Before teaming up with Keely Smith, Prima was already a popular trumpet player, singer and consumate SHOWMAN for over a decade who'd already been married three times. He had scored success by writing the swing anthem "Sing, Sing, Sing" a huge hit for for Benny Goodman, and scored with some novelty tunes for himself like "Robin Hood", "Bell Bottom Trousers" in 1945 and 1948's "Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)". Prima had emerged from the New Orleans jazz scene, before starting a big band, and his charm & looks had him selling out major venues nationwide including drawing record crowds to New York's Paramount Theater. His records often played upon his Sicilian heritage, and novelty tracks included "Please No Squeeza Da Banana," and "Josephine, Please No Lean On The Bell."
He was considered a bit philanderous, and dated numerous women even when married. The boisterous & colorful Italian-American performer had already operated a nightclub under the name the "Famous Door" in Los Angeles where he also began dating starlets & using show biz contacts to appear in some films alongside fellow performers like Bing Crosby.
Dorothy Jacqueline Keely aka Keely Smith was discovered by Prima in Norfolk VA on tour in the late 1940's. She came up to the bandstand and won an impromptu talent contest with her voice. Prima took an instant liking to her dry wit and got the young girl's mother to sign a permission slip and she hit the road with the band. At the time Prima was signed to Columbia, and they began recording material under the direction of Mitch Miller.
Prima's career had many ups & downs, and his financial status was always precarious. By the early 1950's, with his popularity waning he could no longer afford to pay a big band, and he could find no steady work anymore on the east coast. After a desperate plea to an old talent agent friend, he was signed to play five graveyard sets in a small lounge in a new Las Vegas casino called the Sahara in 1954. Legend has it that Prima was so broke when he arrived in the desert outpost that his shoes had holes in them.
Explaining his situation to his brother in New Orleans, it was arranged that a small combo of young musicians led by Sam Butera would be shipped out to Las Vegas pronto to back Louis & Keely.
Barely having met before their opening night, the group instantly became a hit in Las Vegas, and they performed nightly from midnight until 6 am. Prima would blow his horn ala Louis Armstrong, joking, jigging and jostling against Butera on the tiny stage. Keely would ignore the boys hyperactive hub bub, filing her nails, and looking bored & blase' between her vocal lines. The audiences ate up the mix of comedy & hot swing sounds.
The tiny Casbar lounge began filling up early and joining stray gamblers some nights were other show people and celebrities like Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack entourage. Suddenly, like a phoenix, Prima was back on top and was offered a recording contract from Sinatra's label Capitol.
They had numeous hits, and the casino show excitement was captured live for the 1956 album the album The Wildest! They later won a Grammy in 1959 for their collaboration on "That Old Black Magic".
The liner notes described their combination of talents:
"By all odds, the combination of Louis Prima and Keely Smith shouldn't work. How could Louis, a confirmed inciter to riot, and Keely, normally a model of smoky-voiced sobriety, do anything but clash? But clash they don't. Explode they do!"
-from The Hits Of Louis And Keely, Capitol Records
Despite having two children, Prima and Smith divorced in the early 1960's after it became apparent the couple were no longer aligned, most conspicuously the curious culprit Louis "Just a Gigolo" Prima being unable to curb his wandering eye. He eventually remarried for a 5th and final time to Gia Maione and continued the act in a similar vein while Keely Smith went on to a solo career that continues to this day as a popular balladeer.
Don't Take Your Love From Me
Louis Prima & Keely Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sky feels blue
Tear a petal from the rose
And the rose weeps too
Take your heart away from mine
And mine will surely break
My life is yours to make
So please keep the spark awake
Would you take the wings from birds
So that they can't fly?
Would you take the ocean's roar
And leave just a sigh?
All this, your heart won't let you do
This is what I beg of you
Don't take your love from me
Would you take the wings from birds
So that they can't fly?
Would you take the ocean's roar
And leave just a sigh?
All this, your heart won't let you do
This is what I beg of you
Don't take your love
Don't take your love
Don't take your love from me
The lyrics to Louis Prima and Keely Smith's song "Don't Take Your Love From Me" speak to the importance of love in our lives. The song begins by painting a vivid picture of the effect that the absence of love can have on our world, comparing the tear of a star to the blue of the sky, and the tear of a petal to the weeping of a rose. The singer then begs their partner not to take their heart away from them, as it would surely break their own heart. The singer acknowledges that their life is in their partner's hands, and asks them to keep the spark of love alive between them.
The second verse of the song focuses on the idea of what the heart won't allow us to do. It poses the question, "Would you take the wings from birds so that they can't fly?" and "Would you take the ocean's roar and leave just a sigh?" These questions speak to the idea that love is as natural and necessary as the wings of a bird or the roar of the ocean. The singer begs their partner not to let their heart take that away from them, ending the song with the repeated plea, "Don't take your love from me."
Line by Line Meaning
Tear a star from out the sky
If you take a star from the sky, the sky will lose its brightness and become dull.
And the sky feels blue
Without the stars, the sky would feel empty and sad.
Tear a petal from the rose
If you tear a petal from a rose, the rose becomes incomplete and lacks its beauty.
And the rose weeps too
The rose will also lose its charm, making it cry with sadness.
Take your heart away from mine
If you take your heart away from mine, it will break my heart as well.
And mine will surely break
My heart will be shattered into pieces if you don't love me anymore.
My life is yours to make
I am willing to give my life to you and let you take control of it.
So please keep the spark awake
Please keep the love burning between us and let it grow stronger.
Would you take the wings from birds
Imagine if you could take the wings from birds to prevent them from flying.
So that they can't fly?
This would be cruel and unethical since it goes against the natural order.
Would you take the ocean's roar
Would you reduce the mighty sound of the ocean to a mere insignificant sigh?
And leave just a sigh?
This would take away the majesty and splendor of the ocean, and it would never be the same again.
All this, your heart won't let you do
Your heart won't allow you to do something so cruel and heartless.
This is what I beg of you
I'm begging you not to take your love away from me because it means everything to me.
Don't take your love from me
Please don't take your love from me, I couldn't bear to lose it.
Lyrics © INDANO MUSIC COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Henry Nemo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind