Mabel Mercer (3 February 1900 – 20 April 1984) was an English-born cabaret … Read Full Bio ↴Mabel Mercer (3 February 1900 – 20 April 1984) was an English-born cabaret singer who performed in the United States, Britain, and Europe with the greats in jazz and cabaret. She was a featured performer at Chez Bricktop in Paris, owned by the legendary hostess Bricktop, and performed in such clubs as Le Ruban Bleu, Tony's, the RSVP, the Carlyle, the St. Regis Hotel, and eventually her own room, the Byline Club. Among those who frequently attended Mercer's shows was Frank Sinatra, who made no secret of his emulating her phrasing and story-telling techniques.

Mercer was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. Her mother was a young, white English music hall performer, and her father was a black American jazz musician whom Mabel never knew. At age fourteen, she left her convent school in Manchester, and toured Britain and Europe with her aunt in vaudeville and music hall engagements.

In 1928, she was an unknown member of the black chorus in the London production of Show Boat, but she had become the toast of Paris by the 1930s, with admirers who included Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter.

When World War II broke out, she traveled to America to sing in the finest supper clubs in New York City. She also made many concert appearances across the U.S. In the late 1960s, she gave two legendary concerts with Bobby Short at Town Hall in New York City. Both were released by Atlantic Records: Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short at Town Hall, in 1968, (Atlantic SD 2-604) and Mabel Mercer & Bobby Short Second Town Hall Concert, in 1969 (Atlantic SD 2-605). In 1969, she made two appearances on the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Her original and reissued albums are collector's items. Atlantic Records reissued four of her early LPs in a boxed set in 1975, in honor of her 75th birthday. She was awarded Stereo Review Magazine's first Award for Merit, for her lifetime achievement and for "outstanding contributions to the quality of American musical life." This award was officially renamed the Mabel Mercer Award in 1984.

A photograph of Mercer in later life, from the archives of The Mabel Mercer Foundation.

When Mercer returned on 4 July 1977 for her first performance in England in 41 years, the BBC filmed three evenings' performances and later broadcast it in a week-long late-night television program, a BBC first for an entertainer.

In 1978, "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's," her 1956 album on Atlantic, was praised as "one of the best recordings of the past twenty years" by Stereo Review. That same year, Mercer played at San Francisco's Club Mocambo to sold-out audiences, in celebration of her 78th birthday.

Experiment
Mabel Mercer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Before you leave these portals
To meet less fortunate mortals
There's just one final message
I would give to you
You all have learned reliance
On the sacred teachings of science
So I hope, through life you never will decline
In spite of philistine

Defiance
To do what all good scientists do

Experiment
Make it your motto day and night
Experiment
And it will lead you to the light
The apple on the top of the tree
Is never too high to achieve
So take an example from Eve
Experiment
Be curious
Though interfering friends may frown,
Get furious
At each attempt to hold you down
If this advice you'll only employ
The future can offer you infinite joy
And merriment

Experiment
And you'll see

Overall Meaning

Mabel Mercer's song "Experiment" is an upbeat and motivating tune that encourages listeners to live their lives with curiosity and the desire to experiment with new ideas. The song starts off by warning the listeners about meeting less fortunate people out in the world and then proceeds to give them one final message. The song's message is clear and universal: to experiment with life and its various opportunities. The song urges the listeners to rely on science, the sacred teachings of which guide progress in modern society. The singer hopes that the listeners will never decline in their pursuit of discovery and experimentation, and will continue to push forward in spite of those who try to hold them back.

The song's lyrics use many metaphors to convey its message. The "apple on the top of the tree" is used as an example of how nothing is too difficult to achieve if one perseveres. Even the apple that was supposedly forbidden to Adam and Eve was within reach if they were persistent in their efforts. The song encourages the listeners to take risks, to be curious, and to stay focused on their goals. In the end, the singer promises her listeners that if they follow her advice and experiment with life, then they will find infinite joy and merriment.

Overall, "Experiment" is an uplifting song that encourages people to stay curious and to push forward in the face of adversity. By embracing experimentation and continuing to learn and grow, the future can offer infinite possibilities and opportunities.

Line by Line Meaning

Before you leave these portals
Before you go out into the world

To meet less fortunate mortals
To interact with people who are less privileged than you

There's just one final message
I want to give you one last piece of advice

I would give to you
That I want to share with you

You all have learned reliance
You have all learned to depend

On the sacred teachings of science
On the principles and discoveries of science

So I hope, through life you never will decline
So I hope that you will never stop using them throughout your life

In spite of philistine defiance
Despite the opposition of those who are ignorant or hostile to science

To do what all good scientists do
To follow the practices of good scientists

Experiment
Try new things

Make it your motto day and night
Make it your guiding principle always