Strange dear, but true dear, When I'm close to you, dear, The stars fill the sky, So in love with you am I. Even without you, My arms fold about you, You know darling why, So in love with you am I. In love with the night mysterious, The night when you first were there, In love with my joy delirious, When I knew that you could care So taunt me, and hurt me, Deceive me, desert me, I'm yours, till I die... So in love... So in love... So in love with you, my love... am I...
It's wonderful to be able to watch and listen to various versions of repertoire that I'm going to sing. This fine singer shows nuance to his interpretation that I hadn't considered. Thank you Ben Davis!
How I remember singing this one. Have always really enjoyed the song and it's meaning. It took all I could from bursting into song. But it's Saturday at 8:22 AM in the middle of a CoVid-19 lockdown and people are asleep. I sure miss those years when I was singing and doing shows. BTW, none better than Cole Porter's music and lyrics: So classy.
I never heard of Ben Davis either until I saw Kiss Me Kate at the BBC Proms here on youtube and I must say, I was in heaven. He has such a great singing voice and great looking as well. I would mind singing opposite of him. :) I found some of videos of him singing, including The Sound of Music and South Pacific. He's worth it to follow him including twitter.
I didn't know wo Ben Davis was before I started listening to him sing this song - but now I'm going to find out a lot more about him! Glorious! He brings power to the song with such smooth, heartfelt ease.
Had no idea who Ben Davis was until last Saturday night. He sang the lead in Shenandoah at our local Summer Theater, Totem Pole Playhouse, in the Woods in Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania. He is wonderful! What a talent! Hope to hear more from him in the future.
I PLAYED THIS ROLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, 1966, AT THE "NEW LONDON PLAYHOUSE"......JUST A GREAT EXPERIENCE, TOO........& STEVEN SCHWARTZ WAS OUR MUSICAL CONDUCTOR, ( AT AGE 18!)..JACK ENGLISH..ACTOR/SINGER..WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIF..........JE
Strange, dear, but true, dear, When I'm close to you, dear, The stars fill the sky, So in love with you am I. Even without you My arms fold about you. You know, darling why, So in love with you am I. In love with the night mysterious The night when you first were there. In love with my joy delirious When I knew that you could care. So taunt me and hurt me, Deceive me, desert me, I'm yours 'til I die, So in love, So in love, So in love with you, my love, am I.
The role was composed for Alfred Drake a baritone like Ben Davis and Lili for a soprano like was Patrícia Morison In later years talented artists played the roles. Among the men I prefer Davis and Bryan Stokes Mitchell and among the women the late Marin Mazzie Rachel York and Kelli O Hara. But my favourites are still Alfred Drake and Patrícia Morison Just watch the 1958 TV performance although I also loved Howard Keel a performance on the 1953 movie .Later Morison and Keel played together in a sixties London performance and I would have prefered, Morison instead of Grayson in the 1953 movie.
It may be because I relate to the song from a woman's point of view, but I think the best version of So in Love goes to Rachel York. She sang the song in a lower key and showed off her range while acting the hell out of the song. I do like the soprano versions of So in Love, but I find that it's more difficult to act while singing the song in a higher key and the difficulty shows in most soprano performances. Otherwise, the actor relies on too much vibrato. Brent Barrett sang the So in Love reprisal just as well as Ben Davis, I think. I like Brent Barrett's acting better as he expressed the song lyrics more dynamically: as if he were remembering a fond memory while at the same time lamenting Lilli's leaving. You could see the song's emotions on his face. Ben Davis' singing had less vibrato (which I like better), but the acting was a little flat for me.
