The Platters formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. They had a contract with Federal Records but experienced little record success until they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. He added lead vocalist Tony Williams (who gave the Platters their distinctive sound) and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in an R&B/gospel style, scoring minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded at Federal, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.
Despite lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--so successful that The Penguins, fresh from their No. 2 single Earth Angel, asked Ram to manage them too. With the Penguins as a bargaining chip, Ram persuaded Mercury Records into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, he insisted, the label also take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins never had a hit for the label.
Convinced by Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the group re-record it during their first Mercury session. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. It has since become one of the most played records in any genre and the song has been covered by innumerable artists. Ironically, the follow-up, The Great Pretender, with lyrics written by Ram in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the chart success of their début and became the Platters' first national No.1 hit. The Great Pretender was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-week run at the top of that chart. In 1956. The Platters appeared in the first major rock n roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"[2] and they sang "You'll Never Never Know" in The Girl Can't Help It, produced the same year.
The Platters' unique vocal style touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 No. 1 hits, one Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (No. 11) and "He's Mine" (No. 23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (No.12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (No.4) in 1956. The Platters hit on a successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock n roll record". It topped both American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement.
The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock n roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Many groups have toured bearing the name The Platters but only one member of the original line-up, Herb Reed, was still touring and performing with Herb Reed's Platters in 2008.
Zola Taylor died on April 30th 2007 of pneumonia whilst recovering from surgery.
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My true love was true
I of course replied
Something here inside cannot be denied
They said "someday you'll find all who love are blind"
When your heart's on fire,
You must realize, smoke gets in your eyes
So I chaffed them and I gaily laughed
To think they could doubt my love
Yet today my love has flown away,
I am without my love
Now laughing friends deride
Tears I cannot hide
So I smile and say
When a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your eyes
(Smoke gets in your eyes, smoke gets in your eyes)
Smoke gets in your eyes
The lyrics to The Platters' iconic song, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, describe the pain of losing a loved one and the difficulty of moving on. The song begins with the singer being asked how they knew their love was true, to which they replied that they could not deny the feeling inside themselves. Others mocked their belief, telling them that love makes people blind. However, the singer knew their heart was on fire with love. They then describe how they chaffed and laughed at those who doubted their love, but now that their love has flown away, they find themselves without their love.
The second verse describes how the singer's friends now mock their tears, causing them to smile and say that when a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your eyes. This line evokes the image of smoke rising from the ashes of a fire, representing the pain and sadness that lingers after a great love has ended. The song ends with the title line, "smoke gets in your eyes," repeated twice, emphasizing the lingering pain and emotional damage caused by lost love.
Overall, the lyrics to Smoke Gets in Your Eyes are a poignant and powerful depiction of the pain of lost love. The image of smoke is used effectively to both symbolize the passion and intensity of love and the sadness and grief that follow its loss.
Line by Line Meaning
They asked me how I knew
People asked me how I knew if my love was true.
My true love was true
That the love I had for someone was real and authentic.
I of course replied
I responded to them, obviously.
Something here inside cannot be denied
There was a feeling inside of me that I couldn't ignore.
They said 'someday you'll find all who love are blind'
Other people told me that love can make people blind to the truth.
When your heart's on fire,
When you feel a passion so intense.
You must realize, smoke gets in your eyes
It's important to understand that sometimes we can be blinded by our emotions.
So I chaffed them and I gaily laughed
I brushed off their doubts and laughed it off.
To think they could doubt my love
It was surprising to me that they could think my love was anything less than true.
Yet today my love has flown away,
But now my love has left me.
I am without my love
And now I'm alone.
Now laughing friends deride
Now my friends are teasing me.
Tears I cannot hide
I can't help but show my emotions and cry.
So I smile and say
But I try to put on a brave face.
When a lovely flame dies, smoke gets in your eyes
When a beautiful love ends, it can be overwhelming and make it hard to see clearly.
(Smoke gets in your eyes, smoke gets in your eyes)
The smoke is a metaphor for the confusion and overwhelming emotions one feels after losing love.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bettystowe4034
I am. I'm 67. I had a sister who was 17 years older than me. She had Platters albums. When she married and left home, she left her albums behind. I would listen to them over and over. I loved those songs as a little child and to this day, I get a thrill when I hear them. Thanks Sissy for turning me on to such great music.
@ThemePro24
My parents and most of their generation are gone but the wonderful music of their era was gifted to us as a timeless echo of their presence.
@lindahale2434
I'm 72, and I listen to music from the late 1950s, up to 1980s. I have every song from the Temptations, Smoky Robinson and the Miracles,Gladys Knight and the Pips ( my babies).All the cuts from The Platters,The Dells, all of Luther Vandross(Creep Creep Creep). Maze. I've been colleting my music for a long time. And I don't loan them out. NO WAY! ❤❤❤
@gloriabebop5313
My sister was 17 & pregnant when this record came out, she was so scared, everything worked out, I play it now just to think about her, she will be 76 on March 6 of this month, that baby she was so scared with has gone to live with the Lord, she kept him & gave him a good life❤
@yvonneanthonijsz771
The best music there is.I have been listening to the Platters since 1956. Brings back memories of the young man I was dating .
In December we will be married 63 years❤
@opelzafira2000
I wish you and yours all the best and many more happy years together. Paul in Praque
@patriciajohnson6653
Congratulations...and many more.
@yvonneanthonijsz771
Paul in Praque. Dank je wel.
@yvonneanthonijsz771
@@patriciajohnson6653 Thank you so much.
@joycelakey8535
I am 82 and still love them