Theatre beginning October 8, 2009.

Baldwin is working on her first solo album, Let's See What Happens, consisting of songs written by Burton Lane and E. Y. Harburg.

She married fellow actor Graham Rowat on October 2, 2005.

Old Devil Moon
Kate Baldwin Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

That's the valley legend
They who meet on April night
Are forever lost in love
If there's moonlight all about
And there's no moon above
I wonder who thought it up
I did

I look at you and suddenly
Something in your eyes I see
Soon begins bewitching me
It's that old devil moon
That you stole from the skies
It's that old devil moon in your eyes

You and you glance
Make this romance
Too hot to handle
Stars in the night
Blazing their light
Can't hold a candle
To your razzle-dazzle

You've got me flyin' high and wide
On a magic carpet ride
Full of butterflies inside
Wanna cry, wanna croon
Wanna laugh like a loon
It's that old devil moon in your eyes

Just when I think
I'm free as a dove
Old devil moon
Deep in your eyes
Blinds me with love

You know, Mister Mahoney
That old devil moon
It's in your eyes too
It is?
Well, it takes two to make a valley legend

I look at you and glory be
Something in your eyes I see
Soon begins bewitching me
It's that old devil moon
That you stole from the skies
It's that old devil moon in your eyes

You and your glance
Make this romance
Too hot to handle
Stars in the night
Blazing their light
Can't hold a candle

To your razzle-dazzle
You've got me flyin' high and wide
On a magic carpet ride
Full of butterflies inside
Wanna cry, wanna croon
Wanna laugh like a loon
It's that old devil moon in your eyes

Just when I think
I'm free as a dove
Old devil moon

Deep in your eyes
Blinds me with love

Overall Meaning

In the song Old Devil Moon, the singer expresses their infatuation with a person they are looking at. The song alludes to a valley legend that those who meet on an April night and are surrounded by moonlight but with no moon above are forever lost in love. The singer begins to feel bewitched just by looking into the other person's eyes. They describe their love interest's gaze as an "old devil moon," which refers to the hypnotic, passionate feelings that the singer has when they stare into those eyes. As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more enamored, expressing a desire to cry, croon, and laugh uncontrollably, all because of the intensity of their feelings.

The lyrics of Old Devil Moon were written by Yip Harburg for the musical Finian's Rainbow, which premiered on Broadway in 1947. Kate Baldwin's version of the song was released in 2011 on her album titled Let's See What Happens. The song has since become a popular jazz standard that has been covered by many other artists, including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chet Baker, among others.

Line by Line Meaning

That's the valley legend
There is a legend in the valley that those who meet on an April night and are surrounded by moonlight but no visible moon are destined to fall in love forever.

If there's moonlight all about
Moonlight is present all around.

And there's no moon above
Despite the present moonlight, an actual moon is not visible in the sky.

I wonder who thought it up
The artist is curious about the origin of the valley legend.

I did
The artist takes credit for thinking up the valley legend.

I look at you and suddenly
The singer is observing the person they are talking to and perceives something unusual.

Something in your eyes I see
A distinct emotion or quality is visible in the person's eyes as observed by the singer.

Soon begins bewitching me
The observed emotion or quality quickly starts to captivate the artist.

It's that old devil moon
The captivating element is attributed to the 'old devil moon' which is said in reference to the valley legend.

That you stole from the skies
The captivating element is attributed to the person having 'stolen' or borrowed the old devil moon from the sky.

You and you glance
The singer refers to the person and their gaze.

Make this romance
The combination of the person and their gaze creates a romantic atmosphere for the artist.

Too hot to handle
The level of romance created by the person and their gaze is overwhelming for the singer.

Stars in the night
The stars in the sky at night.

Blazing their light
The stars are emitting a bright light.

Can't hold a candle
The brightness of the stars is incomparable to the person's razzle-dazzle.

To your razzle-dazzle
The person is being described as having a dazzling effect.

You've got me flyin' high and wide
The person's captivating effect is causing the singer to feel elated and expansive.

On a magic carpet ride
The singer uses the metaphor of a magic carpet ride to describe the feeling of being captivated by the person.

Full of butterflies inside
The artist's elation is compared to the fluttering of butterflies.

Wanna cry, wanna croon
The artist is feeling emotional and wants to express themselves through both tears and singing.

Wanna laugh like a loon
The artist is also feeling joyful and wants to express themselves through laughter.

Just when I think
The singer begins to express a thought or feeling.

I'm free as a dove
The artist feels liberated and free.

Old devil moon
The singer refers again to the captivating element or force at play, the 'old devil moon'.

Deep in your eyes
The singer is saying that the old devil moon and its captivating effect is visible in the person's eyes.

Blinds me with love
The singer is completely consumed by the feeling of love which the person and the old devil moon's captivating effect has created within them.

You know, Mister Mahoney
The artist addresses someone called Mister Mahoney.

It's in your eyes too
The artist sees the same captivating quality in Mister Mahoney's eyes as they see in the person they have been addressing in the song.

It is?
Mister Mahoney appears to be surprised or taken aback in response to the singer's observation.

Well, it takes two to make a valley legend
The singer suggests that it is necessary for more than one person to be present in order for the valley legend to come true.

I look at you and glory be
The artist is observing the person they were addressing earlier on again and is exclaiming in surprise or joy.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Burton Lane, E. Y. Harburg

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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