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.
The Nearness of You
Pat Boone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That thrills and delights me, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
It isn't your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation, oh no
Its just the nearness of you
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
The lyrics of Pat Boone's song The Nearness of You revolve around the intense feeling of being close to someone. The singer expresses that it is not the external elements like the moon or sweet conversation that excites him but simply being close to the person. He goes on to explain that when he holds this person close to him, he feels like all his dreams have come true. He doesn't require any sensory elements to enchant him because the feeling of closeness is enough to make him happy. He only needs to be granted the right to hold his love tight and feel the nearness of her in the night.
The song beautifully captures the essence of what it feels like to be in love and how the mere closeness of a person can transport you to a whole other world. The singer's voice and the slow, romantic melody helps in creating a soulful, romantic mood. The song's lyrics convey a message that the powerful experience of love and intimacy can make everything else seem insignificant.
Line by Line Meaning
Its not the pale moon that excites me
I am not impressed by the beauty of the moon
That thrills and delights me, oh no
It does not bring me joy or excitement
Its just the nearness of you
It's only being close to you that gives me happiness
It isn't your sweet conversation
Your words and speech don't have any effect on me
That brings this sensation, oh no
They don't make me feel anything special
Its just the nearness of you
Once again, it's just being near you that gives me a feeling of joy
When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
When I hold you closely and feel your body against mine
All my wildest dreams come true
All of my deepest desires are fulfilled
I need no soft lights to enchant me
I don't require any special atmosphere or embellishments to be attracted to you
If you'll only grant me the right
If you'll allow me to hold you and be close to you
To hold you ever so tight
To hold you with all my strength
And to feel in the night the nearness of you
And to experience the feeling of being with you in the nighttime
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Manuel Campos Villarreal
One of the greatest singers ever and a good man.
Silvino Castillo
Fantastic voice of Pat Boone, I feel young again...
LoveTheOConnor
Beautiful video, Jim!!! Gorgeous song, and your pictures are perfect, as always!! Thanks so much for brightening my day! Have a great week! :)
sanityatlast
nice rendition of a great song, love it........
nipstertunes
Hi Heather! I love his version of this song. I'm so glad you enjoyed it too. If it brightened Your day I am very happy it did! Thank You So Much for watching and listening to it! Jim
nipstertunes
You are very welcome, I'm so glad you liked it! Great description of Ms. Jones, a truly lovely and talented lady, for sure. Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Much appreciated! Jim
sanityatlast
enjoyed it immensely, Jim, had some of his recordings as far back as 1959...........
steve rector
What A Beautiful Video!
Ernie L. Mata
Nipstertune, Thank you for uploading this wonderful videos, with various singers that sing my favorite song - "The Nearness Of You" Specially when Pat Boone sings this song. I love Pat Boone with Shirley Jones in their movie April Love. Again Thank You - I appreciate your effort.
nipstertunes
You are very welcome. I love them in "April Love" too. Thank you so much for your very nice comments.
Jim