Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut, on Au… Read Full Bio ↴Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr. in Stamford, Connecticut, on August 25, 1950; died in New York City on August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter of Basque, Pequot, and Irish descent. During his thirty-five year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, Deville created original songs rooted in various American musical styles. He worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of contemporary music, including Jack Nitzsche, Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Allen Toussaint, and Eddie Bo. A wide range of styles, including latin rhythms, blues riffs, doo-wop, Cajun music, strains of French cabaret, and echoes of early-1960s uptown soul, can be heard in DeVille's work.

As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.

The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.

DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."

DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.

DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.

You'll Never Know
Willy DeVille Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You'll never know just how much I miss you
You'll never know just how much I care
And if I tried, I still couldn't hide my love for you
You ought to know, for haven't I told you so

A million or more times?
You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer

If there is some other way to prove that I love you

I swear I don't know how
You'll never know if you don't know now
(You went away and my heart went with you
I speak your name in my every prayer)

If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I swear I don't know how

You'll never know if you don't know now
You'll never know if you don't know now

Overall Meaning

Willy DeVille's "You'll Never Know" is a classic love ballad that explores the tender emotions that arise when we love someone who doesn't reciprocate those feelings. The opening lines of the song are heartbreaking, as the singer sings, "You'll never know just how much I miss you / You'll never know just how much I care." These lines set the tone for the rest of the song, which is a lament for a love that can never be fulfilled.

As the song progresses, the singer expresses his deep devotion to his beloved, despite her absence. He declares that he speaks her name in his every prayer and that his heart went with her when she left. He also acknowledges that he has told her a million or more times how much he loves her, but she still doesn't seem to know.

The chorus repeats the refrain, "You'll never know if you don't know now," which is both poignant and desperate. The singer wants his beloved to understand the depth of his feelings, but he knows that it may be too late. The final lines of the song emphasize this idea, as he declares that he doesn't know how to prove his love and that his beloved will never know unless she realizes it in the present moment.

Overall, "You'll Never Know" is a moving meditation on the pain of unrequited love and the hope that somehow, someway, our beloved might come to understand the depth of our feelings.

Line by Line Meaning

You'll never know just how much I miss you
I miss you more than you can ever imagine

You'll never know just how much I care
My love for you is beyond measure

And if I tried, I still couldn't hide my love for you
I cannot conceal my feelings for you

You ought to know, for haven't I told you so
I have expressed my love for you many times

A million or more times?
I have told you countless times

You went away and my heart went with you
My heart is with you even though you are gone

I speak your name in my every prayer
You are always in my thoughts and prayers

If there is some other way to prove that I love you
I am willing to prove my love for you in any way

I swear I don't know how
I am unsure of how to prove my love for you

You'll never know if you don't know now
If you don't realize my love for you now, you never will

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JASON DARR, JACEN DEAN EKSTROM, BRIAN HOWES, MIKE SWEENEY, JAMIE WARREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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