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)
Fools Rush In
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I used to say
A game I thought I'd never play
"Romance is a game for fools"
I said and grinned
Then you passed by
And here am I
Throwing caution to the wind
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
And so I come to you, my love, my heart above my head.
Though I see the danger there
If there's a chance for me, then I don't care
Mm-mm-mm-mm
Fools rush in where wise men never go
But wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
When we met, I felt my life begin
So open up your heart and let this fool rush in
Fools rush in where wise men never, never, never go
Eh, but wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
Ahh, when we met, girl, I felt my life begin
So open up your heart and let this fool rush in
Just open up your heart and let this fool rush on in
Just open up your heart because I am coming in
Open up your heart and let this fool rush in!!
The lyrics to Keely Smith's song "Fools Rush In" tell the story of a person who used to think that love and romance were games for fools, but has now changed their mind after meeting someone special. The singer initially saw romance as a game that they would never play, with a certain level of smugness in the statement. However, they were caught off guard when the love interest walked by and found themselves willing to throw caution to the wind. The chorus “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread…” suggests that the singer is knowingly taking a risk with their heart and emotions, and despite the potential danger, they’re still willing to take that chance because of the pull of love.
The lines "wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?" give the impression that the singer feels empowered by their willingness to be foolish and take a risk for love, and highlights the idea that love is unpredictable and cannot be analyzed through reason or rational thought. The song ultimately describes the singer's desire to go all-in on love, urging the love interest to open up their heart and let the singer in.
Overall, the lyrics of "Fools Rush In" convey the idea that love can be a risk, but sometimes it's worth taking that chance, even if it means being seen as a fool.
Line by Line Meaning
Romance is a game for fools
I used to believe that love was not for me and only fools play the game of romance.
A game I thought I'd never play
I believed that I would never fall in love and be vulnerable to the game of romance.
Romance is a game for fools
I said this with a smile on my face, but little did I know, love would soon capture me.
Then you passed by
You caught my eye and changed my mind about love.
And here am I
I'm surprised to find myself feeling the way I do about you.
Throwing caution to the wind
I'm taking a risk and choosing to love you despite the potential consequences.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
Love can be risky, but I'm willing to take that chance for you.
And so I come to you, my love, my heart above my head.
Despite knowing the danger, my heart and my love for you take precedence over my rational thinking.
Though I see the danger there
I'm aware that this decision could lead to heartbreak, but I'm willing to take the risk.
If there's a chance for me, then I don't care
I'm willing to risk everything for you, even if the chance of success is minimal.
Fools rush in where wise men never go
Smart and logical people may avoid the risks of love, but sometimes taking the risk is worth it.
But wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
Some people may miss out on the incredible feeling of love because they are too rational to risk it.
When we met, I felt my life begin
You brought meaning to my life and made me feel alive.
So open up your heart and let this fool rush in
I'm ready to love you with everything I have, and I hope you'll let me in.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Rube Bloom
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind