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)
It's Magic
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You speak and I hear violins
It's magic
(It's magic)
The stars desert the skies
And rush to nestle in your eyes
It's magic
Without a golden wand
Or mystic charms
Fantastic things begin
When I am in your arms
When we walk hand in hand
The world becomes a wonderland
Oh, it's magic
(It's magic)
How else can I explain
Those rainbows when there is no rain?
It's magic, why do I tell myself
These things that happen
Are all really true
When within my heart I know
The magic is my love for you?
Why do I tell myself
These things that happen
Are all really true
When within my heart I know
The magic is my love for you?
(The magic is my love for you)
These lyrics describe the power of love and the magical feeling it can create. The singer is so deeply in love with their partner that the very sound of their voice or a simple sigh can ignite music and bring the stars out of the sky. The connection between the singer and their partner is so strong that it creates a sense of wonderland in the world around them. The singer acknowledges that these things cannot be explained by any physical means, but instead, they are the result of the magic that comes from being with the one they love.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of self-doubt and the tendency to question the reality of such a magical experience. The singer wonders why they tell themselves that what they are experiencing is true, when they already know deep down that the magic they feel is their love for their partner. These lyrics suggest that when love is present, it can sometimes feel so magical and inexplicable that it defies rational explanation.
Line by Line Meaning
You sigh and the song begins
Your mere sigh triggers a magical aura around me and I feel like a song has started playing
You speak and I hear violins
Whenever you speak, I get the feeling of hearing musical notes from violins in the background.
It's magic (It's magic)
All these things are magical and beyond comprehension.
The stars desert the skies
And rush to nestle in your eyes
The stars lose their attraction towards the sky and find solace and meaning by resting themselves in your stunning eyes.
Without a golden wand
Or mystic charms
Fantastic things begin
When I am in your arms
I don't need supernatural help to enjoy some amazing moments of my life, those fantastic dreams come true when I am with you.
When we walk hand in hand
The world becomes a wonderland
Oh, it's magic (It's magic)
My world transforms into a fairyland where everything is beautiful and mesmerizing when we walk together.
How else can I explain
Those rainbows when there is no rain?
It's magic, why do I tell myself
These things that happen
Are all really true
I am amazed and surprised to see beautiful rainbows even when there is no rain and I cannot explain these things, but I convince myself that they are all true because they are simply magical.
When within my heart I know
The magic is my love for you?
(The magic is my love for you)
I know deep within my heart that the magic is happening because of my profound love for you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULE STYNE, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aelita Fitingof
Fabulous singer, performer, Great entertainer!
Zorkon Thegreat
Best singer to ever live.
eloy guevara
preciosa voz.............y todo..........................GRANDE...............
A. R. Henry
She's just the best. <3
Kate
Always.
jetclntn
Fantastic Keely
Anthony de Cruz
An amazing voice, could sing anything, and frankly I always felt she was slightly overshadowed by Louis Prima,but she loved him. I wished she'd had more opportunities to sing more songs expressing emotion.
Her version of "It's magic", is fabulous, but then kicks into the swing arrangement, still great, but not necessary.