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.
Moody River
Pat Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
Last Saturday evenin' came to the old oak tree
It stands beside the river where you were to meet me
On the ground your glove I found
It read "Dear love, I've done you wrong"
"Now I must set you free"
"No longer can I live with this hurt and this sin"
"I just couldn't tell you that guy was just a friend"
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
I looked into the muddy water and what could I see?
I saw a lonely, lonely face just lookin' back at me
Tears in his eyes and a prayer on his lips
And the glove of his lost love at his fingertips
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
In Pat Boone's song "Moody River," the singer describes a tragedy that took place by the river. The Moody River is more dangerous than the deadliest knife because it took away the life of the singer's baby. The incident occurred on a Saturday evening, and the singer was supposed to meet their lover at the old oak tree. However, when they arrived, they found their lover's glove and a note addressed to them. The note apologizes for doing the singer wrong and states that they must set the singer free because they can no longer live with the hurt and guilt that they carry.
As the singer looks into the muddy waters of the Moody River, they see the lost love of their partner. The water took away their partner's life and left the singer with only tears and prayers. The song brings to attention the powerful symbolism that rivers and bodies of water can hold in literature and music. The Moody River, with its murky waters and treacherous currents, serves as a metaphor for the danger that can come with love and relationships. The loss of the singer's baby shows that this danger can be life-altering and daunting to overcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Moody river, moody river
The river has a mood that is dangerous and unpredictable.
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
The river is more dangerous than anything else, and can kill people without being noticed.
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
The river is responsible for the death of the singer's loved one.
Last Saturday evenin' came to the old oak tree
The artist arranged to meet someone by the river under the oak tree.
It stands beside the river where you were to meet me
The oak tree is next to the river, where the meeting was supposed to take place.
On the ground your glove I found
The singer found a glove on the ground near the oak tree.
With a note addressed to me
The glove had a note on it that was meant for the singer to read.
It read "Dear love, I've done you wrong"
The note started with an apology for what was about to happen.
"Now I must set you free"
The person who wrote the note is about to take their own life and leave the artist behind.
"No longer can I live with this hurt and this sin"
The writer of the note is suffering from emotional pain and guilt.
"I just couldn't tell you that guy was just a friend"
The person the writer was seeing was actually just a friend and not a romantic interest.
I looked into the muddy water and what could I see?
The artist is looking into the river and reflecting.
I saw a lonely, lonely face just lookin' back at me
The reflection in the river looks sad and alone.
Tears in his eyes and a prayer on his lips
The reflection appears to be crying and praying.
And the glove of his lost love at his fingertips
The reflection is holding the lost love's glove, as if in mourning.
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
The river is still dangerous and capable of taking lives.
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
The artist's loved one was killed by the river's dangerous properties.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GARY BRUCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@indrekkpringi
The song makes no fucking sense:
she kills herself because she 'couldn't tell him he was just a friend"???
Why couldn't she tell him he was just a friend instead of killing herself??
I mean Jesus Christ... And on top of it he blames the river for her death.
So the river is to blame?? Jesus fucking Christ.
I never liked the words of that song> Comparing a river to a fucking knife?? 99% of the lyrics of songs don't make any fucking sense.
How may people call each other "baby">
All you fucking hear in love songs is baby baby baby ad nausea.
Mass produced song are brainwashing propaganda to keep the masses at the intelligence level of a baby.
@MrsGranpaws
Oh I loved it. Wasnt ready for love of course at this age.
Lyrics
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
Last Saturday evenin' came to the old oak tree
It stands beside the river where you were to meet me
On the ground your glove I found
With a note addressed to me
It read "Dear love, I've done you wrong"
"Now I must set you free"
"No longer can I live with this hurt and this sin"
"I just couldn't tell you that guy was just a friend"
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
I looked into the muddy water and what could I see?
I saw a lonely, lonely face just lookin' back at me
Tears in his eyes and a prayer on his lips
And the glove of his lost love at his fingertips
Moody river, more deadly than the vainest knife
Moody river, your muddy water took my baby's life
Songwriters: Gary Bruce
@STUCATZOMARINE
I love everything about this song . I love the era is was recorded . I love the background singers , you just don’t hear that in music anymore . Today’s music doesn’t have the class like this song .
@adotintheshark4848
It's the sound of real musicians and real production.
@patriksjostedt6917
Best song in "The last boyscout"
@user-uu3fp8el9k
A SONG ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE HETRO HOMELAND.
@user-uu3fp8el9k
A SONG ABOUT SUICIDE IN THE HETRO HOMELAND.
@user-uu3fp8el9k
THE SONG - THE YEAR OF THE CAT - TRY THAT SONG ALSO.
@2011REMASTER
i honestly feel so out of place listening to this type of music as someone who’s not even 15 yet, but i enjoy it much more than what’s popular today.
@felixmadison5736
I was 12 when this song was released, and I remember my mom buying it as soon as it became available. My brother and I sat and listened to this 45 over and over again back in '61. A few good versions of this great song, but Pat's is the best.
@b-dalebarksdale348
This song 😍 been stuck in my head every since I heard it off the movie The Last Boy Scout with Bruce Willis & Damon Wayans a classic song for a classic movie, Moody River your muddy water took my Baby's life!! 🎶💯💞
@jonwright6989
B-Dale Barksdale you are not alone on this here