Sacco was born in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania[1] and raised in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sacco traveled to New York after graduating from Moon Area High School and found work as a session vocalist.
His sister Susan Christie had a minor hit with the novelty song "I Love Onions", which peaked at #63 on the Hot 100 in 1966.
Robbee and Roulette: 1961-1963
Sacco also recorded a few unsuccessful discs of his own for various record labels in both New York and Pittsburgh, most notably "The Jury" (as by "Lugee & The Lions") on the Pittsburgh-based Robbee label, which achieved local success. "The Gypsy Cried" features the vocal style that would characterize all of Christie's biggest hits: verses sung in his normal register, and then a dramatic shift to his falsetto on the choruses. That song was released in 1962 on the tiny C&C label and unexpectedly credited to 'Lou Christie' without Sacco's permission. Sacco had been working on a list of potential stage names, and he has stated that he hated the name for decades afterwards: "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'."
After the C&C release became a Pittsburgh hit, "The Gypsy Cried" was picked up by Roulette Records and charted nationwide, peaking at #24, selling over one million copies, and receiving a gold disc. "The Gypsy Cried" was the first of numerous songs Christie co-wrote with his songwriting partner Twyla Herbert, a self-described eccentric and mystic, who was over twenty years older than Christie but also shared his love of classical music. The two struck up a working relationship after Christie auditioned for her at the age of 15 and began a lifelong friendship which ended only with her death in 2009.
Christie's follow-up single, "Two Faces Have I" in March 1963, was an even bigger hit, peaking at #6 and also selling over a million copies. He joined Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars Tour. A third Roulette release, "How Many Teardrops" (written by Milan), stalled at #46 as Christie's career was temporarily derailed by his induction into the U.S. Army. (A copy of "How Many Teardrops" is included on the Milan compilation album Hell Bent for Leather.) Christie would not have another charting single for two and a half years.
Re-establishment and Rhapsody: 1965-1966
While a stint in the military might have ended the careers of many musicians, Christie's career was quickly re-established after his discharge when he signed with the MGM label. MGM reportedly disliked Christie's first single for the label, with MGM's president reportedly throwing the tape into a wastepaper basket. But Christie's new management promoted the record in California, and when it gained some traction (eventually reaching #2 on KHJ the last two weeks of 1965), MGM released it. "Lightnin' Strikes" reached #1 in the U.S. on Christie's 23rd birthday on February 19, 1966; entered the UK Top 20, becoming his first hit in that country; and peaked at number one in Canada.
But Christie's next release would ignite a firestorm of controversy and censorship. Released in the spring of 1966, "Rhapsody In The Rain" featured a haunting melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet", telling of a teenager's regret over his sexual experience in the back seat of a car during a rainstorm as the windshield wipers made a rhythmic sound of "together, together".[citation needed] Later after the romance ends, the wipers seem to say "never, never".[citation needed] Many radio stations banned the song, and MGM insisted on a re-recorded version that toned down the lyrical content.[citation needed] Despite the edited version, many stations instead played two older songs re-released by other labels Christie had once recorded for: "Outside the Gates of Heaven" (on Co & Ce Records, a successor to C&C) peaked at #45, while "Big Time" (on Colpix Records) managed to hit #95. All three singles hit nationally within three weeks of one another, in March 1966, while "Lightnin' Strikes" was falling off.
Whether it was the controversial lyrics or competition from the other singles released simultaneously, "Rhapsody" only managed to hit #16 in the U.S. and #37 in the UK. Christie's career seemed to be derailed once again as his followup for MGM, "Painter", which also borrowed a melody from classical music - this time from Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly - stalled at #81. Two further MGM releases (produced by Jack Nitzsche) from 1966 missed the Billboard Hot 100 entirely, even though "If My Car Could Only Talk" (peaking at #118) seemingly revisits the ill-fated lovers from Rhapsody.
Resurgence and Romeo: 1969-1970
After being dropped by MGM and an unfruitful stint with Columbia Records in the late 1960s, Christie teamed up with Buddah Records (a move prompted by his business manager Stan Polley) and bubblegum music record producer Tony Romeo and had a surprise Wall of Sound constant uptempo hit "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (which Romeo wrote) in the early autumn of 1969. Helped by two promotional videos distinctly different from each other, the song peaked at #10 in the U.S. but across the Atlantic climbed to #2 on the UK Singles Chart and thus became his biggest hit there. A follow up, "She Sold Me Magic" charted only in the UK, peaking at #25, and was later covered by Elton John. Conversely, "Are You Getting Any Sunshine?" only charted in America, where it reached #73.
Recoveries and Remakes: 1971 to present
Christie spent the early 1970s in London, largely outside of the music industry and battling drug addiction. In 1971 he released a concept album called Paint America Love and was married in London to former UK beauty queen Francesca Winfield. In 1974, Christie would try another new musical style, going country on his Beyond The Blue Horizon album. The title track, a remake of a hit song from 1930, written for the film Monte Carlo, features one of Christie's strongest non-falsetto vocal performances.[citation needed] The song missed the Country charts entirely, and only made #80 on the pop chart, but managed a respectable showing at #12 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song has been used in several film soundtracks, most notably in 1988's Rain Man.
After getting clean at a London drug rehabilitation clinic, he dropped out of the music industry, working variously as a ranch hand, offshore oil driller and carnival barker.[1]
Christie became active on the oldies circuit starting in the early 1980s, even scoring a final U.S. chart hit, credited as "Summer '81 medley" by The Cantina Band (featuring Lou Christie), in 1981 - and, coincidentally, peaking at #81, performing a medley of Beach Boys classics. In 1999 Christie recorded his first all-new album since the 1970s entitled Pledging My Love. In 2004 Christie released his first concert album, Greatest Hits Live From The Bottom Line, which featured studio recording "Christmas In New York" as a bonus track. In addition to the occasional new release, Christie remains a popular concert act on the oldies circuit in the U.S. and UK. He has also hosted a series of programs on SiriusXM radio for the 60's channel.
Two Faces Have I
Lou Christie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want my heart to show
Two faces have I (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
But I'm Mr. Blue (sha-la-loo)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
Two faces have I (na na na)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Two faces have I
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Will I laugh or love again
She'll never see me cry
Will I walk with a smile on my face
Knowing I live a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm carefree (sha-la-lee)
My heart and I (sha-la-loo)
I pretend that I'm carefree (sha-la-lee)
But I'm living a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
Two faces have I (na na na)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Two faces have I
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
One to laugh and one to cry
The lyrics to Lou Christie's Two Faces Have I speak of a person who doesn't want to show their true feelings to the world. The song tells a story of someone putting up a façade in public, pretending to be happy when they really aren't. They have two faces, one to laugh and one to cry. The main character is heartbroken and struggling to hide it, making it difficult to figure out who they truly are. They question whether they will ever be able to find love again, and wonder if they will always have to pretend to be happy.
The chorus of "Two faces have I, one to laugh and one to cry" is particularly poignant, as it shows the duality of one's emotions. The use of the la-la-la and ha-ha-ha syllables adds a certain lightness to the melody, while the lyrics themselves convey pain and heartache.
Overall, the song is about the difficulty of dealing with emotions and how people often put on a façade to hide their true feelings. It highlights the universal experience of pretending to be okay when you're really not.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want the world to know
I want to keep my feelings private and not let others see them.
I don't want my heart to show
I don't want my emotions to be visible to others.
Two faces have I (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I have a dual nature and present different sides of myself to different people.
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
I feign contentment and put on a facade of joy.
But I'm Mr. Blue (sha-la-loo)
In reality, I am sad and melancholy.
Since I lost you (yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah)
My sorrow is due to losing someone important to me.
Two faces have I (na na na)
I have a duality in my personality.
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
One side of me is happy while the other is sad.
Will I laugh or love again
I am uncertain if I will ever experience happiness or affection.
She'll never see me cry
I will hide my sorrow from others, especially the one I care about.
Will I walk with a smile on my face
I wonder if I will ever be able to put on a happy front again.
Knowing I live a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I am aware that my outward appearance does not reflect my true feelings.
I pretend that I'm carefree (sha-la-lee)
I act as though I am happy-go-lucky and without burdens.
My heart and I (sha-la-loo)
I am trying to convince myself that my emotions are in check.
But I'm living a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
Despite my best efforts, I am not being truthful about my actual mood.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LOU CHRISTIE SACCO, TWYLA HERBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Osbaldo Segovia
Two Faces Have I
Lou Christie
LYRICS
I don't want the world to know
I don't want my heart to show
Two faces have I (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
But I'm Mr. Blue (sha-la-loo)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
Since I lost you (yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah)
Two faces have I (na na na)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Two faces have I
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Will I laugh or love again
She'll never see me cry
Will I walk with a smile on my face
Knowing I live a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm carefree (sha-la-lee)
My…
Osbaldo Segovia
don't want the world to know
I don't want my heart to show
Two faces have I (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
But I'm Mr. Blue (sha-la-loo)
I pretend that I'm happy (sha-la-lee)
Since I lost you (yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah yeah)
Two faces have I (na na na)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Two faces have I
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
One to laugh and one to cry (a ha ha hay)
Will I laugh or love again
She'll never see me cry
Will I walk with a smile on my face
Knowing I live a lie (yayayayaya, yayayayayay)
I pretend that I'm carefree (sha-la-lee)
Juan carlos Peralta
I don't want the world to know.
I don't want my heart to show.
Two faces have I.
I pretend that I'm happy.
But I'm Mr. blue
I pretend that I'm happy.
Since I lost you.
Two faces have I.
One to laugh and one to cry.
Two faces have i.
One to laugh and one to cry.
Will I ever laugh again.
She'll never see me cry.
Will I walk with a smile on my face.
Knowing I live a lie.
I pretend that I'm carefree.
But what am I.
I pretend that I'm carefree.
But I'm living a lie.
Two faces have I.
One to laugh and one to cry.
Two faces have i.
One to laugh and one to cry.
Alex Freeman
I love the way he separteds the high an lows with his vocals!!
Maggie Diaz
Alex Freeman 👍👍💕
sofi615
The best song ever is in my life
Tonithenightowl
I'm a sucker for a tenor with a falsetto to boot and this man had it.
Janet Hein
Love Lou Christie , when on the radio just gotta JACK IT UP !!
James Madsen
This song 🎶 bring back old memories, still listening in 2023
He have a soulful voice!
This is my favorite song 🎶 so tell me are you a fan of Lou Christie…?
Marc Thibodeau
Incredible song. I was a little boy when I first heard this song. I still love it. Now the song haunts me---
Jan Phillips
I've always loved Lou Christie! This song, and lightening strikes! I miss this music...thankful we have YouTube...
Tom Dooley
Never gets old or out of date.
All Day
You ain't lying