Born to a Jewish family in Rochester, New York, Mitchell William Miller and his choir were famed for their campy Sing Along With Mitch television show of the 1960s. During the second season of "Sing Along with Mitch," Mitch Miller himself coined the catch phrase "All Smiles." These were preceded by the instructions to "sing along; just follow the bouncing ball" (a large dot that "bounced" above the words that were superimposed on television of the song that Mitch was singing). Miller's biggest hits with the choir were "The Yellow Rose of Texas," a drum-propelled version of the old March, and "Colonel Bogey March", then enjoying new popularity from its use in the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). In addition to the television show, Miller and his choir recorded a series of best-selling albums.
One of the singers in Miller's choir, Bob McGrath, went on to a long career as one of the hosts of the PBS children's television show, Sesame Street.
As head of artists & repertory (A&R) at Mercury Records in the late forties, and Columbia Records in the fifties and early sixties, Miller gained a reputation for creating records that created what music historian Will Friedwald calls an "aural texture":
“ Miller also conceived of the idea of the pop record 'sound' per se: not so much an arrangement or a tune, but an aural texture (usually replete with extramusical gimmicks) that could be created in the studio and then replicated in live performance, instead of the other way around. Miller was hardly a rock 'n' roller, yet without these ideas there could never have been rock 'n' roll. 'Mule Train,' Miller's first major hit (for Frankie Laine) and the foundation of his career, set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock. The similarities between it and, say, 'Leader of the Pack,' need hardly be outlined here. ”
— Will Friedwald noted in Sinatra: The Song Is You, Da Capo Press, 1997.
While this did not always sit well with Columbia's more established performers (Frank Sinatra, for example), Columbia had an amazing hit-to-release ratio during that time.
Miller signed and produced many important pop standards artists for Columbia, including Frankie Laine, Johnnie Ray, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Guy Mitchell (whose pseudonym actually was based on Miller's first name), and helped direct the careers of artists who were already signed to the label, like Doris Day, Dinah Shore and Jo Stafford to just name a few. He therefore became one of the most successful pop music producers ever.
Miller is frequently (and probably unfairly) referred to by rock music historians as an "enemy" of early rock and roll. He did back John Hammond's signing of Bob Dylan to capitalize on the folk music craze. While he did ultimately lose his job as Columbia head for not signing the types of acts teenagers were buying, Miller did originally attempt to sign Elvis Presley, but balked at the amount Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was asking.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Miller is also an accomplished oboe and English horn player. He supported himself in his early career in the 1930s and 1940s as a session oboist; among his more celebrated studio dates in the non-classical field were for The Voice of Frank Sinatra and bebop pioneer Charlie Parker's famous Bird With Strings albums. He played in the CBS house orchestra for the 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast, and he later recorded Sibelius's Swan of Tuonela with Leopold Stokowski for RCA, and the Mozart Oboe Concerto for Columbia. He has also guest-conducted many of the top American orchestras.
Tea for Two
Mitch Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just tea for two and two for tea
Just me for you and you for me alone
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No friends or relations on weekend vacations
We won't have it known dear
That we own a telephone, dear
Day will break and you'll awake
And start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see
We will raise a family
A boy for you, a girl for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
Picture you upon my knee
Just tea for two and two for tea
Just me for you and you for me alone
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
No friends or relations on weekend vacations
We won't have it known dear
That we own a telephone, dear
Day will break and you'll awake
And start to bake a sugar cake
For me to take for all the boys to see-ee-ee
We will raise a family
A boy for you, a girl for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
The song "Tea for Two" by Mitch Miller is a romantic song that talks about a couple's ideal life. The song begins by describing a cozy scene where the singer pictures his lover sitting on his knee drinking tea. The couple is enjoying each other's company; it is just the two of them, and they are happy to have some time alone. They are so happy together that they do not want anyone else to know about their private moments or the fact that they own a telephone. As the morning arrives, the girl wakes up to bake a sugar cake, which the singer will take with him to show to his friends.
The song continues to describe the couple's perfect life together. They want to get married, have children - a boy for the girl and a girl for the singer. They believe that if they are together, happiness is inevitable. The song's repetitive refrain "Just tea for two and two for tea, Just me for you and you for me alone" emphasizes the simplicity of their ideal life, where they just want to spend time with each other and be happy.
Overall, "Tea for Two" is a song about the simplicity and happiness that comes with being in love. The lyrics emphasize the desire for a straightforward and uncomplicated life, where love is the only focus. The song's message is romantic, and it reminds listeners that the most important thing in life is love.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture you upon my knee
Imagine you sitting on my lap
Just tea for two and two for tea
We will have only tea for two people and two cups
Just me for you and you for me alone
It will be just the two of us together, exclusively
Nobody near us to see us or hear us
We will not have any people in close proximity to observe or overhear us
No friends or relations on weekend vacations
We will not have any pals or relatives on weekend trips with us
We won't have it known dear
We will keep it secret, my love
That we own a telephone, dear
We will not let anyone know that we possess a phone, dearest
Day will break and you'll awake
Morning will come, and you will arise
And start to bake a sugar cake
You will begin to bake a cake made with sugar
For me to take for all the boys to see
For me to display to all of our acquaintances
We will raise a family
We will create and rear a family
A boy for you, a girl for me
We will have a son for you and a daughter for me
Oh, can't you see how happy we would be
Oh, don't you envision how joyous we would become
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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