JOHNNY MATHIS - MISTY

MISTY

JOHNNY MATHIS

SONGWRITERS: JOHNNY BURKE &ERROLL GARNER

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: HEAVENLY

LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS

GENRE: POP

YEAR: 1959

 

             John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer-songwriter of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts to date. Mathis has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings.

Although frequently described as a romantic singer, his discography includes traditional pop, Brazilian and Spanish music, soul, rhythm and blues, show tunes, Tin Pan Alley, soft rock, blues, country music, and even a few disco songs for his album Mathis Magic in 1979. Mathis has also recorded six albums of Christmas music. In a 1968 interview, Mathis cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby among his musical influences.

            "Misty" is a jazz standard written in 1954 by pianist Erroll Garner. He composed it as an instrumental in the traditional 32-bar format and recorded it for the album Contrasts (1955). Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke. It became the signature song of Johnny Mathis, appearing on his 1959 album Heavenly and reaching number 12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart later that year. The song has been recorded many times, including versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

Look at me

I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree

And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud

I can't understand

I get misty, just holding your hand

 

Walk my way

And a thousand violins begin to play

Or it might be the sound of your hello

That music I hear

I get misty the moment you're near

 

You can say that you're leading me on

But it's just what I want you to do

Don't you notice how hoplessly I'm lost

That's why I'm following you

 

On my own

Would I wander through this wonderland alone

Never knowing my right foot from my left

My hat from my glove

I'm too misty and too much in love

[repeat after music interlude]

Look at me.