Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1932, Murphy was raised in a musical family, his parents having met as members of the local Methodist Church choir. He grew up in the nearby small town of Fulton, New York, where his grandmother and then his aunt were the church organists. Opera was also a presence in the Murphy home. He started piano lessons at the age of seven.
Murphy joined his brother's jazz dance band as the singer when a teenager, citing influences from Nat "King" Cole, June Christy, Anita O'Day, and Ella Fitzgerald. The Jazz pianist Art Tatum was also an influence.
Murphy graduated from Syracuse University in 1953, majoring in Music and Drama. University life included performing on campus and also in a club – playing piano and singing.
In 1954, Murphy moved to New York City, working part-time as an actor and singer. He appeared in productions for the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company and a musical version for television of Casey at the Bat. Also, he twice took second place at the Apollo Theatre amateur contests.
Murphy was eventually introduced to record producer Milt Gabler, who was an artist and repertoire director (A & R) for Decca. His resulting debut recording was Meet Mark Murphy (1956), followed closely by Let Yourself Go (1957).
In 1958 Murphy moved to Los Angeles and recorded for Capitol, but returned to New York in the early '60s and recorded the album Rah! (1961) on Riverside Records, performing "Angel Eyes", a version of Horace Silver's "Doodlin'", and "Green Dolphin Street", featuring Bill Evans, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Blue Mitchell and Wynton Kelly as accompanists. His favorite recording to date, That's How I Love the Blues, soon followed. In 1963, Murphy hit the charts across the country with his single of "Fly Me to the Moon" and was voted New Star of the Year in Down Beat Magazine's Reader's Poll.[citation needed]
In the late 1960s Murphy moved to London, England, where he worked primarily as an actor. He continued however, to cultivate his jazz audiences in Europe. He returned to the States in 1972 and began recording an average of an album a year for more than fourteen years on the Muse label. These projects - including the albums Nat King Cole Songbook Vol. I and II, Bop for Kerouac, Kerouac Then And Now, Living Room, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Beauty And the Beast and, Stolen Moments - gained numerous Grammy nominations.[citation needed] This last album contains Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" with lyrics by Murphy.
In 1984 together with Viva Brasil he recorded the album Brazil Song (Cancões do Brasil), which featured original material written by Brazilian songwriters including work by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento.
In 1987, Murphy recorded Night Mood, an album of songs by Brazilian composer Ivan Lins, followed by the Grammy-nominated September Ballads on Milestone Records. Murphy has also appeared on U.F.O.'s last two releases (for Polydor Records), in which he wrote and rapped lyrics on songs composed with the group. This collaboration opened up further new audiences in the acid-jazz and hip-hop genres, demonstrating jazz's timelessness while transcending generations and styles.
In August 1997, BMG/RCA Victor released Song For The Geese, for which he has received his sixth Grammy nomination. Also in August 1997, the 32 Records label Joel Dorn and Michael Bourne released a double CD anthology Stolen and Other Moments, which features some of his recordings for the now defunct Muse label. The CD features material from the two "Kerouac" albums and a selection of "the best of Mark Murphy".
Murphy’s release Once to Every Heart (2005), on the Verve label, features sensuous ballads, where the listener can capture him singing in top form, with superb musicians and sounding better than ever. In 2007 Love is What Stays was released on Verve. Both albums were produced by German trumpeter Till Brönner.
Murphy has also collaborated with Five Corners Quintet, a modern Finnish jazz band. He appears on their albums Chasin' the Jazz Gone By (2005) and Hot Corner (2008).
In 2010 he released the independently produced CD, Never Let Me Go, on which he is supported by pianist Misha Piatigorsky, bassist Danton Boller and drummer Chris Wabich. A limited edition EP/MP3, "Beautiful Friendship: Remembering Shirley Horn" on Gearbox Records was released in 2013.
Murphy continued to tour internationally into his 80s, appearing at festivals, concerts, in jazz clubs and on television programs, throughout the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, as well as other places. John Bush at AllMusic.com described Murphy as "a major name in vocal jazz." A longtime resident of the Lillian Booth Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey, he died there on October 22, 2015.
I'll Call You
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Beyond the years,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Will still be whispering, whispering.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
The song "I'll Call You" by Mark Murphy is a love song that expresses the deep and unwavering commitment of the singer to his lover. The lyrics describe the doubts and uncertainties that the lover has about their relationship, but the singer reassures them that his love will endure. He tells his lover that he will never tire of them and that his love for them will continue until the end of time.
The first verse opens with the lover's doubts and fears about the longevity of their relationship. They wonder if the flame between them will burn out, but the singer responds by saying that no one can be sure of what the future holds. However, he is certain that his love for his lover will never die and will endure forever. The second verse continues this theme of eternal love and commitment. The singer declares that he will never tire of his lover, no matter what happens, as long as his heart continues to beat.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the singer's commitment to his lover. He says that his love will continue beyond the years, even until the end of time. The echo of his love will still be whispering, no matter what happens, and he will never tire of his lover.
Overall, the song "I'll Call You" by Mark Murphy is a beautiful expression of undying love and commitment. The singer reassures his lover that his love will never fade, even in the face of doubt and uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
You look at me and wonder, you look at me and doubt,
You're unsure about us and wondering if our love will last.
Darling your eyes are asking, 'Will the flame burn out?'
Your eyes are asking if our love will die out and if we'll eventually fall out of love with each other.
Well, no one is sure of sunshine, no one is sure of dawn,
The future is uncertain, and we cannot predict what will happen in the future.
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
Regardless of the uncertainty in the future, I am confident that my love will always endure.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming,
I'll never tire of you, as that would be like the stars losing their shine.
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
Only when I stop dreaming and lose my passion for life will I tire of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
Just as the winds can never tire of blowing, I cannot tire of loving you.
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Only when the inexplicable force of nature that makes grass grow stops will I ever tire of loving you.
Beyond the years,
Our love will last beyond years, beyond time, and other worldly concerns.
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
Our love will last until the end of time, until everything is turned upside down and has no value.
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Our love will last until the world is silent, and no bird's song fills the air.
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Even when we're gone or separated, the memory of our love will echo and remain forever.
Will still be whispering, whispering.
Our love will still be heard muttering quietly beyond the sound waves even after our demise.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
If I ever get so ill and exhausted or lose the feeling in my heart,
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
Then I would tire of you but I know I won't cause my heart beats faster when I am around you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, E. Y. HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind