I went to school with her and it kills me that she got no recognition for this awesome rendition. Her vocal control is astounding, even for s simple pop song like this. RIP, Kasey - the rest of the world may not have known how amazing you were, but we did.
Ми дуже любимо її в Україні.Коли вона співає українською,то це зразу впізнавані.Дуже приємно,що ви вчилися з нею в одній школі,а її батько народився тут поблизу мене ,за 30км
For clarification... Didi Conn (aka Frenchy from Grease) is shown here, lip syncing this song for a film she starred in called "You Light Up My Life (1977) and Kvitka aka Kasey Cisyk is the one actually singing. "Kasey" is a Ukrainian opera trained singer and she passed of breast cancer in 1998 at 44 years old. Didi is still alive at 73 years old today.
My grandfather sing this song for me every night when i'm just a little kid. Now I'm twenty and sing this song alone and really miss him. I hope he can hear me, just want to tell him that i love him. T T
This is so good!! Casey is also known as Kvitka Cisyk - which is her Ukrainian name! She also produced a lot of beautiful songs in Ukrainian, so take a moment to check that out ;)
Чудова пісня , чудове виконання . Квітка змогла б створити ще безліч прекрасних виконань якби не її передчасна смерть . Тішуся , що ми українці маємо в особі Квітки Цісик такий неперевершений голос .
Now I know the truth & Bless her for her courage to not allow that horrible man to get away with stealing her song. I so pray that I can find a video of her singing this so beautiful song originally before it was given to Debbie Boone.
What a amazing movie “You Light Up My Life” Didi Conn did a fantastic job at playing the main part and her voice is splendid in singing this I have the movie and watch it time to time
"You Light Up My Life" has always moved me to the extreme, but this original version, with the original performer, and so beautifully orchestrated, brought me to tears, even more so knowing that Kasey Cisyk passed from this world so prematurely, oh my emotion is extremely empowered, impossible not to cry! Congratulations for posting something so timeless, beautiful, once again congratulations from the Brazilian people to the Ukrainian people! 😔😪💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Kasey's original version of this song for the movie was and remains the best version. I love her rendition and was terribly disappointed by the choice to allow Debbie Boone to release it. I'm in my 60s now, and I'm so glad I can once again hear Kacey sing this song that rightfully belonged to her.
What the hell! She sings it with sooo much emotion...and you just know by listening to her...that this is the original version. Strong and yet so tender voice. Absolutely beautiful!!! Touches your heart and soul. I really thought it was originally from Debby Boone
I came here by searching the one I thought was the original, Debbie's, but came to know that another singer was the first pick in a movie. Both are good songs, but I loved this version, not only because is the original, it has more emotions, Debbie's is good too.
Most folks thought Debbie Boone sang the original. Wrong, she was the first commercial artist to sing it. Kvitka Cisyk was hired by Joe Brooks for the film's soundtrack and later it was recorded by Debby Boone. Kasey did not receive due credit or compensation for her performance.
This is more emotional, but, never soggy, yet warmer, stronger and more intimately appealing to my soul than any other “commercially successful” versions, though they all did what they could do best at the time. To me, this is the true and only original. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard her voice in the movie. Thanks for lighting up my mind!
@@fenderstratADHD He didn't say it was her voice, he said about her performance, the whole act. We may not heard "her" voice in the final product, but she was singing (and acting) there.
This is the first performance of the song I ever saw and Didi Conn's performance was what sold me on it way back then. This is the only scene from the movie I remember. The changes in her expression and body language are what make this compelling and dynamic. She could have been so cardboard that the scene would have been boring.
I really like Didi.Very down to earth with a heart of gold.So wonderful in every movie and show I have seen her in.I have a little crush on Didi too.❤️
She becomes so happy with shiny bright eyes, when the violines are starting! She has to look behind herselve to prove, what a beautiful sound is coming from there, carrying her own beautiful voice! Great!
