Introduction
Sunday night at bergenPAC felt like stepping into a living history book. Johnny Mathis—whose career began in 1955—took the stage one last time amid thunderous applause. Announced weeks earlier as his final show due to age and memory issues, Mathis entered with the effortless poise of a true master.
Mathis began with classics like “When I Fall in Love” and “Chances Are,” but it was “Misty” that held the room in rapture. Composer Erroll Garner’s jazz standard, with lyrics by Johnny Burke, has been Mathis’s hallmark since 1959, and that night its familiar melody seemed to shimmer anew. With each sustained note, his voice—though tinged with age—restored the song’s delicate tension, leaving even lifelong fans breathless.
From its 32-bar instrumental origin to Mathis’s Grammy Hall of Fame recording, “Misty” embodies timeless romance. Watching Mathis revisit this piece in his farewell framed it not just as a hit single but as a lifetime promise kept—the promise of love expressed through song .
As the final notes faded, guests rose in a standing ovation that felt more like a collective heartbeat. Mathis’s retirement marks the end of an era, but his music—laden with sincerity and warmth—will continue to soundtrack countless moments of joy and reflection
Video
Lyrics
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
You can say that you’re leading me on
But it’s just what I want you to do
Don’t you notice how hopelessly I’m lost
That’s why I’m following you
On my own
Would 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
[repeat after music interlude]
Look at me