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.
I Really Don't Want to Know
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hated to let you go?
How many, how many, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
How many lips have kissed you
And set your soul aglow?
How many, how many, I wonder
So always make me wonder
Always make me guess
And even if I ask you
Darlin', don't confess
Just let it remain your secret
But darling, I love you so
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
Though I really don't want to know
The lyrics to Les Paul's song "I Really Don't Want to Know" speak to the universal human experience of jealousy and insecurity in a romantic relationship. The singer acknowledges his jealousy and curiosity about how many other people his lover has been with, both physically and emotionally, but ultimately decides that he doesn't want to know the answers to these questions. He would rather continue living in a state of uncertainty and maintain the illusion of being the only one his lover has ever truly loved.
The repetition of the phrase "how many, how many, I wonder" emphasizes the singer's obsessive thoughts and ruminations about his lover's past. He wants to know the intimate details of her previous relationships, but at the same time, he is afraid that this knowledge will only intensify his feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. He acknowledges that even if he were to ask her directly, he doesn't want her to confess because the truth might be too painful to bear.
The last stanza of the song offers a bittersweet resolution to this dilemma. The singer knows that his lover may have secrets that he will never uncover, but he still loves her regardless. The uncertainty of their relationship may always haunt him, but he is willing to accept this as the price of being with someone he truly cares about.
Line by Line Meaning
How many arms have held you
I am curious to know how many people have embraced you in the past
And hated to let you go?
And how many of them found it difficult to let you leave their arms?
How many, how many, I wonder
I continue to wonder how many people you have been with
But I really don't want to know
Yet, I do not want to hear the answer or have my suspicions confirmed
How many lips have kissed you
I am also curious as to how many people have kissed your lips
And set your soul aglow?
And how many of those kisses ignited passion within you?
So always make me wonder
Continue to keep me guessing
Always make me guess
Always keep me wondering about your past
And even if I ask you
Even if I inquire
Darlin', don't confess
Please do not reveal the truth to me
Just let it remain your secret
Keep your past to yourself
But darling, I love you so
Despite my curiosity, my feelings for you have not changed
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
I still continue to wonder, though
Though I really don't want to know
I really do not want to know the answer to my questions
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, O/B/O DistroKid, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Barnes, Don Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EzyGoin686
How many arms have held you
And hated to let you go
How many, how many, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
And how many lips have kissed you
And set your soul aglow
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know
So always make me wonder
Always make me guess
even if I ask you
darlin don't confess
Just let it remain your secret
But darlin I love you so
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
...... MUSIC BREAK .......
So always make me wonder
Always make me guess
even if I ask you
darlin don't confess
Just let it remain your secret
But darlin I love you so
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
@69dragster
i fell in love with them when i was about 7 i still love them and im 63 now
@briannacarnegie51
This song is so beautiful. The first time I heard this song, I was caught.
@bobbihigh1299
Nice
@frankgreco8447
One of their best.
@highwayexplorer
Jason & The Scorchers brought me to here!
@EzyGoin686
How many arms have held you
And hated to let you go
How many, how many, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
And how many lips have kissed you
And set your soul aglow
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know
So always make me wonder
Always make me guess
even if I ask you
darlin don't confess
Just let it remain your secret
But darlin I love you so
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
...... MUSIC BREAK .......
So always make me wonder
Always make me guess
even if I ask you
darlin don't confess
Just let it remain your secret
But darlin I love you so
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
No wonder, no wonder, I wonder
But I really don't want to know
@RicardodaCosta
Beautiful interpretation!
@mariomsa821820
Perfeita canção e interpretação!!!
@billchew450
I thought Eddy Arnold did the original till I heard this beautiful original
@charmeurlover9655
I LIKE SONG BEAUTIFUL