Price, born in Perryville, Texas, served with the U.S. Marines from 1944–1946, and began singing for KRBC in Abilene, Texas during 1948. He joined the Big D Jamboree in Dallas in 1949. He relocated to Nashville in the early 1950s, rooming for a brief time with Hank Williams. When Williams died, Price managed his band, the Drifting Cowboys, and had minor success. He was the first artist to have a success with the song "Release Me" (1954), a top five popular music hit for Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.
In 1953, Price formed his band, the Cherokee Cowboys. Among its members during the late 1950s and early 1960s were; Roger Miller, Willie Nelson, Darrell McCall, Van Howard, Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Bush, Buddy Emmons, Pete Wade, Jan Kurtis, Shorty Lavender and Buddy Spicher. Miller wrote one of Ray Price's classics in 1958, "Invitation to the Blues", and sang harmony on the recording. Additionally, Nelson composed the Ray Price song "Night Life".
Price became one of the stalwarts of 1950s honky tonk music, with hit songs such as "Talk To Your Heart" (1952) and "Release Me". He later developed the famous "Ray Price Shuffle," a 4/4 arrangement of honky tonk music with a walking bassline, which can be heard on "Crazy Arms" (1956) and many of his other recordings from the late 1950s.
During the 1960s, Ray experimented increasingly with the so-called Nashville sound, singing slow ballads and utilizing lush arrangements of strings and backing singers. Examples include his 1967 rendition of "Danny Boy", and "For the Good Times" in 1970 which was Price's first country music chart No. 1 hit since "The Same Old Me" in 1959. Written by Kris Kristofferson, the song also scored No. 11 on the popular music chart and featured a mellower Price backed by sophisticated musical sounds, quite in contrast to the honky tonk sounds Price had pioneered two decades before. Price had three more No. 1 country music successes during the 1970s: "I Won't Mention It Again", "She's Got To Be A Saint", and "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me." His final top ten hit was "Diamonds In The Stars" in early 1982. Price continued to have songs on the country music chart through 1989. Later, he sang gospel music and recorded such songs as "Amazing Grace", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", "Farther Along" and "Rock of Ages."
In 2006, Price was living near Mount Pleasant, Texas and still performing in concerts throughout the country. In 2009, Price made two performances for the Fox News show Huckabee. The first was with the Cherokee Cowboys and host Mike Huckabee, and he performed "Crazy Arms" and "Heartaches By The Number". Weeks later he performed with the Cherokee Cowboys and Willie Nelson (again with Huckabee playing bass guitar). This time they performed duets of "Faded Love" and "Crazy."
Price worked on his latest album, Last of the Breed, with fellow country music singers Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. This album was released on March 20, 2007 by the company Lost Highway Records. The two-disc set features 20 country classics as well as a pair of new compositions. The trio toured the U.S. from March 9 until March 25 starting in Arizona and finishing in Illinois. This was Price's third album with Nelson and first album with Haggard. After the tour, Haggard remarked, "I told Willie when it was over, 'That old man gave us a goddamn singing lesson.' He really did. He just sang so good. He sat there with the mic against his chest. And me and Willie are all over the microphone trying to find it, and he found it."
On November 6, 2012, Ray Price confirmed that he was fighting pancreatic cancer. Price told the San Antonio Express-News that he had been receiving chemotherapy for the past six months. An alternative to the chemo would have been surgery that involved removing the pancreas along with portions of the stomach and liver, which would have meant a long recovery and stay in a nursing home. Said Price, "That's not very much an option for me. God knows I want to live as long as I can but I don't want to live like that." The 87-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer also told the newspaper, "The doctor said that every man will get cancer if he lives to be old enough. I don't know why I got it – I ain't old!" Price retained a positive outlook and hoped to play as many as a hundred concert dates in 2013.
As of early February 2013, the cancer appeared to be in remission. Sometime in May 2013, Price was hospitalized with severe dehydration. On December 2, 2013, Price entered a Tyler, Texas, hospital in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, according to his son, then left on December 12 for home hospice care. Price died at his home in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, on December 16, 2013.
Fly Me To The Moon
Ray Price Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars.
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby kiss me
Fill my heart with song
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you.
--- Instrumental ---
Fly me to the moon
Let me sing among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars...
The song "Fly Me to the Moon" by Ray Price is a romantic and dreamy ode to the beauty and adventure of the cosmos. The singer urges his lover to take a journey with him to the moon and beyond, where they can play and sing among the stars and experience the wonders of Jupiter and Mars. The singer asks his lover to hold his hand and kiss him, expressing his longing for her and his desire to be near her. He wants her to fill his heart with song and be the one he worships and adores. The lyrics express the depths of his love for her and his hope that she will be true to him.
The song's romantic lyrics are perfectly complemented by Price's smooth and soothing voice, which conveys the sweetness and passion of the words. The instrumental sections, too, are beautifully orchestrated, evoking the ethereal mood of the song and painting a vivid picture of the celestial scenes being described.
Line by Line Meaning
Fly me to the moon
Take me on a journey away from this mundane existence.
Let me play among the stars
Allow me to explore the cosmos and its beauty.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars
Grant me the chance to experience the wonders of the universe.
In other words, hold my hand
Be my companion and guide.
In other words, baby kiss me
Express your love and affection.
Fill my heart with song
Bring joy and happiness into my life.
Let me sing forever more
Allow me to express my emotions through music.
You are all I long for
You are my deepest desire.
All I worship and adore
You are the one I hold in the highest esteem.
In other words, please be true
Be honest and faithful in our relationship.
In other words, I love you
My feelings for you are true and unwavering.
Fly me to the moon (instrumental)
The beauty of the universe transcends words.
Let me sing among the stars (instrumental)
The stars and the universe inspire me to create and express.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars (instrumental)
There is so much more to the universe than what we know.
Contributed by Wyatt P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.