Born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Boone is a direct descendant of the American pioneer Daniel Boone. He grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, attended David Lipscomb College and began recording in 1954 for Republic Records. His 1955 version of "Ain't That a Shame" was a huge hit, selling far better than Fats Domino's original version. This set the stage for the early part of Boone's career, which focused on covering R&B songs by black artists for a white market. Previously, rock 'n' roll had had only limited exposure outside of the African American community. Pat Boone's pale covers gave attention to the more authentic original artists, such as Little Richard and Fats Domino and to rhythm and blues in general. In addition, the songwriters and copyright holders benefited even when individual artists did not.
In fact, only six of Boone's many hit singles were R&B covers, and only four of those were rockers. All were released in the first two years of his long career. These were "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino and "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard, and "At My Front Door (Crazy Little Mama)" by the El Dorados. The other two R&B covers were well-chosen blues ballads, "I Almost Lost My Mind" by Ivory Joe Hunter and "Chains of Love," a hit for Big Joe Turner and later B.B. King that had been written by Ahmet Ertegun. By 1957, Boone was concentrating on the middle-of-the-road music that dominated his career. He never recorded another R&B cover.
Known as "The Kid in White Buck Shoes", Boone sported a clean-cut image that appealed to white [teens]] and parents. His singing style, a rich baritone, followed in the tradition of his idol, Bing Crosby. Preferring to carry on in the Crosby tradition, he soon began turning more and more to ballads. Some of his biggest hits included "Love Letters in the Sand" (with the instrumental break featuring Boone's whistling), "April Love", "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)", and "Don't Forbid Me".
His teen idol popularity in the late 1950s was second only to that of Elvis Presley, and, like Presley, he soon tried his hand at acting. Boone's pictures included 1960's Journey to the Center of the Earth alongside Hollywood notable James Mason.
His recording of the theme song from the 1957 film April Love topped the charts for six weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award. Pat also wrote the theme song for the movie Exodus.
A devout born-again Christian, he was raised in the conservative Church of Christ, but has been a member of a Pentecostal church for more than thirty years. Boone has refused both songs and movie roles that he felt might compromise his standards, including a role opposite the decade's reigning sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe. Among his other achievements, he hosted a TV series in the late 1950s and began writing in the early 1960s, a series of self-help books for adolescents, including Twixt Twelve and Twenty.
The British Invasion effectively ended Boone's career as a hitmaker, though he continued recording throughout the 1960s. In the 1970s, he switched to gospel and country, and he continued performing in other media as well, most importantly radio. He is currently working as the disc jockey of a popular oldies radio show and runs his own record company which provides a much-welcomed outlet for new recordings by 1950s greats who can no longer find a place with the major labels.
Boone married Shirley Lee Foley, daughter of country music great Red Foley and singer Judy Martin, in 1953 and they had four daughters: Cherry, Lindy, Debby, and Laury. In the 1960s and 1970s the Boone family toured as gospel singers and made gospel albums, such as The Pat Boone Family and The Family Who Prays.
In the early 1990s, Boone joined Amway and spoke at many motivational seminars. He was also a distributor. He never reached the coveted Amway rank of Diamond.
In 1997, Boone released In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy, a collection of heavy metal covers revamped to fit his style. To promote the album, he appeared at the American Music Awards in black leather, shocking audiences and losing his respectability among his largest constituency, conservative Christians. He was then fired from Gospel America, a TV show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. About a year later, the controversy died down and many fans, including Jack Hayford, accepted his explanation of the leather outfit being a "parody of himself". He was re-hired by Trinity Broadcasting and Gospel America was brought back.
In 2003, the Gospel Music Association of Nashville, Tennessee recognized his gospel recording work by inducting him into its Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Boone and his wife live in Los Angeles, California. They are members of The Church on the Way in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley. His one-time neighbor was Ozzy Osbourne and his family. Boone's cover of Osborne's song "Crazy Train" became the theme song for The Osbornes. (It appears on The Osbornes Soundrack.) Osborne said that Boone "never complained once" about living next door to his less-than-traditional family.
Boone once claimed to use his own surname in lieu of curse words when upset.
In 2006, Boone penned an article for WorldNetDaily in which he argued that Democrats and others who are against the Iraq War cannot, under any circumstances, be considered patriotic. He also recently was interviewed by Neil Cavuto on Fox News, where he expressed his outrage against the opponents of George W. Bush (namely the Dixie Chicks) that their criticisms of the President showed they did not "respect their elders". Another article defended Mel Gibson after the actor was recorded making an anti-Semitic rant. Despite their differing political views, Pat Boone is friends with the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
How Deep Is the Ocean
Pat Boone Lyrics
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I'll tell you no lie
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How many times a day do I think of you?
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How high is the sky?
The lyrics of Pat Boone's How Deep Is the Ocean express the depth and intensity of love the singer feels for his partner. The song begins with the singer asking how he loves their partner and compares his love to the depth of the ocean and the heights of the sky. This comparison highlights the vast and immeasurable depth of his love, which represents the infinity of the ocean and the sky.
The song proceeds with the singer expressing the frequency of his thoughts about his partner and how many roses are sprinkled with dew. These lyrics suggest that his love is not just a passing attraction, but a deep and profound feeling that seeps into every aspect of his life. The next verse speaks about how much the singer is willing to travel just to be with his partner and how far the journey is from Earth to a star. This comparison displays the extent of his commitment to his partner and his willingness to go to any lengths to be with them.
Finally, the song concludes with the singer reflecting on what would happen if he ever lost his partner and how much he would cry. This ending shows that his love for his partner is not just passionate, but also fragile and vulnerable.
Line by Line Meaning
How much do I love you?
I am genuinely asking you, to convey my feelings for you.
I'll tell you no lie
I am truthful in my love for you, and not deceiving you.
How deep is the ocean?
I am trying to understand the enormity of my love for you by comparing it to the vast depths of the ocean.
How high is the sky?
I am trying to measure the boundlessness of my love for you by comparing it to the infinite expanse of the sky.
How many times a day do I think of you?
I am trying to explain how often I think of you, as an indicator of the depth of my love.
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
I am trying to draw a comparison to something beautiful and natural, to represent the beauty of our love.
How far would I travel
I am trying to convey the extent to which I would be willing to go to be close to you.
To be where you are?
I want to be near you no matter the distance or obstacles that stand in our way.
How far is the journey
I am trying to understand the distance between us as it relates to what I would be willing to do to see you.
From here to a star?
I am drawing a comparison to the distance between us and the vast expanse of space.
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
I want to convey that I would be devastated if I ever lost you and my heart would break into pieces.
How high is the sky?
I am using the comparison to the infinite sky as a way to express the depth of my sadness if I lost you.
How far would I travel
I am reiterating the extent to which I would go to be with you, and to communicate that my love is unwavering.
To be where you are?
Reemphasizing the idea that I truly only want to be with you, regardless of the distance or the challenge.
How far is the journey
Again, I am trying to understand the distance between us as it relates to my love and devotion for you.
From here to a star?
My love for you transcends the physical and measurable world, just as the distance to a star is immeasurable, so too is my love immeasurable.
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
A repeating of the earlier sentiment to convey the depth of my love and the depth of my sadness if I were to lose you.
How deep is the ocean?
I repeat the comparison to the ocean depths to convey the endless depth and vastness of my love for you.
How high is the sky?
And once again, the sky represents the boundlessness of my love for you, which has no limits or boundaries.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind