After graduating from high school in 1967, she worked as a secretary and performed part-time as a singer for a local folk band called Sweet Rain. Her singing caught the attention of Russ Regan (then head of 20th Century Records) in 1972 when he heard a demo she had recorded. At the time, Regan was searching for a singer to record "The Morning After" (the theme from The Poseidon Adventure) for release as a record. He hired McGovern sight unseen to record the song, which led to her signing with 20th Century Records. After it won an Oscar for Best Original Song, "The Morning After" quickly climbed the pop charts, reaching #1 in 1973.
In 1974, she recorded two movie themes: "We May Never Love Like This Again" (from the disaster film The Towering Inferno, in which she made a short appearance when she is seen singing the song as the evening's entertainment) and "Wherever Love Takes Me" (from the British disaster film Gold). The former won an Oscar (though it was only a minor pop hit), and the latter received an Oscar nomination. These two songs (along with "The Morning After") led the media to call McGovern "the Disaster Theme Queen."
McGovern's contract with 20th Century ended in 1976. By this time, her career went downhill and she ended up broke, due to being cheated out of her earnings by her managers and producers. To begin her life over again, she moved to Marina del Rey and took a secretarial job under an assumed name. However, she was still in demand occasionally for international live concerts. Her career made a turn for the better when she was asked to record a version of "Can You Read My Mind," the love theme from 1978's Superman, which was not recorded for the film. The single achieved minor success on the Pop charts. Toward the end of the decade, she recorded "Different Worlds," the theme from a short-lived TV sitcom entitled Angie. The song was her only other Top 40 single aside from "The Morning After," reaching #18 on the Pop charts in 1979 and also spending two weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. In 1980, she made a cameo appearance as the singing nun, Sister Angelina, in the comedy-disaster movie Airplane!.
At the beginning of the 1980s, McGovern gave up movie themes to begin a career on Broadway, despite having no acting experience. In 1981, she made her Broadway debut as Mabel in a revival of Gilbert & Sullivan's musical The Pirates of Penzance. She then performed in two productions with the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera: The Sound of Music (1981; as Maria) and South Pacific (1982; as Nellie Forbush). She continued her theatrical career throughout the eighties and originated the role of Mary in the Off-Broadway production of Brownstone in 1985.
In 2005, McGovern returned to the Broadway stage as Marmee opposite Sutton Foster's Jo in the musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Plagued by negative reviews, it quickly closed, but McGovern reprised her role for the successful subsequent national tour.
She slowly returned to music in the mid-eighties, contributing songs to musical soundtracks and recording for various-artist compilations. She also returned to touring and performing in concerts and began establishing herself as a classy, jazzy nightclub and cabaret performer. Starting in 1987, she released three albums for CBS in three years - Another Woman in Love (a voice/piano album), State of the Heart (a fully orchestrated album), and Naughty Baby (a live album).
In 1989, she performed her debut concert in Carnegie Hall, singing a collection of songs by George Gershwin. The concert was recorded live and released that year as an album entitled Naughty Baby; it features a very first recording of a lost Gershwin song "A Corner of Heaven With You" (written ca. 1917).
From the nineties into the 21st century, McGovern continued her careers in musical theatre, performing in concerts, and recording albums, and she occasionally made guest appearances on television. Other recordings include Baby I'm Yours (1992), a collection of her favorite songs from 1955 to 1970, and Out of This World (1996), a collection of songs by Harold Arlen. She was twice nominated for a Grammy, for her albums The Music Never Ends (1997), a collection of songs by Alan & Marilyn Bergman, and The Pleasure of His Company (1998), another voice/piano album.
In 2003, Out of This World and The Music Never Ends were rereleased by Fynsworth Alley Records; both albums included bonus tracks, the former two, and the latter three.
Confession
Maureen McGovern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, isn't that a shame?
I never kissed a man before,
Before I knew his name
I never had a taste for wine
Oh, isn't that a sin?
I never had a taste for wine
It's nice as nice can be
My faith is at last restored
To find that vice can be
Its own reward
I always go to bed at ten
Oh, isn't that a bore?
I always go to bed at ten
And then, I go home at four
The lyrics to Maureen McGovern's song "Confession" depict a woman who is revealing her secrets and true personality through her confessions. The song starts with "I never kissed a man before, Oh isn't that a shame? I never kissed a man before, Before I knew his name." This line shows that the woman is not necessarily a prude, but she values getting to know someone before jumping into a physical relationship. She admits that she has never tasted wine, but admits that she prefers gin over it. This line can be interpreted two ways: firstly, it can be seen as a lighthearted confession, but secondly, it can be seen as an admission of being a heavy drinker.
The next line, "It's nice as nice can be, My faith is at last restored, To find that vice can be, Its own reward," shows that while the woman may have lived her life abiding by societal rules, she has found pleasure in going against them. This could also suggest that she was once religious and is now exploring a more secular lifestyle. The last confession is "I always go to bed at ten, Oh, isn't that a bore? I always go to bed at ten, And then, I go home at four." This line shows that the woman may have lived a sheltered lifestyle, but once she loosens up, she is willing to have some fun and break the mold.
Line by Line Meaning
I never kissed a man before
I haven't experienced romantic love before
Oh, isn't that a shame?
Isn't it unfortunate that I have missed out on such a common experience?
I never kissed a man before,
Again, highlighting a lack of romantic experience
Before I knew his name
It seems that the singer is looking for love wherever she can find it
I never had a taste for wine
The singer hasn't enjoyed drinking wine in the past
Oh, isn't that a sin?
The singer is lamenting her lack of appreciation for wine, which is widely considered a sophisticated drink
I never had a taste for wine
Reinforcing the sentiment from the first line of this stanza
For wine can't compare with gin
However, the singer does have a preference for gin over wine
It's nice as nice can be
The next verse brings a shift in tone, as the singer acknowledges a sense of pleasure in indulging in a 'vice'
My faith is at last restored
The singer is beginning to believe in the notion that indulging in vices can bring a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction
To find that vice can be
The singer is reflecting on a newfound understanding that vices might not necessarily be negative
Its own reward
The pleasure in indulging in a vice is a reward in and of itself
I always go to bed at ten
The final stanza returns to a more mundane, everyday sentiment
Oh, isn't that a bore?
The singer is poking fun at herself for having a predictable routine
I always go to bed at ten
Reiterating the previous line
And then, I go home at four
Despite having a set bedtime, the singer still stays out late, implying a certain level of excitement in her life
Lyrics © Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, HOWARD DIETZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind