In addition to her many album releases, Vikki Carr has played concerts for fans around the world, as well as appeared on stage, and television. She has starred in productions of South Pacific, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. In 2002 she starred in the Reprise production of Steven Sondheim's beloved musical Follies in Los Angeles, garnering glowing reviews from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Two years later, Los Angeles PBS affiliate, KCET, filmed a special Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias: a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940s and 1950s originally composed by Latinos, and featuring guest appearances by Jack Jones, Pepe Aguilar and Arturo Sandoval. PBS again tapped Vikki to host and star in a production celebrating the music of Mexico, Fiesta Mexicana, which was featured on all PBS stations for their June 2008 pledge drive.
Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children, began performing at the tender age of four singing "Adeste Fidelis" in Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty Records in 1961. She recorded "He's a Rebel", which first became a hit in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable release, It Must Be Him, which charged up the charts in England. A year later, the single was released in the United States and earned Carr three Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck. After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits, including With Pen in Hand, for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, The Lesson, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, and For Once in My Life.
Her international appeal was so great that she was invited to perform at a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, followed by sold-out shows throughout Europe. In the States, Carr became a darling of the White House, performing regularly at State Dinners and at President Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural celebration. President Gerald Ford called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President Bill Clinton.
A frequent musical guest on major network variety shows of celebrities like Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, and Carol Burnett, Carr also taped six specials for London Weekend TV. As an actor, she appeared on the Bing Crosby Show, Mod Squad, Fantasy Island, and co-hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World of the World pageants. She was the first woman to regularly guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. She was also a visitor and guest host on Michael Jackson's ABC radio show.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad. Frank Sinatra once said, "She possesses my kind of voice", Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business", and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald named her among their three favorite female singers of all time. Elvis Presley was also very fond of her and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in which she attended.
Vikki Carr has received numerous prestigious awards, including:
- Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Latino Spirit Award (2003)
- Tito Guizar Award (2003)
- Trefoil Award (2002)
- Inductee of the Latino Legends Hall of Fame (2000)
- Imagen Foundation "Humanitarian Award (1998)
- Hispanic Heritage Award (1996)
- Nosotros Golden Eagle Award (1988)
- Hispanic Woman of the Year (1984)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1981)
- Doctorate in Law from San Diego University (1974)
- Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University (1974)
- American Guild of Variety Artists' "Entertainer of the Year" (1972), and
- The Los Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" (1970)
She has also earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award, and was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award. In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected both as an artist and a humanitarian, Carr devotes time to many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971 she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
"My voice is a gift and a gift is nothing unless you can share it. The Foundation is one of the ways that I am able to share my gift", said Carr. "The Foundation seeks to help young Mexican-American students achieve their goals through a college education, something I myself was never able to do."
Official website: http://www.vikkicarr.com/
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
Vikki Carr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't take my eyes off you
You'd be like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you
Pardon the way that I stare
There's nothing else to compare
The sight of you leaves me weak
There are no words left to speak
But if you feel like I feel
Please let me know that is real
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you
I love you baby
And if it's quite all right
I need you baby
To warm the lonely nights
I love you baby
Trust in me when I say
Oh pretty baby
Don't bring me down I pray
Oh pretty baby
Now that I've found you stay
And let me love you, baby
Let me love you
You're just too good to be true
I can't take my eyes off you
You'd be like heaven to touch
I wanna hold you so much
At long last love has arrived
And I thank God I'm alive
You're just too good to be true
Can't take my eyes off you
I love you baby
And if it's quite all right
I need you baby
To warm the lonely nights
I love you baby
Trust in me when I say
I love you baby
Don't bring me down I pray
Oh pretty baby
Now that I've found you stay
I love you baby
The song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Vikki Carr is a declaration of love from someone who is completely smitten with their partner. The repeated phrase "You're just too good to be true" conveys the singer's disbelief at finding someone so perfect for them. The singer is entranced by their partner's beauty and confesses that they can't look away from them, wanting to hold them and be close to them. They express their gratitude for finally finding love and feeling alive because of it. The chorus repeats the idea that the singer can't take their eyes off their partner, emphasizing the intensity of their feelings.
In the second verse, the singer addresses the object of their affections more directly, asking for confirmation that their feelings are reciprocated. They explain that the sight of their partner leaves them "weak" and "speechless", which shows the depth of their emotions. The bridge section is especially poignant, with the singer acknowledging the vulnerability that comes with falling in love and asking their partner not to bring them down. They are overcome with feelings of love and need for their partner, and they end the song by declaring their love once more and asking their partner to stay with them.
Line by Line Meaning
You're just too good to be true
You are too perfect to be real
I can't take my eyes off you
I cannot stop looking at you
You'd be like heaven to touch
Your touch would feel like heaven
I wanna hold you so much
I want to hold you very tightly and never let go
At long last love has arrived
Finally, I have found true love
And I thank God I'm alive
I am grateful to God that I am alive to experience this love
Pardon the way that I stare
I apologize for staring at you
There's nothing else to compare
There is nothing else that can match your beauty
The sight of you leaves me weak
You make me feel faint just by looking at you
There are no words left to speak
I am speechless because of how amazing you are
But if you feel like I feel
If you feel the same way I do
Please let me know that is real
Please confirm that this is not just a dream
I love you baby
I love you, my dear
And if it's quite all right
If it is okay with you
I need you baby
I need you by my side
To warm the lonely nights
To keep me warm during my lonely nights
Trust in me when I say
Believe me when I tell you
Don't bring me down I pray
Please do not disappoint me
Now that I've found you stay
Now that I have found you, please stay with me
And let me love you, baby
Let me show you how much I love you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Broma 16
Written by: Bob Crewe, Robert Gaudio
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@donnieallums4847
Iâm 66 years old now, and boy does this bring back memories. So classy! Now we have vulgar disrespecting women, rap junk, that they call music canât get into it, but this yes, so nice!âźïžâ€ïž
@PepperWilliamsMusicBlend
I'm 71 years old and I agree 100%. Here you have pure class, dressed very elegantly, no gymnastics on the floor, no tats, no nudity, no auto tune......Just pure unadulterated talent!â€â€â€â€â€â€â€
@donnieallums4847
Thanks for the reply. You said it so nicely. Hope all is well with your family and friends.âźïžâ€ïž
@chenwenhua2269
LOVE HER live, pure voice, no pretentions. I love Vikki. Same voice on records and live
@donnieallums4847
@@chenwenhua2269 she is great isnât she! Thanks for the reply. Hope all is well with you.âźïžâ€ïž
@andreaandreaoficial
What happens is that we artists that have style have been pushed away by the evil ones that rule the business with nasty things, on top of that politics have gotten involved into music with ideologies that contaminate the new generations. I quit the industry because all they wanted was trashy music. I have been singing for God for the last 15 years
@xose2863
Simply divine! Todayâs idolized female singers canât hold a candle to the lovely and talented Miss Carr.
@beyondonethousand
No way.
@mariamendoza5504
I miss the good old days. How I wish we could turn time and go back. đąâ€
@jimbo43ohara51
What happened to that clean cut look, and that classy dress. Boy, those were the days.