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)
South Of The Border
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where I fell in love, where the stars above came out to play
And now as I wander my thoughts ever stray
South of the border down Mexico way
She was a picture in old Spanish lace
Just for a tender while, I kissed a smile upon her face
'Cause it was fiesta and we were so gay
Then she smiled as she whispered "manana"
Never dreaming that we were parting
Then I lied as a whispered "manana"
'Cause our tomorrow never came
South of the border I jumped back one day
There in a veil of white, by the candle light she knelt to pray
The mission bells told me (ding-dong) that I musn't stay
South of the border Mexico way
Keely Smith's "South of the Border" is a romantic ballad that tells the story of falling in love in Mexico. The song starts with the persona reminiscing about the place where she fell in love, where the stars came out to play. As she wanders, her thoughts often stray back to Mexico, reflecting the depth of her feelings. She describes her lover as a beautiful picture in old Spanish lace, and how they kissed during a fiesta. However, the persona also acknowledges the fleeting nature of their love and how the 'tomorrow' they looked forward to never came. This is exemplified in her refrain of "manana," which means "tomorrow" in Spanish. In the last verse, the persona, now back in her country, sees her former lover getting married in a Catholic church, and the mission bells remind her that she has to move on.
The lyrics of "South of the Border" capture the essence of a love that was real but could not last, juxtaposed against the beautiful scenery of Mexico. The song paints a vivid picture of a perfect love story that ended. The line, "The mission bells told me (ding-dong) that I mustn't stay/South of the border Mexico way," depicts the reality that their love ended and the persona has to move on. The use of Spanish words in the song like "manana," "fiesta," and "Mexico" add to its overall Latin feel and charm.
Line by Line Meaning
South of the border down Mexico way
I found my love in a picturesque place in Mexico.
That's where I fell in love, where the stars above came out to play
I fell in love under the sparkling stars in this magical place.
And now as I wander my thoughts ever stray
Even as I wander my mind constantly wanders back to that incredible place.
South of the border down Mexico way
The memories of my love and this place still linger with me.
She was a picture in old Spanish lace
The person I fell in love with was stunning in their traditional Spanish attire.
Just for a tender while, I kissed a smile upon her face
I cherished every moment I spent with this person and made sure to make her smile.
'Cause it was fiesta and we were so gay
We celebrated at the festival and we were so happy together.
South of the border Mexico way
All of these wonderful memories took place in Mexico.
Then she smiled as she whispered 'manana'
She smiled and whispered 'manana' (tomorrow) to signify our next meeting.
Never dreaming that we were parting
Neither of us knew that we were going to say goodbye for the last time.
Then I lied as I whispered 'manana'
I lied when I whispered 'manana' because we would never actually get to see each other again.
'Cause our tomorrow never came
We never got the chance to fulfill our plans of meeting each other.
South of the border I jumped back one day
I went back to Mexico only to find my love had moved on without me.
There in a veil of white, by the candle light she knelt to pray
I saw her praying in a beautiful white veil by the light of a candle.
The mission bells told me (ding-dong) that I musn't stay
The ringing mission bells served as a sign for me that I should not stay any longer.
South of the border Mexico way
Once again, Mexico evokes both good and bad memories for me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, MICHAEL CARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind