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)
Misty
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
Ah, I'm walkin' on a cloud
I can't understand, Lord
I'm misty holdin' your hand
Walk my way
And a thousand violins begin to play
That music I hear, Lord
I'm misty the moment you're near
You can say that you're leadin' me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't ya notice how hopelessly I'm lost
That's why I'm followin' you
Ooh, on my own
Should I wander through this wonderland alone, now
Never knowin' my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove, Lord
I'm misty, and too much in love
You can say that you're leadin' me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't ya notice how hopelessly I'm lost
That's why I'm followin' you
Ooh, on my own
Should I wander through this wonderland alone, now
Never knowin' my right foot from my left
My hat from my glove, Lord
I'm misty, and too much in love
(Misty) too much in love
(Misty) too much in love
(Misty)
(Misty) too much in love
In Keely Smith's song Misty, the lyrics express the singer's feeling of euphoria and surrender as a result of being in love. The opening line, "Look at me / I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree" portrays a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness. This is followed by an exclamation of walking on a cloud, which further emphasizes the singer's elevated state of mind. The chorus focuses on the impact the love interest has on the singer, with violins playing as the love interest approaches and the singer feeling 'misty' when they're near.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is not in control of their emotions and is willingly following their love interest, despite the potential danger of being led on. The line, "Don't ya notice how hopelessly I'm lost / That's why I'm followin' you" further reinforces the idea of surrendering control and becoming reliant on the love interest. The closing lines, "Never knowin' my right foot from my left / My hat from my glove, Lord / I'm misty, and too much in love" leave an impression of the singer being so consumed by love that they can't quite function properly, encompassing the classic notion of being "head over heels in love".
Line by Line Meaning
Look at me
Behold me in your gaze
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
I feel powerless and vulnerable, like a little kitten stuck up high
Ah, I'm walkin' on a cloud
I feel euphoric and light, like I'm walking on a cloud
I can't understand, Lord
I cannot comprehend how I feel right now
I'm misty holdin' your hand
I feel hazy and dreamlike, as if in a pleasant fog, while holding your hand
Walk my way
Come to me, walk towards me
And a thousand violins begin to play
My heart fills with music and sweetness as you approach
Or it might be the sound of your "hello"
Perhaps it's even just the sound of your voice saying "hello" that fills me with joy
That music I hear, Lord
The music I hear comes from deep within me when you're near
I'm misty the moment you're near
I feel dreamy and enchanted when you're close by
You can say that you're leadin' me on
You could say that you're teasing me, leading me on
But it's just what I want you to do
But really, deep down, it's exactly what I want from you
Don't ya notice how hopelessly I'm lost
Can't you see how completely infatuated and adrift I am?
That's why I'm followin' you
That's why I'm drawn to follow in your footsteps
Ooh, on my own
When I'm alone
Should I wander through this wonderland alone, now
Should I try to navigate this magical, but overwhelming, world by myself?
Never knowin' my right foot from my left
I would be so lost and bewildered that I wouldn't even know which way to go
My hat from my glove, Lord
I'd be so disoriented that I wouldn't even be able to tell my hat from my glove
I'm misty, and too much in love
I feel dreamy and lost in my feelings of love for you
(Misty) too much in love
I'm deeply in love with you
(Misty) too much in love
I'm hopelessly in love with you
(Misty)
I'm lost in my feelings, like in a romantic fog
(Misty) too much in love
I'm truly, deeply, overwhelmingly in love with you
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sue Elliott
One of the most wonderful voice of my time its so delightful to be able to hear again all our love to you Keely
Ray Le Gates--Dublin Ireland
Fefe Foo
Yes, tho some of the Best Is
Good Old Cheese
Raymantico
a little cheesy