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.
Two Kites
Mark Murphy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd slave for you
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
I'd gladly move
The earth for you
And its worth for you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along.
With all the words, dear, at my command
I just can't make you understand
I'll always love you darling
Come what may
My heart is yours
What more can I say?
I'd lie for you
I'd sigh for you
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
With all the words, dear, at my command
I just can't make you understand
I'll always love you baby
Come what may
My heart is yours
What more can I say?
I'd lie for you
I'd cry for you
I'd lay my body down and die tor you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
The song "Two Kites" by Mark Murphy is about unrequited love and the lengths that the singer is willing to go for their beloved. The first verse describes the willingness of the singer to wait, slave, beg or become a knave for their beloved. They would do anything for them, even if it's not love, but merely an approximation. This is highlighted in the phrase "If that isn't love, it will have to do until the real thing comes along." The second verse takes this further, with the singer stating they would move the earth to prove their love and its worth, yet they still feel unfulfilled. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer will settle for this approximation of love until something real comes along.
The bridge is an attempt by the singer to express their love with all the words they have, but in the end, they can't make their beloved understand. The song ends by repeating the previous verse, with slight variations. The singer would lie, cry, and ultimately sacrifice their own life for their beloved, but it's still not enough until they can offer real love.
The song's lyrics are simple but effective in conveying the inexpressible feelings of the singer. The melody is also quite poignant, adding to the emotional weight of the lyrics. Despite being originally released in 1965, the song remains relevant today and has been covered by various artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd wait for you
I am willing to be patient for you
I'd slave for you
I am willing to work tirelessly for you
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you
I am willing to give up everything, even my social status, for you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
Despite not being the ideal love, I accept it as it is until true love appears
I'd gladly move
The earth for you
To prove my love, dear
And its worth for you
I am willing to go to great lengths to show you my love and its value
With all the words, dear, at my command
I just can't make you understand
I'll always love you darling
Come what may
My heart is yours
What more can I say?
Although I have expressed my love in every way I know how, I can't seem to make you comprehend it; still, my heart belongs to you through thick and thin
I'd lie for you
I'd sigh for you
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
I am willing to go beyond ethical boundaries and do the impossible to please you, even if it's not authentic love, until true love appears
I'd cry for you
I'd lay my body down and die tor you
If that isn't love, it will have to do
Until the real thing comes along
I am willing to suffer and even die for you; if that's not real love, I'll settle for it until true love emerges
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ALBERTA NICHOLS, L.E. FREEMAN, MANN HOLINER, SAMMY CAHN, SAUL CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrJan3327
And by the way have you forgotten to say
Where you live, what's your name, what you do
In case you're free
We can go you and me to the zoo
And may I ask you what you to do with your days
With your nights, with your time, with your life
Suppose I dare to ask what are you doing tonight
If you're free I can lend you these wings for a flight
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I get a flash of your thigh like a spy in the sky
I see thy heavenly thighs in the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me, you and I
Give me a moment just to finish this brew to undo the voodoo
That kept you away
For so long
For so long
For so long
La la la la
Suppose I give you this rose and you give me a kiss
Suppose we take off our clothes
And we plunge in the sea
And just dismiss with a kiss la petite burgeoisie
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I see thy heavenly thighs
In the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me you and I
La la la la
For so long
For so long
E a propósito, você esqueceu de dizer
Onde você mora, qual é seu nome, o que você faz
No caso de você estar livre
Podemos ir, eu e você, no zoológico
E talvez eu te pergunte o que você faz com seus dias
Com suas noites, com seu tempo, com sua vida
Suponha que eu me atreva a perguntar o que você fará a noite
Se você está livre eu posso te emprestar essas asas pra um vôo
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu tenho um lampejo da sua coxa como um espião no céu
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encontra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
Me dê um momento pra terminar esta bebida pra desfazer o vodu
Que mantem você longe
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
La la la la
Suponha que eu te dê essa rosa e você me dá um beijo
Suponha que tiramos nossas roupas
E nós mergulhamos no mar
E se despedir com um beijo à lá pequena burguesia
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais
Nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encotra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
La la la la
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Composição: Antonio Carlos Jobim
I get a flash of your thigh like a spy in the sky
I see thy heavenly thighs in the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me, you and I
Give me a moment just to finish this brew to undo the voodoo
That kept you away
For so long
For so long
For so long
La la la la
Suppose I give you this rose and you give me a kiss
Suppose we take off our clothes
And we plunge in the sea
And just dismiss with a kiss la petite burgeoisie
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I see thy heavenly thighs
In the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me you and I
La la la la
For so long
For so long
E a propósito, você esqueceu de dizer
Onde você mora, qual é seu nome, o que você faz
No caso de você estar livre
Podemos ir, eu e você, no zoológico
E talvez eu te pergunte o que você faz com seus dias
Com suas noites, com seu tempo, com sua vida
Suponha que eu me atreva a perguntar o que você fará a noite
Se você está livre eu posso te emprestar essas asas pra um vôo
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu tenho um lampejo da sua coxa como um espião no céu
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encontra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
Me dê um momento pra terminar esta bebida pra desfazer o vodu
Que mantem você longe
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
La la la la
Suponha que eu te dê essa rosa e você me dá um beijo
Suponha que tiramos nossas roupas
E nós mergulhamos no mar
E se despedir com um beijo à lá pequena burguesia
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais
Nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encotra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
La la la la
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Composição: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Joubert Guimarães
Tom Jobim na voz de outros cantores....Tom forever!!!
John Blyther
Great memories thank you; We used to play this at the Hacienda club in Manchester Saturday nights 82/83...another time cheers
eaglestirreth
In my top five albums of all time.Have seen this guy twice live in concert !!
Catherine
what great song. Talk about goose bumps. Good version of another Tom Jobim masterpiece.
MrJan3327
And by the way have you forgotten to say
Where you live, what's your name, what you do
In case you're free
We can go you and me to the zoo
And may I ask you what you to do with your days
With your nights, with your time, with your life
Suppose I dare to ask what are you doing tonight
If you're free I can lend you these wings for a flight
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I get a flash of your thigh like a spy in the sky
I see thy heavenly thighs in the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me, you and I
Give me a moment just to finish this brew to undo the voodoo
That kept you away
For so long
For so long
For so long
La la la la
Suppose I give you this rose and you give me a kiss
Suppose we take off our clothes
And we plunge in the sea
And just dismiss with a kiss la petite burgeoisie
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I see thy heavenly thighs
In the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me you and I
La la la la
For so long
For so long
E a propósito, você esqueceu de dizer
Onde você mora, qual é seu nome, o que você faz
No caso de você estar livre
Podemos ir, eu e você, no zoológico
E talvez eu te pergunte o que você faz com seus dias
Com suas noites, com seu tempo, com sua vida
Suponha que eu me atreva a perguntar o que você fará a noite
Se você está livre eu posso te emprestar essas asas pra um vôo
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu tenho um lampejo da sua coxa como um espião no céu
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encontra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
Me dê um momento pra terminar esta bebida pra desfazer o vodu
Que mantem você longe
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
La la la la
Suponha que eu te dê essa rosa e você me dá um beijo
Suponha que tiramos nossas roupas
E nós mergulhamos no mar
E se despedir com um beijo à lá pequena burguesia
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais
Nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encotra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
La la la la
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Composição: Antonio Carlos Jobim
I get a flash of your thigh like a spy in the sky
I see thy heavenly thighs in the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me, you and I
Give me a moment just to finish this brew to undo the voodoo
That kept you away
For so long
For so long
For so long
La la la la
Suppose I give you this rose and you give me a kiss
Suppose we take off our clothes
And we plunge in the sea
And just dismiss with a kiss la petite burgeoisie
Haven't we met?
I can't remember but yet I could swear I have seen you before
But if you're scared of my boat
I can take you ashore
Or would you rather catch the wind
That blows steady and pulls to the high open sea
You are the force that irresistible might
That creates in me the power of flight
We're kites in the sky
We can fly, we can fly
We can fly, we can fly
I see thy heavenly thighs
In the skies, in the skies
There where the sea meets the sky
You and me you and I
La la la la
For so long
For so long
E a propósito, você esqueceu de dizer
Onde você mora, qual é seu nome, o que você faz
No caso de você estar livre
Podemos ir, eu e você, no zoológico
E talvez eu te pergunte o que você faz com seus dias
Com suas noites, com seu tempo, com sua vida
Suponha que eu me atreva a perguntar o que você fará a noite
Se você está livre eu posso te emprestar essas asas pra um vôo
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu tenho um lampejo da sua coxa como um espião no céu
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encontra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
Me dê um momento pra terminar esta bebida pra desfazer o vodu
Que mantem você longe
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
La la la la
Suponha que eu te dê essa rosa e você me dá um beijo
Suponha que tiramos nossas roupas
E nós mergulhamos no mar
E se despedir com um beijo à lá pequena burguesia
Já nos conhecemos?
Não me lembro mas podia jurar que já te vi antes
Mas se você está com medo do meu barco
Posso te levar pra terra firme
Ou você prefere pegar o vento
Que sopra constante e puxa para o mar aberto
Você é a força desse irresistível poder
Que cria em mim o poder de voar
Somos como pipas no céu
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Podemos voar, podemos voar
Eu vejo suas coxas celestiais
Nos céus, nos céus
Lá onde o mar encotra o céu
Você e eu, você e eu
La la la la
Por tanto tempo
Por tanto tempo
Composição: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Daryl Chambers
An all-time favourite. " Dismiss with a kiss, the petit bourgeoisie".
Kevin Jones
In the early 80's I saw Mark at Baker's Keyboard Lounge, he was sublime.....I never saw him again.
alchada
effortless singing ......real cool......
Kevin Jones
Muse was a nice little record company.
Bobster5732
just brilliant....