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.
If I Had You
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could be glad all of the while
I could change the grey skies to blues
If I had you
I could leave the old days behind
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind
I could start my life all a new
If I had you
Sail the mighty ocean wide
I could cross the burning desert
If I had you by my side
I could be a king, dear, uncrowned
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
There is nothing I couldn't do
If I had you
I could show the world how to smile
I could be glad all of the while
I could change the grey skies to blues
If I had you
I could leave the old days behind
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind
I could start my life all a new
If I had you
I could climb the snow capped mountains
Sail the mighty ocean wide
I could cross the burning desert
If I had you by my side
I could be a king, dear, uncrowned
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
There is nothing I couldn't do
Les Paul and Mary Ford's song "If I Had You" is a classic love song that speaks of the transformative power of love. The song avers that if the singer had the person he loves with him, he could do anything. The lyrics evoke a sense of longing for the loved one and a feeling of unstoppable potential if only they were together.
The lines "I could change the grey skies to blues, if I had you" sets the tone for the entire song, speaking of the singer's ability to make things better with the love of their life by their side. The lyrics further convey a willingness to leave everything behind, and start afresh with the person they love. It's apparent that the singer feels that with love, they could conquer the world, and nothing would be impossible.
The song speaks to the transformative power of love, how it can give people the motivation, courage and the drive to face insurmountable odds. The lyrics tap into a fundamental human emotion, that is love, and the desire to be with the person we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I could show the world how to smile
If I had you, I would be so happy that I could show everyone in the world how to be happy and smile.
I could be glad all of the while
If I had you, I would be happy all the time and never feel sad or lonely.
I could change the grey skies to blues
If I had you, I would be so happy that even the dreariest and saddest of days would feel like bright and sunny ones.
If I had you, I could leave the old days behind
Having you by my side would allow me to leave behind any negative memories or experiences from my past.
Leave all my pals, I'd never mind
If I had you, I wouldn't miss my friends because I would be so happy with you.
I could start my life all anew
With you, I would be able to start fresh and leave behind anything that was holding me back.
If I had you, I could climb the snow-capped mountains
You would give me the strength and support I need to accomplish even the most difficult tasks, like climbing mountains.
Sail the mighty ocean wide
Together, we could explore the world and anything we imagined, like sailing the vast and endless ocean.
I could cross the burning desert if I had you by my side
With you, even the harshest and most challenging environments would be conquerable, like crossing a scorching desert.
I could be a king, dear, uncrowned
With you, I would feel so confident and powerful that I would feel like royalty, even without a crown.
Humble or poor, rich or renowned
No matter what my socioeconomic status or level of fame might be, having you would be the most valuable and rewarding thing in my life.
There is nothing I couldn't do if I had you
With you by my side, there is no limit to what I can achieve or accomplish. Together, anything is possible.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GORDON MILLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind