By Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer1942
Lyricist Mercer, deeply in love with Judy Garland, and an on-and-off paramour of the iconic singer/actress, allegedly wrote the lyrics to this Arlen tune for her. One of the finest products of the legendary Arlen/Mercer collaboration, it was actually introduced on record by Garland herself. It remains one of the most recognizable standards to this day.
Lyrics:
That old black magic has me in its spell, that old black magic that you weave so well.
Those icy fingers up and down my spine,
That same old witchcraft when your eyes meet mine.
The same old tingle that I feel inside, and then that elevator starts its ride,
And down and down I go, round and round I go, like a leaf that's caught in the tide.
I should stay away, but what can I do?
I hear your name and I'm aflame.
Aflame with such a burning desire that only your kiss can put out the fire.
For you're the lover I have waited for, the mate that fate had me created for.
And every time your lips meet mine, darling, down and down I go, round and round I go,
In a spin, loving the spin I'm in, under that old black magic called love.
Recorded By:
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Glenn Miller
Sammy David Jr.
Louis Prima & Keely Smith
Posts
5 comments:
I am deeply, deeply obsessed with Judy Garland. I understand his inkling.
Hey, hey, hey--showin love to Standard of the Day! Now you officially rule. Well, you already did, but you get the point. This blog is a true labor of love, and I never really put effort into promoting it (or the pulp one), keeping the focus on VOH. So it tickles me pink when people check it out.
And yeah, Judy is divine. And this is coming from a straight man, believe it or not.
This is a pretty fantastic blog, B-Sol, for serious. I mean, it's right up my alley. I've checked it out a time or two, but I'm going to add it to the list to check out regularly now.
ASIDE: When I was but a wee bonny lass, I spent my summer with my grandparents, and all we did all summer was watch old musicals together. So you seriously have my heart here, buddy.
(Fuck, I hate captchas.)
Haha yeah, unfortunately captchas became necessary because this site was gettin bombarded by spammers for some reason, must be the effete, theater-going demographic that marketers crave...
My childhood sounds kinda similar to yours, we had an unusual amount of older people in my family growing up (big Italian family, lots of unmarried great aunts and uncles), and we spent tons of time together. Got a lot of exposure to films and music from way before my time. Nice to find a kindred spirit :-)
Love this song! I think one of my very favorite versions is actually Kevin Spacey's from "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." That was the first way I heard it!
iamemmamusic.blogspot.com
Post a Comment