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.
Am I Blue
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
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Waiting on the weary shore
I'm just a woman who's only human
One you should feel sorry for
It was a morning, long before dawn
Without a warning I found he was gone
How could he do it, why should he do it
Am I blue, am I blue
Ain't these tears in these eyes telling you
How can you ask me am I blue
Why, wouldn't you be too
If each plan with your man
Done fell through
There was a time
When I was his only one
But now I'm the sad and lonely one, lonely
Was I gay, until today
Now he's gone, and we're through
Am I blue
The lyrics to Les Paul & Mary Ford's song "Am I Blue" convey a sense of heartbreak and loneliness. The singer is a woman who is waiting at the shore, feeling sorry for herself in the aftermath of a devastating breakup. She reflects on the suddenness with which her man left her, lamenting the fact that their plans for a future together fell through. The lyrics express the pain that comes with the realization that the life she had envisioned with her partner is no longer possible, and that she must now find a way to move on.
The song's use of colors, particularly the titular color blue, is a hallmark of blues music. Blue is a color often associated with sadness and melancholy, and it is often used in blues lyrics to convey these emotions. The singer's repeated question, "Am I blue?" is both a rhetorical lament and a nod to this musical tradition. The lyrics also express the universality of heartbreak, reminding listeners that even when we feel isolated and alone in our pain, we are not the only ones to experience it.
Overall, Les Paul & Mary Ford's "Am I Blue" is a poignant exploration of the pain of heartbreak, and a testament to the enduring power of blues music to express the full range of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just a woman, a lonely woman
I am a woman who is alone and seeking companionship.
Waiting on the weary shore
I am waiting for someone to come and rescue me from my loneliness.
I'm just a woman who's only human
I am a fallible human being with weaknesses and flaws.
One you should feel sorry for
I am a person who is deserving of sympathy due to my current circumstances.
It was a morning, long before dawn
It was early in the morning, before the sun had come up.
Without a warning I found he was gone
Suddenly and unexpectedly, I realized that he had left without telling me.
How could he do it, why should he do it
I am confused and hurt by his sudden departure and questioning why he would do something like that.
He never done it before
This is unusual behavior for him, as he has never done something like this in the past.
Am I blue, am I blue
Am I feeling sad and depressed?
Ain't these tears in these eyes telling you
Isn't it obvious that I am crying and upset?
How can you ask me am I blue
Why are you even asking if I am feeling sad? It's obvious!
Why, wouldn't you be too
Wouldn't you feel sad and upset if you were in my position?
If each plan with your man
If every plan you made with your romantic partner
Done fell through
Has fallen apart and is not going to happen as planned.
There was a time
In the past, there was a time
When I was his only one
When I was the only woman in his life, the only one he loved.
But now I'm the sad and lonely one, lonely
Now I am the one who is sad and alone without him, left behind.
Was I gay, until today
Was I happy and carefree until today?
Now he's gone, and we're through
He has left and our relationship is over, we are no longer together.
Am I blue
I am feeling sad and depressed.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GRANT CLARKE, HARRY AKST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind