He was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California. He started his musical career playing the baritone, like his father, but he quickly branched out into other instruments, notably the French horn and the piano. He received a bachelor's degree from San Francisco State College, and then studied composition with Darius Milhaud at Mills College in Oakland, California.
After he graduated, he was hired as an arranger and composer by guitarist and bandleader Johnny Richards. He spent World War II playing with Paul Desmond in an army band.
After WWII Rugolo went to work for Stan Kenton who headed one of the most progressive big bands of the time. Rugolo provided arrangements and original compositions that drew on his knowledge of 20th century music, sometimes blurring the boundaries between the ballroom and the concert hall.
While Rugolo continued to work occasionally with Kenton in the 1950s, he spent more time creating arrangements for pop vocalists, including June Christy, Peggy Lee and the Four Freshmen. During this period he also worked for a while on musicals at MGM, and served as an A&R director for Mercury Records in the late 1950s. Among his many albums were Adventures In Rhythm, Introducing Pete Rugolo, Rugolomania, Reeds In Hi-Fi and Music For Hi-Fi Bugs.
You Are Too Beautiful
Pete Rugolo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I am a fool for beauty
Fooled by a feeling that because I have found you
I could have bound you too
You are too beautiful for one man alone
For one lucky fool to be with
When there are other men
Love does not stand sharing
Not if one cares
Have you been comparing
My every kiss with theirs
If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
It's not through a sense of duty
You are too beautiful
And I am a fool for beauty
Love does not stand sharing
Not if one cares
Have you been comparing
My every kiss with theirs
If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
It's not through a sense of duty
You are too beautiful
And I am a fool for beauty
The lyrics of "You Are Too Beautiful" by Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra center around one man's devotion and love for his significant other. The song starts off with the singer expressing his disbelief at how beautiful his partner is, and how he is continuously fooled by her beauty. He feels like he could have kept her all to himself, but he knows that it's impossible because she is too beautiful to be with just one man.
The following verses highlight the insecurities and jealousy that can come with being deeply in love. The singer worries about other men with eyes of their own who may appreciate his partner's beauty and compares his own kisses to theirs. He believes that love does not stand sharing and suggests that being faithful to one's partner is not just a sense of duty but also a way of appreciating their undeniable beauty.
Overall, the song is a romantic tribute to the power of beauty and how it can affect one's emotions and perspective on love. The lyrics emphasize the importance of appreciating one's partner and remaining faithful despite the challenges that come with it, especially when someone as beautiful as his partner is involved.
Line by Line Meaning
You are too beautiful, my dear, to be true
You are so strikingly beautiful that it almost seems unreal, my love.
And I am a fool for beauty
My admiration for beauty makes me a foolish person, especially when it comes to you.
Fooled by a feeling that because I have found you
My emotions are deceiving me, making me believe that having found you means I can possess you.
I could have bound you too
I have been foolish enough to think that I can control or own your beauty.
You are too beautiful for one man alone
Your beauty is too great to be enjoyed by just one person.
For one lucky fool to be with
For someone like me, lucky to have you, but still a fool for thinking I can keep you to myself.
When there are other men
Other men exist alongside me.
With eyes of their own to see with
These men have their own interpretations and opinions about what beauty is.
If, on the other hand, I'm faithful to you
However, if I am loyal to you,
It's not through a sense of duty
It's not because I feel obligated or forced to be faithful.
Love does not stand sharing
True love cannot be shared or divided between multiple people.
Not if one cares
If you truly care for someone, you cannot share your love with others.
Have you been comparing
Have you been comparing my love for you with others?
My every kiss with theirs
Have you been comparing the way I express love physically with others?
You are too beautiful
Once again, your beauty is just too incredible.
And I am a fool for beauty
And I, once more, am foolish for beauty.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jean-François CATTEAU
Yes ! It's a good good Music ;+)
Mary Egeland
This is a Rodgers And Hart tune.