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.
Love Is Here To Stay
Maureen McGovern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The less I comprehend
The world and all its capers
And how it all will end
Nothing seems to be lasting
But that isn't our affair
We have something permanent
Of thee I sing, baby
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby
You're my silver lining
You're my sky of blue
There's a lovelight shining
Just because of you
Of thee I sing, baby
You have got that certain thing, baby
Shining star and inspiration
Worthy of a mighty nation
Of thee I sing
Maureen McGovern's song Love Is Here to Stay is a beautiful love letter in which the singer contrasts the transient events happening in the world with the permanent love she feels for her partner. She begins the song by expressing how the more she reads the papers, the less she comprehends the world and its capers, highlighting the confusion and chaos that seem to dominate society. However, she concludes that it is not their concern because they have something permanent, which is the way they care for each other. The singer acknowledges that nothing seems to be lasting in the world and how everything can end unexpectedly. But their love is different; it will last through every season.
In the chorus, the singer expresses her love for her partner, calling them her silver lining, her sky of blue, and a shining star and inspiration worthy of a mighty nation. Her love is depicted as a lovelight shining. The chorus repeats the line "of thee I sing, baby," emphasizing the importance of their relationship and how their love story matters to her.
The song is a declaration of true love in a world of uncertainty, confusion, and impermanence. The singer chooses to focus on the positive aspects of life, the love she shares with her partner, which brings harmony, comfort, and joy. It's a song that shows how love can conquer fear and uncertainty and how it's the only thing that lasts in a swiftly shifting world.
Line by Line Meaning
The more I read the papers,
The more I try to make sense of the world through what I read in the news,
The less I comprehend
The less I actually understand about what is going on.
The world and all its capers
The world and all its complicated events and issues
And how it all will end
And what the final outcome of all these events will be.
Nothing seems to be lasting
None of the current events or issues seem to have any lasting impact.
But that isn't our affair
But those things are not really our concern.
We have something permanent
Despite all the changes and instability of the world, we have something that will last.
I mean in the way we care
I'm talking about the love and care we have for each other.
Of thee I sing, baby
I sing this love song for you, my dear.
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby
No matter what the season, my love for you remains strong.
You're my silver lining
In every dark cloud, you provide the light and hope I need.
You're my sky of blue
You bring color and beauty to my life like a clear blue sky.
There's a lovelight shining
The love we share is so bright and radiant.
Just because of you
And it's all because of you and the love you give me.
You have got that certain thing, baby
You possess a quality that is unique and special, my love.
Shining star and inspiration
You are the star that illuminates my life and inspires me to be a better person.
Worthy of a mighty nation
You are not only special to me, but you have the qualities that could make a nation great.
Of thee I sing
This love song is all about you, my dear.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dianavictoria Aljadeff
A great singer singing a beautiful Gershwin song,the last he composed.
kim drew
No music and sounds amazing...and what do we have today to compare?
Taty Star
Bombeck, in this video, looks like Celine Dion... And Maureen`s so pretty, she`s a ray of sun.
Taty Star
Sorry, the sound`s law...