Malcolm Vaughan was born Malcolm James Thomas, the son of a miner, in Abercynon, Glamorgan in March 1929. The family were to move to Troedyrhiw, near Merthyr Tydfil, where his grandfather was a cobbler. The young boy was soon singing in the local choir, and, in 1943, his aunt wrote to the actor, Emlyn Williams, about joining his wartime repertory company. Thomas appeared in a touring version of The Druid's Rest which ended up in the West End. Richard Burton also made his stage début in this play. After this, Thomas had a singing role in another West End show, Jenny Jones.
Malcolm Thomas was still a boy soprano when he was 16 but his voice broke on stage while he was singing "Danny Boy" at the Glasgow Empire. Overcome with embarrassment, he returned home. He took jobs as they came along, appearing as an errand boy in the film Bedelia with Margaret Lockwood and being the voice of Dennis the Dachshund in a television production of Larry The Lamb. He was in the West End productions of two Thornton Wilder plays, Our Town and The Skin Of Our Teeth, which was directed by Laurence Olivier.
In 1947 Thomas did national service in Greece and Egypt. He then returned to show business, appearing in Aladdin and Dick Whittington on ice in Brighton. In 1952, he teamed up with three other vocalists to become the Welsh Street Singers and then supported Old Mother Riley in pantomime.
In 1953, Thomas appeared in the revue Going Gay in Eastbourne and befriended a comedian, Kenneth Earle. They thought of becoming a double act but didn't care for the sound of "Earle and Thomas". They walked around the high street, trying out different names, and settled on "Earle and Vaughan". Their humour was mundane by today's standards but they got by:
Earle: "Why was Bernard Shaw very like me?"
Vaughan: "I don't know. Why was Bernard Shaw very like you?"
Earle: "We're both clean-shaven, except for Bernard Shaw."
When the BBC disc jockey Jack Jackson saw Earle and Vaughan at the Chiswick Empire in 1955 he was impressed with Vaughan's impersonation of Mario Lanza. He arranged an audition with Wally Ridley, the head of HMV Records, who steered him away from light opera to the ballads of the day.
His first record, "Ev'ry Day Of My Life", became a Top 10 hit and he followed it with a successful version of Gilbert Bécaud's "Mes Mains", now called "With Your Love". Vaughan incorporated his records into Earle and Vaughan's act but he did not want to break up the partnership. They spent Christmas 1955 as Chinese policemen in Aladdin in Salford.
During 1955, Earle and Vaughan had judged a beauty contest at a holiday camp in Guernsey. Vaughan was attracted by the winner, Gaye Hands (Earle renamed her "Sad Feet"), and they were married in June 1956. They settled in Tooting and they were to have two children, Daryl Earle Haydn Samuel in 1957 and Damon Charles Michael in 1963. In 1963, Malcolm changed his name by deed poll to Malcolm Vaughan.
In 1957, Earle and Vaughan toured with the American rock'n'roll stars, Bill Haley and the Comets, and did surprisingly well in the circumstances. Later in the year, Vaughan appeared alongside other balladeers including David Whitfield and Ronnie Hilton in a special production number in the Royal Variety Performance. At the time he was enjoying another Top 10 single with "My Special Angel": in this case, Wally Ridley had amended the lyric of Bobby Helms' original to avoid a BBC ban.
Vaughan had further hits in the 1950s with "To Be Loved", "More Than Ever (Come Prima)" and "Wait For Me", and sang the theme song from the Kenneth More film about the sinking of the Titanic, A Night To Remember (1958). Strangely, Vaughan did not make an album until Hello in September 1959. Ridley, his producer, told the New Musical Express: "I felt it was better to let his voice mature before getting him to tackle the better quality songs needed for an album."
Earle and Vaughan continued to work as a double act throughout the 1960s but never realised their ambition of making comedy films like Morecambe and Wise. It would have been better for Vaughan's career if he had continued making records and capturing the same market as Matt Monro. The duo split up in 1972 with Earle becoming an agent and Vaughan touring in productions of The Good Old Days. A biography, The Reluctant Star, by Edward Thomas was published in 2009, the title reflecting the fact that Malcolm Vaughan put family life above everything.
Spencer Leigh
Malcolm James Thomas (Malcolm Vaughan), singer: born Abercynon 22 March 1929; married 1956 Gaye Hands (two sons); died Eastbourne 9 February 2010.
If You Were The Only Girl In The World And I Were The Only Boy
Malcolm Vaughan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I were the only boy
Nothing else would matter in the world today
We could go on loving in the same old way
A garden of Eden, just made for two
With nothing to mar our joy
There would be such wonderful things to do
If you were the only girl in the world
And I were the only boy
A garden of Eden just made for two
With nothing to mar our joy
I would say such wonderful things to you
There would be such wonderful things to do
If you were the only girl in the world
And I were the only boy
The lyrics of Malcolm Vaughan's song "If You Were The Only Girl In The World And I Were The Only Boy" express a deep and pure love between two people. The opening lines are a declaration of the strong bond that exists between the two protagonists, as if they are meant to be together and nothing else in the world could stand in their way. The lyrics go on to describe a paradise-like setting where they could be alone and love each other freely and without any interference. The reference to "a garden of Eden" represents a place of perfect happiness and tranquility where the two lovers can escape from the outside world.
The lyrics continue with the singer expressing his desire to tell his beloved how much he loves her and how he would do everything in his power to make her happy. The emphasis on "wonderful things" to do and say reflects the depth of feeling and passion that the singer has for his lover. The final repetition of the chorus conveys the singer's unwavering commitment to his love and the purity of their relationship.
Overall, the song highlights the idea of a perfect love, a love that is free from the constraints of society and social norms, and one that is centered around the happiness and well-being of the two people involved.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were the only girl in the world
If you were the only woman that existed in this world
And I were the only boy
And if I were the only man who existed too
Nothing else would matter in the world today
No other thing would be important or relevant at this moment
We could go on loving in the same old way
We could continue to love each other in the same way we always have
A garden of Eden, just made for two
We would have our own paradise, where it would just be you and me
With nothing to mar our joy
There would be nothing that could taint or ruin our happiness
I would say such wonderful things to you
I would express my love with beautiful and meaningful words
There would be such wonderful things to do
There would be so many amazing adventures and experiences we could share together
If you were the only girl in the world
If you were truly the only woman in existence
And I were the only boy
And I were the only man in existence
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CLIFFORD GREY, NATHANIEL D. AYER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@roberthirsch1738
Maybe it is because I am 92...but I love listening to any of Henry Burrs recordings. Thanks so much. I only wish I had folks to share them with. Considering the alternative I guess it is okay...I miss this kind of singing.
@Bigbadwhitecracker
Yeah, I know what you mean.
@williamschlenger1518
I'm 78yrs.old & my mom taught me these songs when I was young.
@hmmmmmmmmno
I was singing this along with my 96-year-old grandparents earlier today. Felt like taking a trip back through time on a tide of other people's memories. And Nannie still has a beautiful voice. :) Matthew & Mary <3
@Jercarp55
Got on one knee and sang this song and " Mammy" to my mother at her 75th birthday bash at a reception hall full of her friends, many of them older. That was 18 years ago and Ma, God rest your soul, I'll sing to you again one day.
@geraldkirsh5071
This song was popular when my father was a teenager; I love listening to it because it makes me feel closer to him. Henry
Burr sings it with such simplicity and tenderness - really gets the heart strings moving.
Leah
@Corinthian44
I'm fed up with this wonderful old song being linked to , ' Downton Abbey ' , as if this was some sort of ' springboard ' for the song . This beautiful song , had been a firm favourite in the western world , for almost a hundred years before this TV programme !
@eslermanu47
what a song nobody writes like this any more.
@SparkleBC
Joni Mitchell :-)
@sandhyapadmini1872
Songs back then are so adorable