Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.
The Way You Look Tonight
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the world is cold
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight
Yes, you're lovely
With your smile so warm, and your cheek so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you
With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that smile that wrinkles your nose
Touches my foolish heart
Lovely, never, never change
Keep that breathless charm
Won't you please arrange it, 'cause I love you
Just the way you look tonight
Just the way you look tonight
Sammy Davis Jr.'s song The Way You Look Tonight was first released in 1961 under his album Sammy's Back on Broadway. The lyrics of the song are a declaration of love and admiration for the person the singer is addressing. The opening lines reflect the fragility and emptiness the singer feels when they are alone and the world seems cold. However, the thought of the person they love brings them comfort and warmth, represented by the 'glow' they feel just thinking about them.
The second stanza describes the person the singer is addressing in affectionate terms, calling them 'lovely' and commenting on their warm smile and soft cheek. The singer declares that there is nothing else in the world for them but to love the person they address, just the way they look tonight. In the third and fourth stanzas, the singer's emotions are further explored. They are touched deeply by the tenderness conveyed in the words of the person they love, and the smile that wrinkles their nose fills them with renewed emotions. The singer pleads with the person they address to never change, to maintain their intoxicating charm and to arrange their love for them because they love the person just the way they look tonight.
In essence, the song is a love poem written to someone who brings comfort and inspiration to the singer. The imagery and use of poetic devices such as personification, repetition and alliteration convey the depth of the singer's emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Someday, when I'm awfully low
When I am feeling my lowest and saddest
And the world is cold
And everything around me feels harsh and unfriendly
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
Just the thought of you will bring warmth and light into my life
And the way you look tonight
Especially when I remember how beautiful you looked tonight
Yes, you're lovely
You are absolutely stunning
With your smile so warm, and your cheek so soft
Your gentle smile and soft cheeks make me feel so comforted and at ease
There is nothing for me but to love you
I am completely and utterly in love with you
Just the way you look tonight
Just as you are, in this present moment, you are perfect to me
With each word your tenderness grows
Every time you speak or show kindness, my feelings for you deepen
Tearing my fear apart
You are helping me confront and overcome my fears
And that smile that wrinkles your nose
There's something about the way you smile that makes my heart flutter
Touches my foolish heart
Your actions and affection affect me emotionally (even if it may seem silly)
Lovely, never, never change
You are so beautiful just the way you are, never change yourself to please others
Keep that breathless charm
Hold on to that captivating, breathtaking charm you possess
Won't you please arrange it, 'cause I love you
Can you please stay the same, because I love you more than words can express
Just the way you look tonight
In this moment, you are so gorgeous and perfect to me
Lyrics Ā© Kanjian Music, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind