Song Lyric Sunday – The Very Thought of You

It is always a personal quest to respond to the song topics that Jim Adams provides every week. This week is no different. The suggestion is to make the song face related using Chin/Ears/Eyes/Face/Mouth/Nose as starting points. Jim has also asked us to stretch ourselves a little and talk a little more about why we chose the song.

This week was an easy choice for me. There were several possibilities of course, but to me, “The Very Thought of You” was really the only choice. What a lyrically evocative song and the musical score is just as evocative. It is a beautiful love song and fits perfectly with today’s topic.

Jim’s mention of symmetry Vs. beauty being in the eye of the beholder, made these lines stand out:

I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above

The lyrics and music were both written by the legendary Ray Noble. It was first recorded in 1934 by Ray Noble and his Orchestra with vocals by another legend, Al Bowlly. My daughter is a huge Al Bowlly fan, and this version always reminds me of her.

The song has been recorded by an amazing list of wonderful vocal artists over the years. Besides the original recording, one of my favorite recordings was by Nat King Cole.

This version was featured in one of my favorite Thanksgiving movies, “Home for the Holidays”. It is played during the final scene which always makes me cry. I can be a sentimental old fool, and this reflective scene showing all the members of a dysfunctional family finding their own happiness in spite of everything always gets to me. I suppose it reminds me a lot of my parents, too. Reflecting on the life I had with them makes me miss them very much.

There is also a scene in the movie where Charles Durning sings this song, much the same way my dad would often sing in the car. It makes me miss him so much. It starts at 3:55 in this clip below.

Lyrics from Genius.com

“The Very Thought of You”
[Verse 1]
I don’t need your photograph to keep by my bed
Your picture is always in my head
I don’t need your portrait dear, to bring you to mind
For sleeping or waking dear, I find

[Chorus 1]
The very thought of you
And I forget to do
The little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do

[Verse 2]
I’m living in a kind of daydream
And I’m happy as a king
And foolish, though it may seem
Why to me, that’s everything

[Chorus 2]
The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You’ll never know
How slow the moments go
‘Till I’m near to you

[Verse 3]
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It’s just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love
[Interlude]

[Chorus 2]
The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You’ll never know
How slow the moments go
‘Till I’m near to you

[Verse 3]
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It’s just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

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Sundays are always magically musical for those reading and participating in this song lyric challenge. If you think you would like to join in, head over to A Unique Title for Me and join in the fun. All the links to this week’s contributions can be found in the comments.