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.
Half as Much
Margaret Whiting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wouldn't worry me half as much as you do
You're nice to me when there's no one else around
You only built me up to let me down
If you missed me half as much as I miss you
You wouldn't stay away half as much as you do
I know that I would never be this blue
If you loved me half as much as I love you
You wouldn't worry me half as much as you do
I know that I would never be this blue
If you only loved me half as much as I love you
Margaret Whiting’s song “Half As Much” was released in 1952 as a country ballad. The song was written by the legendary songwriter Curly Williams. The song talks about a woman pleading with her lover, asking him to love her back just as much as she loves him. The singer tells her lover that if he loved her half as much as she loves him, he would not be the cause of her worries and anxiety. She explains that he is only nice to her when there are no eyes around them to see, and every time she looks up to him, he lets her down.
As the song progresses, the singer reveals that she misses her lover so much, and she wishes that he felt the same way for her. If he only missed her half as much as she misses him, he would not be staying away from her as he does regularly. She concludes that if her lover loved her half as much as she loves him, she would never be the feeling of loneliness and pain that she feels every day.
In conclusion, “Half As Much” is a song about unrequited love, where one partner is desperate for the other to reciprocate the affection they have. The song's essential message is that love should be two-sided, and it's no use loving someone who does not love you back.
Line by Line Meaning
If you loved me half as much as I love you
The singer loves the person deeply and wishes that their love was reciprocated equally.
You wouldn't worry me half as much as you do
The person causes the singer anxiety and stress due to their lack of reciprocity in love.
You're nice to me when there's no one else around
The person only shows affection or kindness to the singer when they are alone or without an audience.
You only built me up to let me down
The person has given the artist false hope or raised their expectations only to disappoint them later on.
If you missed me half as much as I miss you
The artist is deeply missing the person and wishes that their absence was felt just as strongly by the other person.
You wouldn't stay away half as much as you do
The person is purposely staying away from the singer and their lack of presence is causing the singer pain.
I know that I would never be this blue
The singer is feeling sad or depressed due to the lack of reciprocated love and attention.
If you only loved me half as much as I love you
The artist reiterates that their love is not being reciprocated equally and wishes for the other person to love them just as deeply.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WOUT VAN DESSEL, REGINALD PAUL STEFAN PENXTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind