Foley was born in Blue Lick, Kentucky. He began playing the guitar and the harmonica as a young boy and at age seventeen he won first prize in a statewide talent show. Ultimately he signed with Decca Records in 1941. His hit songs include Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy, Old Shep, Sugarfoot Rag, and Tennessee Saturday Night. Peace in the Valley, backed up by The Sunshine Boys, in 1951 became the first gospel record to sell a million copies, and One By One, a duet with Kitty Wells, became a chart topper in 1954.
For more than two decades, Foley was a major star of country music, selling in excess of twenty-five million records. During 1962-63, Foley was a regular cast member along with Fess Parker in the television series, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
Red Foley was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1967. For his contribution to the music industry, Red Foley also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6225 Hollywood Blvd.
He died unexpectedly in 1968 in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the age of fifty-eight from a heart attack. He is interred in the Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
His daughter from his second marriage to Judy Martin (nee: Eva Alaine Overstake) is Shirley Lee Foley who is married to singer Pat Boone. His granddaughter is singer Debby Boone.
Make Believe
Red Foley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just pretend that it's true just pretend that it's true
Make believe you have me I'll make believe I have you
We'll make believe till we can make it come true
You belong to another you belong to another
I belong to someone too I belong to someone too
But they can't seem to see that our love just has to be
[ fiddle - steel ]
Maybe someday up above maybe someday up above
We'll understand our kind of love we'll understand our kind of love
We know a love like ours is real I know just the way you feel
We'll make believe till we can make it come true
Make believe that we're happy...
In Red Foley's song "Make Believe," the singer talks about pretending to be happy and in love with someone even though they both belong to different people. The song starts off with the singer encouraging the person they are with to pretend to be happy and that their love is true. They both know that they belong to other people, but they desire to be together, and in order to do that, they will make believe until they can make it come true.
The chorus repeats the idea of make-believe, and explains that although they belong to other people and that their love might not be accepted, they will still believe in the possibility of their love. The song concludes with the singer expressing hope that one day they will understand their love and that it will become true.
Overall, the message of the song is about the power of imagination, and how pretending or imagining something can provide hope and happiness, even when the situation might not be ideal.
Line by Line Meaning
Make believe that we're happy make believe that we're happy
Let's pretend that we're happy, although we might not be
Just pretend that it's true just pretend that it's true
We can create a false reality and pretend that it's true
Make believe you have me I'll make believe I have you
We can imagine that we're together, even though we're not
We'll make believe till we can make it come true
We'll keep pretending until our false reality becomes real
You belong to another you belong to another
You're in a relationship with someone else
I belong to someone too I belong to someone too
I'm also in a relationship with someone else
But they can't seem to see that our love just has to be
Our partners don't understand the depth of our love
Maybe someday up above maybe someday up above
Perhaps someday in the future
We'll understand our kind of love we'll understand our kind of love
We'll come to understand the unique nature of our love
We know a love like ours is real I know just the way you feel
We know that our love is genuine, I can sense your true emotions
We'll make believe till we can make it come true
We'll continue to imagine a reality where we're together, hoping that it comes true
Make believe that we're happy...
Let's continue pretending that we're happy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB HAMILTON, JOANNE JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@edclark3183
One of their best!!
@cadjunk
Wow this is a good oldie. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed this one. Have a great new week. Gwen
@edclark3183
Great pedal steel guitar work on this song. Was that Buddy Emmons playing it?
@dvdman49
Thank you very much Gwen!
@leonchildsjr8690
Co-written by Billy Walker