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.
East of the Sun
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll build a dream house of love dear
Close to the sun in the day
Near to the moon at night
We'll live in a lovely way dear
Sharing our love in the pale moonlight
Just you and I,
Love will not die,
We'll keep it that way
Up among the stars
We'll find a harmony of life to a lovely tune
East of the sun and west of the moon dear
East of the sun and west of the moon
The lyrics to Les Paul & Mary Ford's song "East of the Sun" speak of a dream world where the couple can live in harmony and love. The lyrics state, "East of the sun and west of the moon, we'll build a dream house of love dear, close to the sun in the day, near to the moon at night, we'll live in a lovely way dear, sharing our love in the pale moonlight." This suggests that the couple will live in a world where they can build their dream house of love and be together, in a place where the sun and moon meet to create a romantic atmosphere that both of them desire.
The lyrics then say, "Just you and I, forever and a day. Love will not die, we'll keep it that way." This affirms the couple's commitment to each other and their desire for their love to last. The song imagines that the couple will live "up among the stars" where they will "find a harmony of life to a lovely tune" and be able to overcome any obstacle that comes their way. The lyrics end with the refrain, "East of the sun and west of the moon dear, East of the sun and west of the moon," suggesting that the dream world they have created is one they will always cherish and remain in.
Line by Line Meaning
East of the sun and west of the moon
We will create a world for ourselves that is beyond conventional boundaries.
We'll build a dream house of love dear
Together, we will construct a loving environment where we can be intimately involved.
Close to the sun in the day
We will make the most of every shining moment of sunlight together.
Near to the moon at night
We will enjoy the tranquil ambiance of the moonlit night, soothed by its glow.
We'll live in a lovely way dear
We will be grateful to have found love and cherish every day together.
Sharing our love in the pale moonlight
We will bask in the serene hues of the moon together, deeply connected in love.
Just you and I,
Our bond is exclusive; we need only each other.
Forever and a day
Our love will stand the test of time, remaining strong forever and perhaps even beyond.
Love will not die,
The love we share will never diminish and will live on forever within us.
We'll keep it that way
We will strive to keep our love alive always and continue to nurture it.
Up among the stars
We will soar to great heights together with the stars as our witness.
We'll find a harmony of life to a lovely tune
Our lives will follow a beautiful harmony, in tune with the music of our love.
East of the sun and west of the moon dear
Our love is extraordinary, surpassing tradition and expectation.
East of the sun and west of the moon
Our journey together is beyond the mundane, to a fantastical destination.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Brooks Bowman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ian moore
great to listen to beautiful music again
GEORGE REUTER
Nice soft music by Les & Mary!
Nizar nr
Beautiful