Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. While still in her early teens, she left home to pursue a singing career with the Leo Reisman band. Her career was temporarily interrupted by a fall while horseback riding. Wiley suffered temporary blindness, but recovered, and at the age of 19 was back with Reisman again, with whom she recorded three songs: "Take It From Me," "Time On My Hands," and her own composition, "Got The South In My Soul." She sang with Paul Whiteman and later, the Casa Loma Orchestra. A collaboration with composer Victor Young resulted in several songs for which Wiley wrote the lyrics, including "Got The South in My Soul" and "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere," the latter an R&B hit in the 1950s.
In 1939, Wiley recorded eight Gershwin songs on 78s with a small group for Liberty Music Shops. The set sold well and was followed by 78s dedicated to the music of Cole Porter (1940) and Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (1940 and 1954), Harold Arlen (1943), and 10" LPs dedicated to the music of Vincent Youmans and Irving Berlin (1951). The players on these recordings included Bunny Berigan, Bud Freeman, Max Kaminsky, Fats Waller, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, Stan Freeman, Cy Walter, and the bandleader Jess Stacy, to whom Wiley was married for a number of years. These influential albums launched the concept of a "songbook" (often featuring lesser-known songs), which was later widely imitated by other singers.
Wiley's career made a resurgence in 1950 with the much admired ten-inch album Night in Manhattan. In 1954, she opened the very first Newport Jazz Festival accompanied by Bobby Hackett. Later in the decade she recorded two of her finest albums, West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of the Blues (1957). In the 1960s, Wiley retired, although she acted in a 1963 television film, Something About Lee Wiley, which told her life story. The film stimulated interest in the singer. Her last public appearance was a concert in Carnegie Hall in 1972 as part of the New York Jazz Festival, where she was enthusiastically received.
Let's Fly Away
Lee Wiley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And find a land that's warm and tropic,
Where Roosevelt is not the topic
All the live long day!
Let's fly away
And find a land that's so provincial,
We'll never hear what Walter Winchell
I'll make your life sublime,
Far across the blue.
I'll take up all your time
Compromising you!
Let's not delay,
Make Mother Nature our Messiah,
New York is not for us,
Let's fly away!
I'll make your life sublime,
Far across the blue.
I'll take up all your time
Compromising you!
Let's not delay,
Make Mother Nature our Messiah,
New York is not for us,
Let's fly away,
Let's fly away!
Lee Wiley's song "Let's Fly Away" is a song about escapism and getting away from the pressures of everyday life. The lyrics express a desire to find a warm and tropical land where politics and gossip are not talked about. The singer wants to take their partner away and create a life for them that is idyllic and perfect. They express a willingness to compromise and give up their time to make this dream a reality.
The lyrics are broken into two stanzas, each building on the theme of escapism. In the first stanza, the singer desires a warm and tropical land far from the concerns of politics. They want to find a place where they can escape the constant media coverage and social chatter. They dream of a place where they can enjoy life without being bogged down by current affairs or celebrity gossip. In the second stanza, the singer takes their dream further, seeking a place where they'll never hear news of the wider world. They yearn to be somewhere remote, provincial and peaceful.
Throughout the lyrics, the singer has an almost obsessive desire to make their partner's life better. They promise to make their life sublime and compromise their time to achieve this. The song's message is clear: the singer wants to escape the stifling modern world and its stresses, seeking a simpler and more fulfilling life with their loved one far from the distractions of the city.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's fly away
Let's escape from our current situation and find a new place to start fresh.
And find a land that's warm and tropic
Let's go somewhere that's sunny, hot and full of lush greenery.
Where Roosevelt is not the topic
Let's go somewhere that's free from political controversy and discussion.
All the live long day!
And once we're there, we can spend all our days relaxing and enjoying the beauty around us.
And find a land that's so provincial
Let's go somewhere that's quaint, simple and free from the hustle and bustle of city life.
We'll never hear what Walter Winchell
And once we're there, we won't have to deal with the gossip and drama that comes from media personalities like Walter Winchell.
Might be forced to say!
We can focus on living our lives without being influenced by what others may say or think about us.
I'll make your life sublime,
I promise to make your life wonderful and full of happiness.
Far across the blue.
Wherever we go, I'll make sure it's a place that's serene, peaceful and filled with blue skies.
I'll take up all your time
I want to be with you every moment and create new memories together.
Compromising you!
I want to share my love and experiences with you, without necessarily changing who you are.
Let's not delay,
Let's not waste any more time and take action immediately.
Make Mother Nature our Messiah,
Let's honor nature and make it a priority in our lives.
New York is not for us,
Let's acknowledge that our current setting may not be the best for us and consider other options.
Let's fly away!
Let's embark on this new adventure together and create a better life for ourselves.
Let's fly away!
Let's emphasize the urgency and importance of this decision, and make sure we're both on board with this journey.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DUO DUO, GUO NENG LI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@planetaryy9361
This is what I like to listen to in the middle of a day when I realize I've been living inside my head too rigorously. Calms me right down.
@asloanjr
Love Lee Wiley's voice. It so suited her time. You can virtually hear her heart come through in her renditions of the songs she sang. It is so sad that the great singers and orchestras of the 30's, 40's and 50's are gone. But thank God their music is still with us to enjoy...and in this case Cole Porter's clever lyrics sung by Ms. Wiley.
@rorydillon7572
Wow, Berigan and Bushkin!!!
@MonkeyCurler
Oh thank bioshock for playing these tracks. They fit perfectly and I really enjoyed every song!
@zooweemama3835
Brooooo how you doing these days? You wrote this comment when I was 4 years old! I'm 17 now
@MonkeyCurler
@@zooweemama3835 Damn, I'm an old hog now lol. Doin well
@republicreef
Listening to this song is like lose yourself in the time.
@alkuhn1
How ever did she memorize these lyrics, maybe the most complicated in all of Porter's less than easy lyrics? I mean. this is really something special for Lee, not to mention the great tune. Thanks for one of the great and strill under-appreciated singers in our musical culture. alkuhn1
@milvek
Bioshock and Lee Wiley beautiful flower his voice falls in love,
@lesterwyoung
Bass -Sid Weiss
Drums – George Wettling
Piano – Joe Bushkin
Trumpet – Bunny Berigan