Smith showed a natural aptitude for singing at a young age. At 14, she sang with a naval air station band led by Saxie Dowell. At 15, she got her first paying job with the Earl Bennett band.
She saw Louis Prima perform in New York City in 1949. When he came through Norfolk, Virginia, she auditioned. She became the calm balance to Prima's wild antics, as he made his way through a repertoire of jump blues, jazz, and Italian pop songs. They recorded together in 1949 and married in 1953.
Their songs included Johnny Mercer's and Harold Arlen's "That Ol' Black Magic", which was a Top 20 hit in the US in 1958. At the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1959, Smith and Prima won the first Grammy for Best Performance by a Vocal Group for "That Ol' Black Magic". Her deadpan act was popular with fans. The duo followed up with the minor successes "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen", a revival of the 1937 Andrews Sisters hit. Smith and Prima's act was a mainstay of the Las Vegas lounge scene for much of the 1950s. Though her actual voice was not used, she was caricatured as "Squealy Smith" in Bob Clampett's 1960 Beany and Cecil episode "So What and the Seven Whatnots," a Snow White spoof in a Vegas setting.
Smith appeared with Prima in the 1959 film, Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, singing "Fever", and also appeared in and sang on the soundtrack of the previous year's Thunder Road. Her song in Thunder Road was "Whippoorwill". Her first big solo hit was "I Wish You Love" in 1957. In 1961, Smith divorced Prima. She then signed with Reprise Records, where her musical director was Nelson Riddle. In 1965, she had Top 20 hits in the United Kingdom with an album of Beatles compositions, and a single, "You're Breaking My Heart" which reached No. 14 in April.
She returned to singing in 1985, recording the album I'm in Love Again with Bud Shank and Bill Perkins. Her albums, Swing, Swing, Swing (2002), Keely Sings Sinatra (2001) for which she received a Grammy nomination, and Keely Swings Count Basie Style with Strings (2002) won critical and popular acclaim.
In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.
Smith was of Irish and Native American ancestry.
Married Louis Leo Prima July 13, 1953, in Virginia Beach; the couple divorced in 1961. They had two children: Toni Elizabeth and Luanne Francis.
Married Jimmy Bowen in 1965. The couple divorced in 1969.
Married singer Bobby Milano (real name Charles Caci) in 1975 in Palm Springs. Frank Sinatra gave the bride away.
Smith died of apparent heart failure in Palm Springs California on December 16t, 2017 at the age of 89.
Discography
1957 I Wish You Love (Capitol)
1958 Politely! (Capitol)
1959 Swingin' Pretty (Capitol)
1959 Be My Love (Dot)
1960 Swing, You Lovers (Dot)
1960 A Keely Christmas (Dot)
1961 Twist With Keely Smith (Dot)
1961 Dearly Beloved (Dot)
1962 Because You're Mine (Dot)
1962 What Kind of Fool Am I? (Dot)
1962 Cherokeely Swings (Dot)
1963 Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New (Reprise)
1964 The Intimate Keely Smith (Reprise)
1965 Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon—Paul McCartney Songbook (Reprise)
1965 That Old Black Magic (Reprise)
1985 I'm In Love Again (Fantasy)
2000 Swing, Swing, Swing (Concord Jazz)
2001 Keely Sings Sinatra (Concord Jazz)
2002 Keely Swings Basie-Style With Strings (Concord Jazz)
2005 Vegas '58 – Today (Concord)
With Louis Prima
1958 Breaking It Up! (Columbia)
1958 Louis Prima & Keely Smith on Broadway (Coronet)
1959 Louis and Keely! (Dot)
1958 Together (Dot)
1961 Return of the Wildest! (Dot)
With Louis Prima and Sam Butera and the Witnesses
1957 The Call of the Wildest (Capitol)
1957 The Wildest Show at Tahoe (Capitol)
1958 Las Vegas Prima Style (Capitol)
1959 Hey Boy! Hey Girl! (Capitol)
1960 On Stage (Dot)
Because
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
Because you're mine! because you're mine!
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
My love, and envies me because you're mine
Because you're mine because you're mine
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
I only know for as long as I may live
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
In Keely Smith's song "Because You're Mine," the singer expresses her deep love for her partner. She believes that the brightest star in the sky looks down on them and envies her because she has found love. The breeze that passes by them turns into a beautiful melody, and she believes it's because of the love that they share.
The singer also talks about how she will live her life for the sole purpose of receiving a kiss from her lover. When they kiss, it's not just a physical sensation of thunder, but also the sound of her heart applauding his love. The lyrics talk about the overwhelming feeling of love, the beauty of nature, and the power of a single kiss.
Overall, the song is about the deep emotional connection and the intense love shared between the singer and her partner. She finds beauty and hope in every aspect of her life, knowing that she has found her happiness in the love that they share.
Line by Line Meaning
Because you're mine the brightest star I see looks down
The most beautiful thing in the sky is envious of the love I have with you.
My love, and envies me because you're mine
My affection for you is so strong that even the stars are jealous of it.
Because you're mine because you're mine
I love you so much that I have to say it twice to show just how much I care.
The breeze that hurries by becomes a melody
The wind that blows by becomes a beautiful song because you're in my life.
And why, because you're mine, because you're mine
All the beauty and joy in life is because of you being mine.
I only know for as long as I may live
I will always love you, even for as long as I live.
I'll only live for the kiss that you alone may give me
The only reason I am living is for your gentle, sweet kisses.
And when we kiss that isn't thunder dear
When we kiss, it's not just a big noise, but rather a very intimate moment between us.
It's only my poor heart you hear, and it's applause
All you can hear when we kiss is the sound of my heart beating joyously and expressing its love for you.
Because you're mine! because you're mine!
I can't express my love for you enough times, and it fills me with gratitude that you are truly mine.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NICHOLAS BRODSZKY, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulriofski7982
Thank you, catman, for posting this beautiful rendition of this song by Keely from her 1962 Dot LP. She was one of the finest artists ever to record on that label (along with the Mills Brothers). I am also fond of the recording of this song by Carmen McRae that she made during her brief tenure with Mainstream Records during the mid-Sixties!