Laura was the theme tune for the excellent murder mystery film of the same … Read Full Bio ↴Laura was the theme tune for the excellent murder mystery film of the same name with a host of well known stars of the time in the cast led by Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb.The song became a "standard" and has been recorded by almost all well known singers.

Laura
Ray Anthony Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You know the feeling of something half remembered
Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
You know the feeling of recognizing someone
That you've never met as far as you could tell, well

Laura is the face in the misty light
Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The laugh that floats on a summer night

That you can never quite recall
And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Those eyes, how familiar they seem

She gave your very first kiss to you
That was Laura but she's only a dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ray Anthony’s song “Laura” are filled with nostalgia and yearning for a lost love. The opening lines convey the feeling of déjà vu, where something seems half remembered and yet feels like it never happened before, yet seems so vivid in the mind. The nostalgia and the emotion behind those lines that cover a yearning for something lost is poignant and heartfelt. The line “You know the feeling of recognizing someone That you've never met, as far as you could tell, well” suggests a deep longing, a sense of familiarity with someone who is not known but known all the same.

The titular character, Laura, is painted as a misty figure, ephemeral and indistinct. Laura seems to be a woman who our protagonist longs for, and yet sees only in glimpses, the laughter that floats on a summer night, the footsteps down the hall, and the face in the misty light that could never be fully identified. The song’s melancholic feeling is palpable, and the listener feels the weight of unrequited love as our narrator laments the kiss that was his with Laura, but she was only a dream.

Overall, this is a romantic and haunting song that deals with lost love and is a testament to the power of enchantment. The mystery of Laura has intrigued listeners for generations, and the song is a classic in the American Songbook.

Line by Line Meaning

You know the feeling of something half remembered
The experience of having a memory that is only partly recollected

Of something that never happened, yet you recall it well
The sense of remembering an event or encounter that never took place

You know the feeling of recognizing someone
The familiarity one can feel when seeing another person

That you've never met as far as you could tell, well
Despite never having met someone before, there may still be a sense of recognition or familiarity

Laura is the face in the misty light
Laura represents a halfway-remembered image or figure

Footsteps that you hear down the hall
The sense of hearing something that may or may not be there

The laugh that floats on a summer night
A memory of a specific sound or experience

That you can never quite recall
Despite trying to remember, the memory remains elusive

And you see Laura on the train that is passing through
Encountering an image or perception of Laura in the present day

Those eyes, how familiar they seem
A specific feature or aspect of Laura that feels familiar

She gave your very first kiss to you
A memory of a significant and formative experience

That was Laura but she's only a dream
Despite the sense of familiarity, Laura is not a real person but rather a construction of memory and perception

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Raksin

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@LGranthamsHeir

2y↑8

Happy 100th birthday, Ray Anthony! The last surviving bandleader of the Big Band Era is still entertaining us! May you continue to do so for more years to come!

@IanHunedoara8

10y↑14

My parents went thru great Depression, bad scenes in Europe, tenement life in gritty NY streets. They wanted nothing more than relaxing soothing music and their choice was Ray Anthony.

@hectorpureco2491

51w↑2

La Música es el Arte más Bello del Hombre ...

@daikimoto6725

5y↑14

How beautiful! When I was young in Japan. He was also famous there. We, young trumpet players have been listening Ray and loved his trumpet
so much. We could learn a lot from him. He shows how to play music!