Les Paul (Lester William Polsfuss, June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009) and Mary Ford (Iris Colleen Summers, July 7, 1924 – September 30, 1977) were introduced to each other by Gene Autry in 1946 and married in 1949.
They first appeared in the pop charts in 1950. Between the years 1950 and 1954, Les Paul and Mary Ford had 16 top-ten hits. They had five top-ten hits within nine months. "Tennessee Waltz", "Mockin' Bird Hill", "How High the Moon" (#1 for nine weeks), "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise" and "Whispering". From August 1952 to March 1953 they had five more top-ten hits; "My Baby's Coming Home", "Lady of Spain", "Bye Bye Blues", "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" and "Vaya Con Dios" (#1 for 11 weeks). Their 1954 version of "I'm a Fool to Care" went to #6, and was featured in a memorable Southern Comfort commercial in 2013 that got over 1 million views on YouTube.
In 2009, they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Les Paul and Mary Ford are famous for creating a makeshift recording studio in their garage. In their garage studio, they used multitrack recording to record many of their hits including ‘Lover’, ‘Nola’, ‘Brazil’ and ‘Whispering' with only the two of them.
YouTube has a large selection of clips from their syndicated TV show "Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home" (1954-'55).
Les Paul and Mary Ford divorced acrimoniously in December 1964, which also ended the collaboration between the two.
The duo have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Les Paul had hosted a 15-minute radio program, The Les Paul Show, on NBC in 1950, featuring his trio (himself, Ford, and rhythm player Eddie Stapleton) and his electronics, recorded from their home and with gentle humour between Paul and Ford bridging musical selections, some of which had already been successful on records, some of which anticipated the couple's recordings, and many of which presented dazzling re-interpretations of such jazz and pop selections as "In the Mood," "Little Rock Getaway," "Brazil," and "Tiger Rag." Several recordings of these shows survive among old-time radio collectors today.
The show also appeared on television a few years later with the same format, but excluding the trio and retitled The Les Paul & Mary Ford Show (aka Les Paul & Mary Ford At Home) with "Vaya Con Dios" as a theme song. Sponsored by Warner Lambert's Listerine, it was widely syndicated during 1954–55 and was only five minutes long (one or two songs) on film and therefore used as a brief interlude or fill-in on programming schedules. Since Les created the entire show himself, including audio and video, he maintained the original recordings and was in the process of restoring them to up-to-date quality at the time of his death.
'Deed I Do
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh my do I
Honey, indeed I do
Do I need you?
Oh my do I
Honey, a-deed I do
That's why I'm always hangin' around you
Do I love you?
Oh my do I
Honey, deed I do
I'm glad that I'm the one who found you
That's why I'm always hangin' around you
Do I love you?
Oh my do I
Honey, deed I do
Honey, deed I do
Honey, deed I do
The lyrics to Les Paul & Mary Ford's song 'Deed I Do' are a clear declaration of love from the singer to their beloved. The repeated question, "Do I want you?" is answered emphatically with "Oh my do I, Honey indeed I do." The singer also confirms their need for their beloved, stating "Oh my do I, Honey a-deed I do." The singer expresses their happiness that they are the one who found their beloved and that's why they are always hanging around them. Finally, the singer declares their love once again, with a repeated "Honey, deed I do."
Overall, the lyrics convey a strong sense of devotion and affection, portraying the singer's intense feelings for their beloved. The repetition of "do I" and "deed I do" emphasizes the strength of these emotions and evokes a sense of passion and sincerity.
Interestingly, despite its straightforward love theme, 'Deed I Do' was actually written by Walter Hirsch and Fred Rose for the 1926 Broadway musical 'The Show Girl.' The song went on to become a popular jazz standard, with renditions by various artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Bing Crosby.
Line by Line Meaning
Do I want you?
I desire you deeply
Oh my do I
My desire for you is immense
Honey, indeed I do
Yes, I absolutely want you
Do I need you?
Do I depend on you?
Oh my do I
Yes, I am deeply dependent on you
Honey, a-deed I do
Indeed, I cannot live without you
I'm glad that I'm the one who found you
I am happy that I discovered you
That's why I'm always hangin' around you
This is why I am always near you
Do I love you?
Am I in love with you?
Oh my do I
Yes, deeply in love
Honey, deed I do
Yes, I definitely love you
Honey, deed I do
Yes, I do indeed love you
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
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