Ray Stevens, a pop and country singer, is famous for his song “Everything is Beautiful.” Aside from being a singer and songwriter, Stevens is also a comedian. His rendition of the song “Misty” made him popular too. He made it peak at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1975, moreover making it stay on the chart for 16 consecutive weeks. The song was the number one track on his same-titled album Misty. In 1975 the album was released. It contained covers of songs from various artists and some original ones. Stevens original songs were“Sunshine” and “Take Care of Business.” The album Misty peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1975, remaining on the chart for a total of 17 weeks.
“Misty”
“Misty” was originally written in 1954 and was intended as an instrumental composition. Johnny Burke wrote the lyrics for the song, then it was first recorded by Johnny Mathis. After his recording, various artists started to cover the song, from Ray Stevens to Frank Sinatra and even Ella Fitzgerald.
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens’ version is different from the original version, it’s more upbeat and country style. The original version of the song by Johnny Mathis was a ballad song. The song made him win a Grammy award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists. Furthermore, he was nominated for Grammy Awards Best Country Male Vocal Performance in 1975.
The content
Stevens’ changed some parts of the lyrics. Instead of being a romantic ballad song, he turned it into a song about God. Therefore, “Misty” is a song about a man talking to God and saying how he felt whenever God is near him. He knew that he is lost in life and that the only way to find his way back is to follow God. The man fearlessly proclaims his love to the Lord for He has been good to him all the time. Stevens did a great job making a whole new style for this song. It’s livelier and more catchy.
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Tags
Johnny Burke, misty, Ray Stevens