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.
Josephine
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks
There's a cinder in her eye
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget
Everybody says it would be wise
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean
As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
There never was a gal I could love, like I love my Josephine
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks
There's a cinder in her eye
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget
Everybody says it would be wise
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else
I find myself dancing with tears in my eyes
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean
As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
Les Paul's song Josephine is a catchy and upbeat tune about a love-struck man and his complicated relationship with a woman named Josephine. The lyrics express the singer's deep love for Josephine, despite her flirtatious behavior towards other men. He acknowledges her vampy and scampish qualities, but still finds her irresistible. The singer is aware of his friends' and possibly his own better judgement to leave her, but he can't help but feel heartbroken every time he tries to dance with someone new. The chorus repeats the sentiment that there's no one quite so nice who can be quite so mean as Josephine.
The lyrics reveal a curious blend of admiration and exasperation towards the titular character. There's a sense of disappointment and frustration towards her questionable behavior, especially towards men, but there's also a deep sense of love and devotion that the singer has for her. His love for Josephine may be reckless and ill-advised, but it's undeniable and consuming. The chorus hammers this sentiment home, emphasizing the volatile nature of their relationship.
Overall, the song presents a conflicted narrator who is helpless in the face of his love for a woman with a questionable moral compass. The upbeat tempo, catchy hook, and Les Paul's signature guitar playing add to the charm of the song, making it a classic that still holds up today.
Line by Line Meaning
There never was a gal I could love, like I love my Josephine
I have never loved any woman like I love Josephine
She's a flirt, she's a scamp, she's the vampiest vamp I've ever seen
She's a playful and seductive woman who has the most alluring charms I've ever seen
It seems to me she's always flirting with the fellows passing by
She appears to flirt with every man she meets
But when I say she winks, then she tells me she thinks There's a cinder in her eye
Whenever I accuse her of winking at other men, she denies it by saying she has a problem with her eye
I believe it would be better if I'd leave her and forget Everybody says it would be wise
I think it would be best if I break up with her and move on, and everyone around me thinks so too
But each time that I go out to dance with somebody else I find myself dancing with tears in my eyes
Every time I try to move on and dance with other women, I end up crying
For there's nobody quite so nice who can be quite so mean As my gal, what a gal, Josephine
There's no one as kind yet mean as Josephine, she's a complicated woman
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PINA KOLLARS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patrick Corrigan
My aunt gave me this exact record when I was a child. It was among the first guitar playing I ever heard. Les was such a pioneer, all us guitar players and musicians alike, owe him at least a debt of gratitude.
J P
I just went through a box of my grandparents' 78s and this is one of my favorites 🤗
surfinwax58 wilson
I can certainly hear some Cliff Gallup influences and Chet Akins as he was doing not much later with the Davis Sisters. Les Paul influenced some many from then and, most spectacular Jeff Beck in the UK. Glad I actually to to speak with him in 2000.
Brian Cove [Whitney ES]
Mose Allison does a great cover of this!
Gianpaolo Sacchetti
Could anyone post the "B" side of this 78?
The78Prof
"I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine" is the flip side and is also posted to this channel. Listen here: https://youtu.be/Vg6RwrnHVy4
Gianpaolo Sacchetti
Found!!! Thank you
The78Prof
Ah, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" was on the flip side of the UK release of "Josephine" (and perhaps some other countries). My answer above was about the original U.S. single release.