Out of This World
mel tormé & george shearing Lyrics
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When I'm looking at you,
I hear out of this world
The music that no mortal ever knew.
You're right out of a book,
The fairy tale I read when I was so high;
No armored knight out of a book
After waiting so long for the right time,
After reaching so long for a star,
All at once from the long and lonely night time,
And despite time, here you are!
I'd fly out of this world
If you said we were through,
So let me fly out of this world
And spend the next eternity or two with you;
I'll spend the next eternity or two with you.
In "Out of This World," Mel Tormé and George Shearing capture the overwhelming feeling of being completely awestruck by the person you love. The song opens with Tormé singing, "You're clear out of this world / When I'm looking at you." He feels like he's experiencing something otherworldly when he looks at his lover, as if they come from a special place beyond this Earth. This feeling is only amplified by the next line, "I hear out of this world / The music that no mortal ever knew." Tormé is saying that being with his beloved is like hearing a music so beautiful that it can't possibly be of this world.
The second verse of the song is more personal, with Tormé singing about the fairy tale that he's been living since he met this special someone. In this fairy tale, he's the enchanted knight who's found his own equally enchanted Lorelei. The song's bridge expresses the relief that comes with finally finding love after waiting for so long: "After waiting so long for the right time / After reaching so long for a star / All at once from the long and lonely night time / And despite time, here you are!" Tormé is saying that everything that happened before this love was leading up to this moment, and it's all worth it because of the person he's found.
Finally, Tormé declares that he'd be willing to leave this world and spend eternity with his love if it meant being with them forever. In "Out of This World," Tormé and Shearing create a love song that captures the awe and wonder that can come with love, and how it can make you feel like you're experiencing something truly magical and special.
Line by Line Meaning
You're clear out of this world
You are beyond anything that exists in this world.
When I'm looking at you,
When I gaze upon you,
I hear out of this world
I hear an otherworldly sound.
The music that no mortal ever knew.
A kind of music that no human has ever experienced.
You're right out of a book,
You are like a character straight out of a fantasy book.
The fairy tale I read when I was so high;
You are reminiscent of a storybook that I read when I was young and innocent.
No armored knight out of a book
No fictional hero from a book,
Could find a more enchanted Lorelei than I.
Could find a more enchanted siren than you.
After waiting so long for the right time,
After waiting eagerly for the perfect moment,
After reaching so long for a star,
After spending so much time trying to reach for something beyond my grasp,
All at once from the long and lonely night time,
Suddenly, after a long and lonely period,
And despite time, here you are!
Despite time passing and odds against us, here you are in my life.
I'd fly out of this world
I would transcend this reality,
If you said we were through,
If you ended our relationship,
So let me fly out of this world
Therefore, let me transcend this reality,
And spend the next eternity or two with you;
So that I may spend an infinite amount of time with you.
I'll spend the next eternity or two with you.
I will spend an infinite amount of time with you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tuxguys
This Arlen/Mercer tune is one of my greatest favorites, and what Shearing and Torme have done here with it is almost supernatural:
They've turned it into a concert piece, worthy of a presentation in Carnegie Hall.
Torme sings with a bel canto control and precision, to say nothing of a musicality, that can only be compared to the great recital singers, like Fischer-Diskau and Wunderlich (especially the latter).
Shearing's accompaniment, with its subtle reharmonizations of this already harmonically-rich tune, sounds as though Franz Schubert had composed it while having access to the future musical vocabulary of Gabriel Faure.
(The piano intro, evoking, but not copying Debussy's "La cathédrale engloutie," was a nice touch.)
Stunning...
Almost stupefying in its beauty...
...and it was so perfectly performed and recorded that the sound of applause at the end was actually a shock:
This piece of Musical Perfection was recorded in front of an audience!
varadero1839
I'm already a fan, but to receive a notice like this, I feel so honored! The 3 artists here, Jennifer Jones, George Shearing and Mr.Mel Tormé are no longer with us. Their artistry will live on always. Thanks so much for your notice of their having "hit the spot!" Best wishes!
varadero1839
And how he did it indeed! Thanks so much again kind friend. Here's hoping the hopeful artists of today will take a bit away from this amazing performance by Mr. Mel Tormé! Few can equal his abilities as an artist and singer. Though not one of the participants here are still with us, I suspect both the voice, and the face would have been proud to have been accompanied by Mr. George Shearing.
varadero1839
Thanks so much for your mention! These two performers were meant to be in tandem; it was decreed long ago! Just kidding! They're superb together, and Ms. Jones and her ethereal beauty is like icing on the cake!
varadero1839
@kenllow80 Thank you so much! This voice could move mountains! What a winner.
Arturo
Torme and Shearing. Both of them were never known as nice people in real life, but certainly they were two of the most talented and sensitive musicians to ever live. Like many of the great athletes, same with musicians.
An absolutely gorgeous tune..no one else has ever interpreted this beautiful tune like these two geniuses.
tuxguys
This Arlen/Mercer tune is one of my greatest favorites, and what Shearing and Torme have done here with it is almost supernatural:
They've turned it into a concert piece, worthy of a presentation in Carnegie Hall.
Torme sings with a bel canto control and precision, to say nothing of a musicality, that can only be compared to the great recital singers, like Fischer-Diskau and Wunderlich (especially the latter).
Shearing's accompaniment, with its subtle reharmonizations of this already harmonically-rich tune, sounds as though Franz Schubert had composed it while having access to the future musical vocabulary of Gabriel Faure.
(The piano intro, evoking, but not copying Debussy's "La cathédrale engloutie," was a nice touch.)
Stunning...
Almost stupefying in its beauty...
...and it was so perfectly performed and recorded that the sound of applause at the end was actually a shock:
This piece of Musical Perfection was recorded in front of an audience!
TheReturnofStephan1
I keep coming back to this clip! It's so instructive for young singers. Whenever I'm asked, by a new artist, to check out their material, I point them in the direction of this track, to see how a master of the genre does it!
Marilyn Hayden
This song fascinated me when it first cme out. I was 22 and the radio was on almost all day. This song was not a mega hit, but I have always thought it was one of the greats. Why not, with Harold Arlen (Over the Rainbow) and Johnny Mercer, probably the most prolific and creative lyricist ever. So imginative. This lovely rendition is the best. With Mel Torme and George Shearing, how could it get better!
varadero1839
Hi Marilyn,
I think we're both agreeing at this point. Though for me Dick Clark was beginning to make inroads to my radio listening, I'm still so honored to have heard the masters! I'm thinking these 3 went beyond genius! I'm not sure why, but this clip is "verboten" on anywhere but here! Happy you watched and gave credit to the artists shown here! Thank you!
Arturo
Haunting...beautiful...perfect....one of the greatest- but vastly underplayed- examples of the famous Velvet Fog sound.