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.
Whispering
Les Paul & Mary Ford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
I know it drives you crazy
When I pretend you don't exist
When I'd like to lean in close
And run my hands against your lips
Still I sense there's a rapport
So whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
I know you see me see you
As you see me walk on past
When there's nothing more I'd like to do
Then come in close and hear you laugh
Though we haven't even spoken
Still I sense there's a rapport
So whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Yea whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
Hmm whisper me your number
I'll call you up at home
The lyrics of Les Paul & Mary Ford's song "Whispering" tell a story of unspoken desire between two people. The singer acknowledges their physical attraction to the subject, who is "gorgeous and dressed in blue," but tries to play it cool by pretending not to notice them. Despite this, the singer can sense a connection between them and longs to get closer, as indicated by the line, "When I'd like to lean in close and run my hands against your lips."
The singer also recognizes that the object of their affection is aware of their presence, and wishes they could engage with each other more directly. The line "I know you see me see you" highlights this tension, as does the reference to hearing the subject's laughter - an experience the singer clearly wants but cannot yet have. Nevertheless, the singer maintains a hopeful tone throughout the song, suggesting that they believe the connection between them will eventually lead to something more.
Overall, "Whispering" paints a picture of a relationship that is just beginning to form but is already filled with longing and desire. The lyrics capture the feeling of being drawn to someone but not being able to act on those feelings, as well as the excitement and anticipation that come with the possibility of a new connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't worry I'm not looking at you
I assure you, I am not staring at you
Gorgeous and dressed in blue
You look stunning in your blue outfit
I know it drives you crazy
I am aware that this situation is causing you frustration
When I pretend you don't exist
When I act as if I don't notice you're there
When I'd like to lean in close
When I really would like to move closer to you
And run my hands against your lips
And touch your lips with my fingers
Though we haven't even spoken
Even though we have not had a conversation
Still I sense there's a rapport
I feel like we have a connection
So whisper me your number
Tell me your phone number in a quiet voice
I'll call you up at home
I will phone you at your residence
I know you see me see you
I am aware that you notice when I glance at you
As you see me walk on past
As I continue to walk by you
When there's nothing more I'd like to do
When all I want is to spend time with you
Then come in close and hear you laugh
To be near you and enjoy the sound of your laughter
Hmm whisper me your number
Please give me your phone number quietly
I'll call you up at home
I will call you at your place of residence
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DICK COBURN, RICHARD COBURN, VINCENT ROSE, JOHN SCHONBERGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jimirsaysbuddy
TOO FRIGGIN COOOOOOOOL. Les was so far ahead of his time. He presented a paper in the early fifties to the society of recording engineers and described a medium of recording, in the future, that would use light and non-contact . Can you say CD??. What a genius. I met and spoke to him in 2003 and he was clearly a 25 year old kid in an 80's somrthing body. What a gem he was.
Ken Sauer
This MUSIC takes me back to when music was MUSIC! Les Paul and Mary Ford were two of my favorites! When I listen to them here, I'm totally nostalgic!!
John Updike
Music would not have gotten past Rosemary Clooney and Guy Lombardo without Les Paul's genius.
TheTmny876able
this is 70 years old and i have never heard a guitar played like this by anyone to this date !, amazing.
1947musiclover
Never get tired of listening to Les and Mary since I first heard them as a little girl in the 50s! Thank you for posting this!
TTexas2
One of my Les Paul favorites.
Thanks for posting
OldDogNewTrick
We didn't have much back in '51, but we had damn good music. Like this.
Steve Gross
How COOL even TODAY!!
ira lee Martin jr.
That’s is no lie we had music and artists. Can you imagine getting in time with first part.
syncrolecyne
This sounds at least 15 years ahead of its time.