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)
Until The Real Thing Comes Along
Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you! (what is a knave anyway?)
If that isn't love it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along.
I'd gladly move the earth for you, (yeah I'm strong baby, plenty strong)
To prove my love and it's worth to you;
If that isn't love it'll have to do
With all the words, dear, at my command,
I just can't make you understand;
I'll always love you darling, come what may,
My heart is yours, what more can I say? (what do you want me to do, rob a bank?)
(well listen, I tell ya)
I'd sigh for you, yeah, cry for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, well skip it, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
I'd sigh for you, die for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
9yeah, that's the real thing, so help me!)
The song "Until The Real Thing Comes Along" by Keely Smith is about a person who is devoted to their loved one and they are willing to do anything and everything for them. The lyrics speak about how the person would work, slave, beg, or even be a knave (which means a rogue or a dishonest person) just to please their loved one. They would even move the earth to prove their love and worth to them. The person acknowledges that what they are offering may not be the "real thing," but it's their best effort until they can show them their true love. The lyrics also express frustration that even with all of the words at the person's command, they can't seem to make their loved one fully understand their love. Despite this, the person's heart belongs to their loved one and they will do anything for them, even if it's not the real thing.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I'd work for you, I'd slave for you,
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you! (what is a knave anyway?)
I am willing to go to the extent of working, slaving or even resorting to acts of begging or knavery just to please you.
If that isn't love it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along.
If this level of dedication and commitment is not enough to convince you of my love, I will continue trying until the real deal comes along.
I'd gladly move the earth for you, (yeah I'm strong baby, plenty strong)
To prove my love and it's worth to you;
My love for you is so deep that I am willing to do the impossible, even move the earth, just to show you how much you mean to me.
With all the words, dear, at my command,
I just can't make you understand;
I'll always love you darling, come what may,
My heart is yours, what more can I say? (what do you want me to do, rob a bank?)
I have exhausted all my persuasive language to show you my love and failed. Despite that, my love for you is constant, nothing will change it, and I'm willing to do almost anything for you.
(well listen, I tell ya)
I'd sigh for you, yeah, cry for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, well skip it, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
My love for you is so immense that I would be willing to suffer, even down to tears and sighs, just to please you. If this level of love is not enough for you, then let's wait until something better comes along.
I'd sigh for you, die for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
9yeah, that's the real thing, so help me!
I am ready and willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for you. If that is not enough, let's wait until we find something better. I know that with your help, we can find the ultimate level of love.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alberta Nichols, L.e. Freeman, Mann Holiner, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind