Her musical talent may have been inherited; her father Richard Whiting, was a famous composer of popular songs. She also had an aunt, Margaret Young, who was also a singer and popular recording artist in the 1920s. In her childhood her singing ability was already noticed, and at the age of only seven she sang for singer-lyricist Johnny Mercer, with whom her father had worked on some popular songs. In 1942, Mercer started Capitol Records with two partners, and signed her as one of their earliest recording artists.
Until the mid-1950s, she continued to record for Capitol, but as she ceased to record songs that charted as hits, switched to Dot Records in 1958 and to Verve Records in 1960. She came back to Capitol in the mid-1960s, then went to London Records in 1966. On London, Whiting landed one last major hit single in 1966, "The Wheel Of Hurt," which hit #1 on the Easy Listening singles chart.
She continued to sing into the 1990s.
During the 1950s, she was married to record executive Lou Busch, who also recorded semi-anonymously as the ragtime pianist Joe "Fingers" Carr. They had one daughter. Her late-life marriage to younger gay porn star Jack Wrangler raised many eyebrows. When they first began dating, he protested, "But I'm gay!" to which she replied, "Only around the edges, dear."
She died on January 10, 2011 at the age of eighty-six.
Bill
Margaret Whiting Lyrics
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The perfect lover someday,
I knew I'd recognize him if ever
He came 'round my way.
I always used to fancy then
He'd be one of the God-like kind of men
With a giant brain and a noble head
Like the heroes bold
But along came Bill
Who's quite the opposite of all
The men in storybooks
In grace and looks
I know that Apollo
Would beat him
All hollow
And I can't explain,
It's surely not his brain
That makes me thrill
I love him because he's wonderful,
Because he's just my Bill.
He can't play golf or tennis or polo,
Or sing a solo, or row.
He isn't half as handsome
As dozens of men that I know.
He isn't tall or straight or slim
And he dresses far worse than Ted or Jim.
And I can't explain why he should be
Just the one, one man in the world for me.
He's just my Bill, an ordinary man,
He hasn't got a thing that I can brag about.
And yet to be
Upon his knee
So comfy and roomy
Seems natural to me.
Oh, I can't explain,
It's surely not his brain
That makes me thrill
I love him because he's, I don't know
Because he's just my Bill.
The above lyrics are from the song "Bill" sung by Margaret Whiting. The song talks about the perfect lover that the singer used to dream of finding someday. She believed that he would be one of the god-like men she had read in the books she had read, who had a giant brain and a noble head, and that she'd recognize him if he ever came around her way. But then along came Bill, who was "quite the opposite of all the men in storybooks, in grace and looks" and "couldn't play golf or tennis or polo, or sing a solo, or row."
Despite Bill's lack of features that she had previously dreamed of in a partner, the singer is in love with him. She cannot explain why she is so in love with him, and it's not his brain, looks or any of the things that the society at the time would consider as desirable qualities. The singer loves him because he is just Bill, and simply being with him makes her happy. The song talks about a type of love that is not founded on appearances, status or things that the world might find desirable but rather on a deep and personal connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to dream that I would discover
The singer had a dream, that one day she would find the perfect lover
The perfect lover someday,
She always believed that one day she would find her perfect lover
I knew I'd recognize him if ever
She was confident that she would be able to recognize her perfect lover immediately
He came 'round my way.
If her perfect lover ever came into her life, she would know it was him
I always used to fancy then
She always imagined that her perfect lover would be like one of the heroes in the books she read
He'd be one of the God-like kind of men
She thought that her perfect lover would have superior physical and mental qualities
With a giant brain and a noble head
In her imagination, her perfect lover would have a big brain and a dignified appearance
Like the heroes bold
She likened her perfect lover to the brave and heroic characters in the books she read
In the books I've read.
The men she imagined were like the male leads in the books she read
But along came Bill
Despite her idealistic expectations, she ultimately falls in love with an ordinary man named Bill
Who's quite the opposite of all
Bill is completely different from the kind of man she thought she'd fall in love with
The men in storybooks
The men in the books she's read that fit her ideal
In grace and looks
Bill isn't particularly graceful or handsome
I know that Apollo
She knows that in comparison to the Greek god Apollo
Would beat him
Bill would come up short in a comparison with Apollo
All hollow
Apollo would win easily, without breaking a sweat
And I can't explain,
She can't explain what it is about Bill that draws her to him
It's surely not his brain
It's not Bill's intelligence that makes her attracted to him
That makes me thrill
There's something about Bill that makes her excited and exhilarated
I love him because he's wonderful,
She loves Bill simply because he's wonderful
Because he's just my Bill.
She loves Bill because he's the one for her, despite his lack of the traditional ideals
He can't play golf or tennis or polo,
Bill isn't particularly athletic
Or sing a solo, or row.
He's not particularly musically or physically talented
He isn't half as handsome
Bill isn't particularly handsome
As dozens of men that I know.
She knows many other men who are more traditionally handsome than Bill
He isn't tall or straight or slim
Inferring that Bill is quite average and unremarkable in his features
And he dresses far worse than Ted or Jim.
He's less fashion-conscious than other men she knows
And I can't explain why he should be
She's uncertain why she's so drawn to Bill
Just the one, one man in the world for me.
She realizes that Bill is the one for her and is content with that
He's just my Bill, an ordinary man,
Bill is an ordinary man
He hasn't got a thing that I can brag about.
Bill doesn't have any particular qualities the singer can brag about
And yet to be
Despite his lack of traditional qualities
Upon his knee
Sitting on Bill's knee
So comfy and roomy
Sitting on Bill's lap is comfortable and spacious
Seems natural to me.
She feels comfortable and content with Bill
Oh, I can't explain,
She still can't explain her feelings for Bill
It's surely not his brain
Once again, it's not Bill's intelligence that draws her to him
That makes me thrill
She's thrilled and excited by Bill's presence
I love him because he's, I don't know
She can't pinpoint exactly why she loves Bill
Because he's just my Bill.
Regardless of his lack of traditional qualities, Bill is the one for her
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BARRY GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind