Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Music of Our Parents - True Love


Background:  Shadowhouse Creations

My parents, Johnny Jones and Ginnie Ryan, married 63 years ago on January 24th, 1948.  As mentioned in an earlier post, they were part of the post-war group of brides and grooms who were later responsible for the "Baby Boom."  My mother and her two sisters, Evelyn and Florence, all got married between January and May of 1948.  Evelyn was actually the first to get engaged, but she felt that, as the oldest, my mother should get married first.  Therefore, my Mom and Dad had to "get it together" and schedule a date before Evelyn's planned April wedding.

It snowed that January 24th, and my mother used to say that there was a movie out at the time called The Bride Wore Boots.  Sure enough, a search of Wikipedia came up with a review of a 1946 romantic comedy staring Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Cummings -- not the most memorable film.

But this is one in a series of posts that discusses the music of our parents -- songs that are etched into the collective memories of the "Big Kids."  One of my favorites is a song called True LoveI found out that this song, written by Cole Porter, was featured in a 1956 film called High SocietyIt starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra.  The lyrics were simple.

True Love
Sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly
Suntanned, windblown
Honeymooners at last alone
Feeling far above par
Oh, how lucky we are
While I give to you and you give to me
True love, true love
So on and on it will always be
True love, true love
For you and I have a guardian angel
On high, with nothing to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true
For you and I have a guardian angel
On high, with nothin' to do
But to give to you and to give to me
Love forever true
Love forever true

"True Love" earned Grace Kelly (Later "Princess Grace of Monaco") her first and only gold record. It earned Bing his 21st.  (Credit:  Oldie Lyrics)

I put together a photoshow that features the marriage of Charles McCafferty and Evelyn Ryan.  It is accompanied by this beautiful song.  To hear it, click on this link:  McCafferty Memories

To see a clip of the movie with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, view this youtube clip.  I love the sailboat.

4 comments:

  1. Love the story of how your aunt maneuvered your parents into "getting it together" - sounds like a wise lady.

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  2. wonderful photos and posting. I love the music and movie to go with the time of the family events.

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  3. Such an evocative song. My mother sang this to me as a lullaby throughout my childhood and I sang it to my children as well. My son made sure it was played at his wedding last summer. Some of these songs transcend the generations.

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  4. I loved this song, lying dormant in my memory until I read your post. Wisps of childhood float through my mind--the stereo playing in the living room, dinner smells wafting through the house, my mother smiling. I don't know that anyone sang it to me, or that I ever memorized the lyrics. Hearing it I just return to that safe place. Isn't it funny how music can do that?

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