Misty

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My cover of the classic song, Misty, made famous by Johnny Mathis's legendary 1959 version. I had a blast singing it — it's such a singer's workout! That high falsetto note near the end is my tip of my hat (or is it my glove?) to Johnny Mathis, who famously sang something similarly outrageous in his version.

Although it's been around for decades, this audio is also me discovering karaoke! I've been in the habit of arranging the songs I sing (because I wrote most of them), so the idea of using someone else's arrangement (and saving me a huge amount of time) is a novel one — but one that will allow me to relatively quickly explore which songs best suit my voice. (I have a feeling this includes a lot of the songs in "The Great American Songbook", like Misty.)

MISTY

Look at me:
I'm as helpless as a kitten up a tree.
And I feel like I'm clinging to a cloud.
I can't understand. . .
I get misty just holding your hand.

Walk my way
And a thousand violins begin to play.
Or it might be the sound of your hello —
That music I hear
I get misty the moment you're near.

Don't you know that you're leading me on!
But that's just what I want you to do. . .
Can't you see that I'm hopelessly lost —
That's why I'm following you!

On my own,
When I wander through this wonderland alone,
Never knowing my right foot from my left,
My hat from my glove,
I'm too misty and too much in love.

[INSTRUMENTAL]

On my own,
When I wander through this wonderland alone,
Never knowing my right foot from my left,
My hat from my glove,
I'm too misty and too much in love.
Look at me. . .

MUSIC

First time good luck — This was the first time I had ever sung this song (apart from singing snatches to myself now and then, over the years). It's a challenging song for the singer, not least because of its multi-octave range. So I was very happy with how it turned out, and decided to go with that first (and only) take as my actual release version.

That high note — Johnny Mathis's original version is strikingly beautiful in so many ways. No doubt that is why the song became the standard bearer in his vast catalog of songs. But one thing that is particularly striking is how he hits and holds a high falsetto note near the end of the song, and then seamlessly drops into the normal range of his singing:

Remembering that, I spontaneously decided to do something similar when I reached the same point in the song. . . and I'm glad it turned out okay! (And relieved, because I had never tried singing that before.)