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.
My Foolish Heart
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night is like a lovely tune,
Beware my foolish heart,
How white the ever constant moon,
Take care my foolish heart,
There's a line between love and fascination,
That's hard to see on an evening such as this,
When you're lost in the magic of a kiss.
Your lips are much too close to mine,
Beware my foolish heart,
But should our eager lips combine,
Then let the fire start,
For this time it isn't fascination,
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart,
It's love, this time it's love,
My foolish heart!
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Mark Murphy's "My Foolish Heart" are full of cautionary undertones and a warning against the dangers of love. The melody sweeter than a lullaby and the singer warns of the perils of loving someone as they lose themselves in a kiss that can lead to both love and fascination. The singer is both cautious and desperate for love, as they plead their own heart to take care and beware of the dangers of falling in love with someone.
The opening lines convey imagery that is rich and poetic as the night is compared to a lovely tune while the moon is described as being ever constant and white. The singer is aware of the hypnotic powers of love as a kiss can make one lose themselves in a state of fascination that blinds them to the reality of the situation. The singer is aware of the fine line between love and fascination and how difficult it can be to distinguish between the two. However, the chorus rings with hope as the singer begs their foolish heart to be careful with the kisses that are too eager and too close. The singer warns of the danger but cannot help letting the fire of love ignite.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is like a lovely tune,
The night has a beautiful and enchanting quality, which is similar to a pleasing melody.
Beware my foolish heart,
Be cautious of your emotions and the potential to be blinded by feelings of love.
How white the ever constant moon,
The moon is a constant brightness in the sky, and its brightness is emphasized by its white color.
Take care my foolish heart,
Be careful and responsible with your feelings, even in the face of the moon's romantic allure.
There's a line between love and fascination,
There is a distinction between love and being fascinated by someone, but they are difficult to differentiate in particular moments.
That's hard to see on an evening such as this,
It is difficult to determine the difference between love and fascination on a romantic night like this.
For they both give the very same sensation,
Both love and fascination create similar feelings and sensations when caught up in the moment.
When you're lost in the magic of a kiss.
These similar feelings and sensations are especially potent when two people are kissing.
Your lips are much too close to mine,
Your lips are dangerously close to my own, and my emotions may get the best of me.
Beware my foolish heart,
Once again, I must be cautious and self-aware of my emotions.
But should our eager lips combine,
Despite the risk, if our lips were to touch with a feeling of mutual desire...
Then let the fire start,
...let our passion ignite.
For this time it isn't fascination,
This time, this feeling is not simply a passing or naive fascination...
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart,
...nor is it a dream that will dissipate over time.
It's love, this time it's love,
This is the real thing, true love.
My foolish heart!
Despite the risks and potential challenges of love, I am willing to take the chance and follow my heart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O CAPASSO, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ned Washington, Victor Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Probably my favorite part of this is Lee Konitz's solo. But I can't be sure. Mark's singing and the arrangement is amazing. The whole performance is just about definitive in my opinion.