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.
After You've Gone
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Don't say that we must part,
Don't break your baby's heart
You know I've loved you for these many years,
Loved you night and day,
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
The lyrics to Les Paul and Mary Ford's "After You've Gone" are a lamentation from a jilted lover after their partner tells them they are leaving. The singer pleads with their partner not to leave or break their heart, emphasizing the many years they have loved them. However, the partner still leaves, and the singer warns them that they will soon realize their mistake and regret leaving. The singer predicts that their former partner will feel blue, sad, and miss the singer, who was once their dearest pal. The singer foresees a time when their former partner will want them back, but they will no longer be interested.
Overall, the song captures the feelings of loss and regret that come with a relationship ending. The singer recognizes that their former partner will soon come to realize their mistake, but it will be too late, and the singer will have moved on.
Line by Line Meaning
Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
I have something important to tell you, and I hope you'll hear me out.
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
I'm so hurt and confused by the news of your departure.
Don't say that we must part,
Please don't break up with me. I don't think I can handle it.
Don't break your baby's heart
I care about you so much, and if you leave now, it will hurt me deeply.
You know I've loved you for these many years,
I've been devoted to you for a long time now, and my feelings haven't changed.
Loved you night and day,
I've loved you every moment, even when we're apart.
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
I'm crying because I'm so emotional about this situation, and I wish you could understand.
Listen while I say:
Please pay attention to what I'm telling you right now.
After you've gone and left me cryin'
Once you leave and I'm all alone, I know I'll be devastated.
After you've gone there's no denyin'
I know for a fact that once you're gone, things will never be the same.
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll experience heartache and sorrow that you can't avoid.
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You'll realize how much you relied on me as a friend and lover, and how much you miss me.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
Someday in the future, you'll regret this decision and wish things could be different.
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
I'm certain that one day, you'll realize that leaving was a mistake.
Someday, when you grow lonely
At some point in the future, you'll feel lonely and regretful.
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
You'll feel the same heartbreak and pain that I'm feeling, and want to be with me again.
You're gonna feel bad
You'll feel guilty for the way you've hurt me.
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
You'll really feel the absence of my love and companionship.
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
You'll miss me as both a friend and lover, and regret losing me.
But baby, think what you're doin'
Before you make this decision, take a moment to really consider what you're doing.
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
If you leave me now, you won't be able to forget me, and my memory will always be with you.
It's gonna drive you to ruin
The memory of me and the pain of losing me will be too much for you to handle.
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
Once you're gone, I know things will never be the same. And I'll be here alone, missing you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Henry Creamer, Turner Layton, Ray Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
doubleotwentyone
Love this track too...what tone from that guitar!
GEORGE REUTER
I love this one! I love the run in the middle. Typical Les Paul!
ebergeron
Oh yeah... there was only one Les Paul!
Arthur Parker
CD or tape turning too fast.