PEGGY LEE - JOHNNY GUITAR

JOHNNY GUITAR

PEGGY LEE

SONGWRITERS: VICTOR YOUNG & PEGGY LEE

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: JOHNNY GUITAR/VINYL

LABEL: BRUNSWICK

GENRE: POP

YEAR: 1954

Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music.

"Johnny Guitar" is a song written by Peggy Lee(lyrics) and Victor Young(music) and was the title track of the 1954 film Johnny Guitar directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Joan Crawford. The music loosely echoes several themes from Spanish Dance Nº. 5: Andaluza by Enrique Granados, which was written for piano, but is often played on classical guitar.

The instrumental for the song is used over the opening credits and throughout the film. The song is played on the piano by Joan Crawford (dubbed) and sung partially at the end by Peggy Lee.

The song became an instant classic and has been covered many times as a song and as an instrumental. It was also played on all of the radio stations in the 2010 videogame Fallout: New Vegas.

Play the guitar, play it again, my Johnny

Maybe you're cold, but you're so warm inside

I was always a fool for my Johnny

For the one they call Johnny Guitar

Play it again, Johnny Guitar

Whether you go, whether you stay, I love you

What if you're cruel, you can be kind I know

There was never a man like my Johnny

Like the one they call Johnny Guitar