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.
I Won't Dance
Margaret Whiting Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance madame with you
My heart won't let me feet do things that they should do
You know what, you're lovely
You know what, you're so lovely
And you know what you do to me
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Specially when you do The Continental
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
And that's why
I won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I?
I won't dance, merci beaucoup
I know that music lead the way to romance
So if I hold you in arms, I won't dance
The song "I Won't Dance" sung by Margaret Whiting is about a man who is refusing to dance with a woman he finds very attractive. Despite the lady's charms and beguiling ways, the man simply cannot bring himself to dance with her, as it would awaken feelings he's not yet ready for. The song is a subtle and clever conflation of emotions between the man's physical and emotional states. He is attracted to the woman and finds her lovely, but he knows too well the intensity of his emotional response, which would be too much to handle if he danced with her. The title itself speaks to the stubbornness of the man to remain still and not to give in to the siren song of the woman's beauty.
The lyrics cleverly play with words to convey both the man's hesitation and his desire. The heart won't let his feet do what they should do, but it's not a physical ailment; it's an emotional one. He's stumped on the floor, not because he can't dance, but because he can't risk falling under the woman's spell. When she dances, she's charming and gentle, and he's left feeling like he's been hit by a wave that's been abruptly stopped by the shore. This simile is perfect, for it shows the man's onrush of emotions and how he's stopped dead in his tracks by the strength of the woman's allure. The line "For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos" is also excellent, as it conveys the man's vulnerability to the flames of passion that would ignite if he danced with her.
Line by Line Meaning
I won't dance, don't ask me
I refuse to dance, please don't request me to do so
I won't dance madame with you
I won't dance with you, madame
My heart won't let me feet do things that they should do
My heart won't permit me to dance freely
You know what, you're lovely
You are beautiful, and I acknowledge that
You know what, you're so lovely
You are very attractive, and I admit it
And you know what you do to me
You make me feel strong emotions
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I'm overwhelmed by my emotions and feel powerless
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor
I feel completely baffled and unable to move
When you dance, you're charming and you're gentle
Your dancing is graceful, delicate, and attractive
Specially when you do The Continental
Particularly when you perform The Continental dance
But this feeling isn't purely mental
My strong emotions are not just in my mind
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos
I can't protect myself from getting hurt
I won't dance, why should I?
I have no reason to dance
I won't dance, how could I?
It's impossible for me to dance
I won't dance, merci beaucoup
I won't dance, thank you very much
I know that music lead the way to romance
I understand that music can be a precursor to romance
So if I hold you in arms, I won't dance
Even if I hold you in my arms, I won't dance with you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern, Jimmy Mc Hugh, Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Otto Harbach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind