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.
When I Fall In Love
Lee Wiley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or I'll never fall in love
In a restless world like this is
Love is ended before it's begun
And too many moon light kisses
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When I give my heart, it will be completely
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
It's when I fall in love with you
When I give my heart, it will be completely
For I'll never I'll never give my heart
And the moment I can feel that
You feel that way too
It's when I fall in love with you
Lee Wiley's song "When I Fall in Love" speaks of the singer's apprehension towards love due to society's constant movement and change. The singer desires a love that will last forever or they will never fall in love. In today's society, people tend to give up on love if it does not meet their expectations or they feel like it is not worth fighting for. The singer recognizes this and wants to avoid this heartbreak by only giving their heart completely to someone who feels the same way.
The song alludes to how the singer has probably experienced love before but it ended before it even started. This highlights how fickle love can be in the modern world, and how the tendency to rush and move onto the next new thing can prevent people from truly experiencing meaningful and long-lasting love. The singer envisions being with someone who reciprocates their feelings, and they only want to fall in love when they sense these mutual feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
When I fall in love, it will be forever
Love is meant to last a lifetime and not just a mere infatuation. When I fall in love, it will be a forever kind of love.
Or I'll never fall in love
I would rather be single than experience a love that is fleeting and short-lived. If it's not meant to be forever, I'd rather not fall in love at all.
In a restless world like this is
The world we live in is constantly changing and fast-paced, which makes it tough for love to thrive and endure.
Love is ended before it's begun
Sometimes, just when you think you've found love, it ends before it even has a chance to start, leaving you feeling disappointed and heartbroken.
And too many moonlight kisses
Superficial gestures like moonlight kisses may seem romantic, but they don't hold up in the long-term when true love is tested.
Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
When faced with the reality of daily life and the challenges that come with it, those romantic gestures quickly fade in comparison to the warmth and light of the sun.
When I give my heart, it will be completely
When I finally do fall in love, I will give it my all and not hold anything back. It will be a love that is all-encompassing and true.
For I'll never give my heart
I value my heart and emotions too much to give them away to someone who is not deserving of it. I would rather wait for the right person than risk giving my heart to the wrong one.
And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
True love is a two-way street. It's important for both parties to feel the same way, and the moment I sense that we are on the same page, the love will truly begin.
It's when I fall in love with you
Only when I am certain that our love is meant to last forever, and that we are both fully committed and invested in each other, will I truly fall in love.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind