THE KISS IN YOUR EYES
(Richard Franz Joseph Heuberger (m) / Johnny Burke (American lyrics) )
As sung by Lauritz Melchior (1946)
Also sung by:
Beverly Sills
Caroline Dumas
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Bing Crosby (see notes below)
And many others...
You can say your lips
Are not for me
But you can't hide the kiss
That's in your eyes.
And you can say my arms
Would only leave you cold
But wait 'til they hold you
And then, look wise.
Yes, and you can say tonight
Will come and go
Without a single moments
Worth of sighs.
But why should I agree
When I know what will be
It's plain to me
Plain as the kiss in your eyes.
(bridge)
Plain as the kiss in your eyes.
Oh, you can say tonight
Will come and go
Without a single moments
Worth of sighs.
But why should I agree
When I know what will be
It's plain to me
Plain as the kiss in your eyes...
Plain as the kiss in your eyes.
Notes:
This particular version of the lyric is by Lauritz Melchior.
It is generally held that Melchior is one of the ten greatest
operatic tenors in recorded music history. In this rarefied
atmosphere, this puts him squarely amidst the operatic elite,
Caruso, Pavarotti, Gigli, Domingo and Gedda to name a few.
The song/lyric has a very interesting pedigree. Richard Heuberger
was an Austrian composer of ballets, cantatas, operas and
operettas. As a trained engineer originally, he eventually devoted
himself to the study of music in 1876. His most important
contribution and one that he is best known for (of his six works)
is his 1898 three act operetta Der Opernball which was loosely based
on the comedy 'Les Dominos Roses'. The most famous piece of music from
this work is 'Komm mit mir ins chambre séparée'.
Throughout the years it has often been referred to as
'Im Chambre Séparée' and may be found in Op. 40 Act III.
The operetta and this piece has become an integral part of the German
opera/operetta repertory and remains widely produced to this day.
This song also formed part of the soundtrack from the Paramount Pictures
1948 Technicolor film 'The Emperor Waltz'.
Director: Billy Wilder
Leads: Bing Crosby / Joan Fontaine / Roland Culver / Lucile Watson
(Transcribed by David Story May 2014)
