Then just like a cigarette
Love seem to fade awayand leave behind ashes of regret...
Ivie Anderson deserves to be better known. One of Duke Ellington's earliest vocalists - and his first full time girl singer - her delivery is straightforward and swinging, just the way I like it. Love is like a cigarette conjures up a smoky time in the past when cigarettes evoked romance, moodiness, excitement. Think of Paul Henreid and Bette Davis in Now, Voyager - where would they have been without cigarettes? Sadly, Ivie suffered from severe asthma her entire life, and both her career and her life were cut short by this breathing disease. Here is she is with Ellington in a rare film clip singing I've Got it Bad and That Ain't Good.
VERSE
What is love? You called it heaven above
Star that shine in the night
A bird that sings in its flight
A flower that blooms in the spring
There's no such thing
CHORUS
Love is like a cigarette
You know you had my heart aglow
Between your fingertips
And just like a cigarette
I never knew the thrill of life
Until you touched my lips
Then just like a cigarette
Love seem to fade away and leave behind ashes of regret
And with a flick of your fingertips
It was easy for you to forget
Cause love is like a cigarette
Then just like a cigarette
Love seem to fade away and leave behind ashes of regret
And with a flick of your fingertips
It was easy for you to forget
Cause love is like a cigarette
