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)
Night And Day
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of the tom-tom;
When the jungle shadows fall,
Like the tick, tick, tock
Of the stately clock,
As it stands against the wall,
Like the drip, drip, drip,
Of the raindrops,
So a voice within me
Keeps repeating,
You, you, you
Night and day
You are the one,
Only you
Beneath the moon
And under the sun.
Whether near to me or far,
It's no matter,
Darling, where you are
I think of you
Night and day.
Day and night
Why is it so,
That this longing for you follows
Where-ever I go?
In the roaring traffic's boom,
In the silence of my lonely room,
I think of you,
Night and day.
Night and day
Under the hide of me
There's an
Oh, such a hungry yearning,
Burning inside of me.
And its torment won't be through
Til you let me spend my life
Making love to you,
Day and night,
Night and day.
The song "Night and Day" by Keely Smith is a beautiful tribute to the intensity of love and longing. The juxtaposition of the different sounds and rhythms throughout the lyrics reflects the varied emotions that the singer feels. The opening lyrics set the scene with drumbeats reminiscent of the jungle, creating a wild and exotic atmosphere. The clock tick-tocks in contrast to the tom-tom, and the raindrops drip slowly to the ground. Throughout the changing seasons and various life circumstances, the voice within the singer repeats the name of the beloved, showing that their love is unwavering and constant.
The chorus of the song is a declaration of love and the absolute certainty that this person is the only one for the singer. Regardless of where they are, near or far, beneath the moon or under the sun, they can never escape the hold this person has on them. The mention of the "roaring traffic's boom" and the "silent, lonely room" shows that the singer is constantly thinking of their beloved, even in the midst of chaos and stillness. The intensity of their love is conveyed through the line "Under the hide of me, there's an oh, such a hungry yearning, burning inside of me." This real, raw emotion is something that any listener can relate to, and it makes the song even more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the beat, beat, beat, Of the tom-tom;
I feel a pulsing rhythm within me, like the beating of a drum.
When the jungle shadows fall,
In the darkness of night, with trees looming overhead,
Like the tick, tick, tock, Of the stately clock, As it stands against the wall,
Time passes steadily and unchanging, like the ticking of a clock on the wall.
Like the drip, drip, drip, Of the raindrops, When the summer shower is through;
The constant sound of raindrops falling reminds me of the persistent thoughts in my mind.
So a voice within me Keeps repeating, You, you, you
My inner voice persists in reminding me of you, over and over.
Night and day You are the one, Only you Beneath the moon And under the sun.
You are the only one for me, whether it's day or night.
Whether near to me or far, It's no matter, Darling, where you are
Distance does not matter to me, my love for you is constant.
I think of you Night and day.
You are constantly on my mind, day and night.
Day and night Why is it so, That this longing for you follows Where-ever I go?
I don't understand why my desire for you never fades, no matter where I am.
In the roaring traffic's boom, In the silence of my lonely room, I think of you, Night and day.
Whether I am distracted by the noise of the world or alone with my thoughts, you are always present in my mind.
Night and day Under the hide of me There's an Oh, such a hungry yearning, Burning inside of me.
I am consumed by an intense, insatiable desire for you that I cannot ignore.
And its torment won't be through Til you let me spend my life Making love to you, Day and night, Night and day.
My longing for you will not subside until the moment we can be together, making love day and night, night and day.
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, Red Brick Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dylan Blue
Louis Prima's the man, no doubt, but Keely Smith's vocals are just devastatingly beautiful. So pure.
Drake. Robey.
So cool ! I just love Louis Prima and Keely Smith ! Thanks for posting !