Les had started by studying at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music and later led the Duke Blue Devils Band in North Carolina who recorded for Decca during the depression of the 1930's. After college Les found work in NYC leading a group who played at the Edison Hotel and were simulcast on NBC radio which lead to a contract with Victor subsidiary Bluebird. Soon they scored a young female singer who'd defected from Bob Crosby's band named Doris Day, but she soon left to get married.
Les got a break in 1941 with a novelty track about a NY Yankee baseball star called "Joltin Joe DiMaggio". They were broadcasting nearly 7 days a week from gigs in Long Island and Chicago when the outbreak of world war II slowed their progress with many band members drafted.
In 1943, Doris Day returned after divorcing her husband and when the recording ban ended they scored a hit with a track called Sentimental Journey, which became the perfect theme song for all of the young men returning home from the war.The Number One song in the country for some sixteen weeks,‘Sentimental Journey,’ stayed on the Hit Parade for months, and has since become an undeniable standard in the lexicon of the American popular song.
Les Brown relocated the band to Los Angeles after the war in 1945, centering their presence via regularly broadcast shows at the then very hot, Hollywood Palladium.
By 1947, Les had hooked up with number 1 box office draw Bob Hope, and in 1949 they brought movie starlet Doris Day back into the touring act. Les had the Number One instrumental tune in the country with ‘Love To Keep Me Warm,’ and Doris Day had the Number One vocal tune with ‘It’s Magic.’ They all went on a national concert tour that broke sales records wherever it landed.
When the Korean conflict broke out in 1950, Brown accopnaied Bob Hope on his first of 18 USO Christmas tours that would take Hollywood entertainment to the men on the front lines.
With the advent of television and the idling of the big band circuit, Brown eased off relentless touring in the 50's and early 60's. They appeared on numerous variety programs including the Ed Sullivan Show, The Steve Allen Show for a couple years and notably became the regular backing orchestra on the Dean Martin tv show for some 7 years beginning in 1961. Brown was also instrumental in bringing the Grammy awards to television for the first time ever, calling upon friends like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby to perform on the first telecast.
He was recognized in 1996 by the Guinness Book of World Records for the distinction of being the leader of the longest-lasting musical organization in the history of pop music.
His final album recorded in 2000 at Capitol studios in Hollywood was called Session 55[/labum] (his 55th studio project), and featured guest vocalists Jane Monheit and Lou Rawls.
The group kept going under Les Brown's leadership until Brown's eventual death at age 88 from lung cancer on Jan. 4, 2001. "The world has lost a great musician," mourned Bob Hope in a public statement, "I have lost my music man, my sideman, my straight man, and a special friend."
Fear not music fans, the group continues to perform and record some 65 years since their inception under the leadership of Les Brown Jr.
http://www.lesbrownsbandofrenown.com
Misty
Les Brown & His Band Of Renown Lyrics
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I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I can't understand,
I get misty, holding your hand.
Walk my way,
And a thousand violins begin to play
That music I hear,
I get misty the moment you're near
You can say that you're leading me on
But it's just what I want you to do
Don't you realize how hopelessly I'm lost
That's why I'm following you.
On my own,
Would I wander through this wonderland alone
Never knowing my right foot from my left,
My hat from my glove,
I get misty, and too much in love.
I'm too misty, and too much in love
The lyrics to Les Brown & His Band Of Renown's song Misty are romantic and somewhat melancholic, conveying a feeling of helplessness and vulnerability. The singer speaks of feeling like a kitten stuck up a tree and clinging to a cloud. They can't understand why they get misty, or emotional, when holding the hand of the person they are addressing. Walking towards them is likened to the sound of a thousand violins playing or the sound of a simple hello. The music they hear from this person makes them misty the moment they are near. The singer admits that the other person may be leading them on, but it's exactly what they want. They are hopelessly lost, but they don't seem to care as long as they can follow this person they are in love with.
The imagery in the lyrics of Misty is vivid and captures the emotions of the singer perfectly. The use of the kitten stuck up a tree and clinging to a cloud creates a sense of vulnerability and helplessness, which is further emphasized by the singer's admission of being too misty and too much in love. The image of a thousand violins playing or a simple hello being like music to their ears suggests the intense infatuation the singer feels for this person. The lyrics speak to the dreamy quality of being in love and how it can often make a person feel lost and out of touch with reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at me,
I want you to notice me and pay attention to me.
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree
I feel weak and vulnerable like a helpless kitten stranded on a tree.
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud
I feel like I am floating and nothing is certain or stable.
I can't understand,
I am overwhelmed and confused by my emotions.
I get misty, holding your hand.
Being close to you fills me with intense emotions that cloud my judgment and senses.
Walk my way,
Come towards me and approach me.
And a thousand violins begin to play
Being near you makes me feel like I am in a romantic dream, where everything is perfect and beautiful.
Or it might be the sound of your hello
Even the smallest interaction with you triggers a cascade of emotions and sensations.
That music I hear,
The happiness and joy I feel when I'm with you is like a beautiful melody.
I get misty the moment you're near
My emotions overwhelm me as soon as I am close to you.
You can say that you're leading me on
You might think that you're teasing me or flirting with me, but I am enjoying it and want more.
But it's just what I want you to do
I like feeling desired and pursued by you, even if it might not lead to anything serious.
Don't you realize how hopelessly I'm lost
I have fallen for you and I am completely smitten, and I can't help feeling this way.
That's why I'm following you.
I am drawn to you and want to be close to you, even if it means being just a follower.
On my own,
Without you around, without your love and affection.
Would I wander through this wonderland alone
I would feel lost and aimless without you, like a wanderer in a strange land.
Never knowing my right foot from my left,
Without you, I would feel disoriented and unsure of my direction in life.
My hat from my glove,
Without you, even the simplest things would be confusing and meaningless to me.
I get misty, and too much in love.
My love for you overwhelms me and fills me with emotions that cloud my judgment and senses.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHNNY BURKE, ERROLL GARNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind