Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife duo, in which … Read Full Bio ↴Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife duo, in which Les Paul played guitar and sang (sometimes) and Mary Ford sang and played guitar. In 1951 alone, they sold six million records.

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.

Begin The Beguine
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When they begin the beguine
It brings back the sound of music so tender
It brings back a night of tropical splendor
It brings back a memory ever green

I'm with you once more under the stars
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying

When they begin the beguine

To live it again is past all endeavor
Except when that tune clutches my heart
And there we are, swearing to love forever
And promising never, never to part

What moments divine, what rapture serene
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I know but too well what they mean

So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine

Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you"
Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine

When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
When they begin the beguine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Les Paul Trio's song, Begin the Beguine, speak of the power of music to bring back memories, no matter how distant or forgotten they may seem. The song begins with the singer musing about how this particular melody brings back memories of a tropical night and the lovely music that played as they sat down by the shore. The song is so evocative, he says, that even the palms around them seemed to be swaying, caught up in the rhythm and beauty of the music.

The singer then talks about how the memory of that night has stayed with him, even though it is long past. He describes being with his loved one under the stars and how they had promised never to part. Despite the joy and beauty of that time, clouds had come and dispersed their love, leaving only memories and a sense of loss behind.

The singer concludes by pleading with whomever is playing the music to avoid playing it again, as the feelings and memories it stirs up are too much to bear. But then he quickly changes course and begs them to play it again, to bring back those same feelings of love and joy that he once felt. The song ends with the singer and his beloved being transported to a heavenly place where nothing else matters but the music and each other.

Begin the Beguine, written by Cole Porter, has been interpreted by many different artists and genres throughout the years. The Les Paul Trio version is a jazz instrumental, relying on the melody and swings to convey the emotions of the song. However, the words themselves continue to resonate with listeners, even without the aid of a singer. The wistful longing at the heart of the song has struck a chord with countless people over the years, who have been moved by the power of music to evoke memories and emotions long forgotten.

Line by Line Meaning

When they begin the beguine
The start of this song brings back the sound of music so tender, a night of tropical splendor and a memory that is evergreen.

It brings back the sound of music so tender
The song reminds of a smooth and soothing sound of music.

It brings back a night of tropical splendor
The song invokes a memory of a beautiful and exotic night.

It brings back a memory ever green
The song brings back a memory that is always fresh and everlasting.

I'm with you once more under the stars
The song puts the singer back in a moment where they were with their loved one under the stars.

And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
An orchestra is playing as they stand by the shore.

And even the palms seem to be swaying
The palms around them also seem to be swaying along with the music.

To live it again is past all endeavor
It is impossible to recreate that moment again.

Except when that tune clutches my heart
However the singer feels that moment again whenever they hear this tune.

And there we are, swearing to love forever
In that moment the singer and their loved one swore to love each other forever.

And promising never, never to part
They made a promise to never separate from each other.

What moments divine, what rapture serene
That moment was so heavenly and peaceful.

Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
However, their happiness ended as their relationship had its ups and downs.

And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
The singer hears people lamenting over a missed opportunity in their own relationships.

I know but too well what they mean
The singer understands exactly what those people are feeling.

So don't let them begin the beguine
The singer wishes to avoid the past memories and emotions this tune brings up.

Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
The singer wishes to let the powerful feelings they once had slowly fade away.

Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
The singer wants to let those feelings rest and only remember them as a memory.

Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
On the other hand, the singer may want to relive those moments again and wishes to hear the tune and have the feelings return.

Till the stars that were there before return above you
The singer wants to feel like they did on that magical night once again.

Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you"
The singer wants to hear those words from their loved one once again.

Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
In that moment, they feel like they are in heaven.

When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
The song repeats to reflect how the tune can bring back the same emotions and memories every time it is played.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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