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.
Lady of Spain
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right from the night I first saw you
My heart has been yearning for you
What else could any heart do
Lady of Spain I'm appealing
Why should my lips be concealing
All that my eyes are revealing
Night in Madrid, blue and tender
Spanish moon makes silver splendor
Music throbbing plaintive sobbing notes of a guitar
While ardent Caballero serenades
Lady of Spain I adore you
Right from the night I first saw you
My heart has been yearning for you
What else could any heart do
Lady of Spain I'm appealing
Why should my lips be concealing
All that my eyes are revealing
Lady of Spain, I love you
The lyrics of Les Paul & Mary Ford's song "Lady of Spain" describe a passionate love for a woman from Spain. The singer confesses his love for this woman, saying that his heart has been yearning for her since the first time he laid eyes on her. He pleads with her to understand his feelings and asks her to reciprocate his love. The song also mentions the beauty of Spain, specifically, the night in Madrid with its blue and tender atmosphere and a Spanish moon that makes a silver splendor. The music is also described, with the plaintive and sobbing notes of a guitar and an ardent Caballero (gentleman) serenading the lady.
The song gives a glimpse into the romanticized image of Spain and typical Spanish music. It shows how the country's music and atmosphere can inspire love and passion. "Lady of Spain" was written in the 1930s and eventually became a popular song as it was covered by several artists. It has also been featured in several films and TV shows, like The Simpsons and Mr. Robot.
Line by Line Meaning
Lady of Spain I adore you
I have immense admiration for you, Lady of Spain
Right from the night I first saw you
Ever since I laid my eyes on you that night
My heart has been yearning for you
My heart has been longing for you
What else could any heart do
What else could any heart possibly do in your presence?
Lady of Spain I'm appealing
I'm making a heartfelt appeal to you, Lady of Spain
Why should my lips be concealing
There's no reason for me to hide my true feelings
All that my eyes are revealing
My eyes speak the truth about how I feel
Lady of Spain, I love you
Simply put, Lady of Spain, I am in love with you
Night in Madrid, blue and tender
The night in Madrid was soft and melancholic
Spanish moon makes silver splendor
The moon in Spain radiates a unique silvery beauty
Music throbbing plaintive sobbing notes of a guitar
The music was full of sorrowful and emotional guitar notes
While ardent Caballero serenades
As a passionate gentleman serenades
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Tilsley, Robert Hargreaves, Stanley Damerell, Tolchard Evans
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@muffs55mercury61
Cool !! I have the 1931 recording (Victor 22774) and this cover sounds great.
@jasonnstegall
One of Les’ best. His use of vari-speed (which preceded The Beatles by over a decade) was so brilliant, he could make his guitar sound like a standard keyboard…or even an accordion (which I think was the aim here).
@thefluffernuggets1123
Wow, that’s nice
@emanuelelacognata7849
GRANDE LES PAUL
@lynntempleton9640
The creator.