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 Wish I'd Never Seen Sunshine
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I had never met you
The plans that we made have all vanished away
Since you have proven untrue
We once were so happy our future's so bright
Oh what a change time can bring
Now that I can't have you and still call you mine
I wish I had never seen sunshine I wish I had never been blue
I wish I had died as a baby and that I had never met you
Now you have our baby and I'm all alone
That's why I'm so lonesome and blue
Don't teach her to hate me whatever you do
Just tell her I love her too
I wish I had never seen sunshine...
The song "I Wish I'd Never Seen Sunshine" by Les Paul & Mary Ford is a poignant and melancholic ballad that delves into the deep emotions of heartbreak, betrayal, and regret. The lyrics speak about a person who is disappointed in love and feeling lonely and blue after being let down by their partner. They express the wish of never having met their lover, as all their plans have vanished away now that the partner has proven to be untrue.
The first verse encapsulates the feeling of regret and disillusionment that comes with being heartbroken after investing deeply in a relationship. The second verse describes the stark contrast between the past happiness that the couple shared and the current brokenness that was borne out of the partner's unfaithfulness. The third verse is the most heartbreaking as it talks about the child that the couple had together, with the singer expressing their loneliness and longing for the family they once had.
The lines "Don't teach her to hate me whatever you do, Just tell her I love her too" add a layer of emotional complexity to the song. The singer is not only experiencing the pain of a failed romance but also losing the connection with their child. The song is a heartfelt plea to the partner to give their child a chance to know and love their other parent.
Overall, "I Wish I'd Never Seen Sunshine" is a song that resonates with anyone who has experienced heartbreak, betrayal, and regret. It captures the depth of emotions that can come with the dissolution of a relationship and the longing for what could have been.
Line by Line Meaning
Disappointed in love I'm so lonely and blue
My heart is broken and I am feeling very sad because of our failed relationship.
I wish I had never met you
I regret that I ever crossed paths with you and that we became involved with each other.
The plans that we made have all vanished away
The dreams and goals we had for our future together have been destroyed and will never come to fruition.
Since you have proven untrue
Your disloyalty and betrayal have caused me to lose faith in you and our relationship.
We once were so happy our future's so bright
There was a time when we were deeply in love and had a promising future ahead of us.
Oh what a change time can bring
Time has passed and things have changed drastically, leading to the downfall of our relationship.
Now that I can't have you and still call you mine
Although I still have feelings for you, I cannot accept being with you as you have betrayed my trust.
I'd rather not hear your name
The pain of losing you is so great that hearing your name only adds to my suffering.
I wish I had never seen sunshine
I regret ever experiencing happiness because now I know the sorrow of losing it all.
I wish I had never been blue
I wish I had never felt the pain and sadness of losing you.
I wish I had died as a baby and that I had never met you
I would rather have never been born and never had the chance to meet you, as the pain of losing you is too much to bear.
Now you have our baby and I'm all alone
You have moved on and started a family with someone else, leaving me feeling isolated and empty.
That's why I'm so lonesome and blue
My loneliness and sadness are a direct result of losing you and watching you move on with someone else.
Don't teach her to hate me whatever you do
Please do not influence our child to dislike me, as I still love and care for her deeply.
Just tell her I love her too
Let our child know that despite everything that has happened, I still love her and always will.
Contributed by Lucas Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@freemangriffin4953
This is the first time I have ever heard this one - it is BEAUTIFUL! I just love and adore Mary Ford!!!!! My favorite early 1950's vocalist!