This is such a beautiful song.🙏🎶💝😊 So well sung by Kasey. She should've gotten way more credit than anybody else. It was her song, for the film of the same name. Such a lovely singer and person. She passed way too young. She must be in the Light. 🙏🌟👌 P.S. I found a lighter this evening, and when igniting it, suddenly this song came into my mind and heart. I hadn't sung it for decades. The Universe of Light is watching over me. Thanks!! 🙏🌟👌
This is my Mom's lullaby. Sings to me, before I go to sleep when I was 5 years old. And now, I have my own family, I sing this song to my son before he go to sleep. 😁
Really love this song, Brings back some great memories from when i first saw this You Light Up My Life movie 1977/78 I think, i was working at a cinema in east london 🏴, I was 17 & had a crush on casey from watching this film & hearing her sing this song over & over again for several weeks while it was showing at my cinema, I felt heart broken 💔💔 when it was gone from my cinema..... So pleased to hear it again ❤️❤️
So many nights I'd sit by my window Waiting for someone to sing me his song So many dreams I kept deep inside me Alone in the dark, but now you've come along And you light up my life You give me hope to carry on You light up my days And fill my nights with song Rollin' at sea, adrift on the water Could it be finally I'm turning for home Finally, a chance to say, "Hey, I love you" Never again to be all alone 'Cause you light up my life You give me hope to carry on You light up my days And fill my nights with song 'Cause you, you light up my life You give me hope to carry on You light up my days And fill my nights with song It can't be wrong When it feels so right 'Cause you, you light up my life
Kvitka "Kacey" Cisyk (Ukrainian: Квітка Цісик; Квітослава-Орися Цісик, Kvitka Tsisyk; April 4, 1953[1] - March 29, 1998) was an American coloratura soprano of Ukrainian ethnicity. Cisyk, a classically trained opera singer, achieved success in four musical genres: popular music, classical opera, Ukrainian folk music and commercial jingles for radio and TV advertisements. Cisyk recorded "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same title (Oscar and Golden Globe Awards win in 1978), sang the "Have you driven a Ford lately?" and "You deserve a break today!" jingles, and released two critically acclaimed albums of Ukrainian songs. Early life Cisyk was the daughter of two Ukrainian immigrants from Eastern Galicia; her given name, Kvitka, is Ukrainian for "flower".[1] Her father, Wolodymyr Cisyk, a well known Ukrainian concert violinist and teacher,[1] taught his daughter the violin when she was five years old, grooming her for a career as a classical musician. Education Cisyk attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City and graduated in 1970. She attended Harpur College, also known as SUNY Binghamton, for one year directly after high school. Her sister taught piano there. In the summer of 1971, she attended a SUNY-sponsored opera program in Ghent, Belgium. She received a violin scholarship to the Mannes College of Music, but had switched to classical voice training by the time of her graduation. Popular music career Cisyk's original goal was a career as an opera singer, but her father's death left the family without a source of income. Needing to earn money immediately, Cisyk pursued a career as a session singer in popular music. She drew her professional name (Kacey) from her first and last initials. Cisyk began singing in clubs, while submitting audition tapes to producers and advertising agencies. She had a successful career as a background singer in popular music, working as a backup singer for Carly Simon and Michael Franks and for artists produced by Quincy Jones. Commercial jingle career Cisyk achieved her widest success as a singer of the musical jingles used in TV and radio commercials.[1] Cisyk's recording of the slogan "Have you driven a Ford lately?" was used in Ford commercials from 1981 to 1998; in 1989, Ford executives estimated that Cisyk's recording of that phrase had been heard 20 billion times.[1][2] During a career that lasted more than twenty years, Cisyk had skills so highly valued that competitors within the same industry sought her services. She sang the phrase "You deserve a break today" for McDonald's, but also recorded commercials for Burger King. In addition to Ford, Cisyk sang for automakers General Motors and Toyota. She recorded spots for the three national television networks in the 1980s (ABC, NBC and CBS), four major airlines (American, Delta, Eastern and TWA), two national retailers (Sears and JC Penney), and the two most popular soft drinks: Coca-Cola and Pepsi. According to her New York Times obituary, "a typical day, she later recalled, would begin with a 9 am session for Trans World Airlines, followed by Coca-Cola at eleven, Hartz Mountain at 1 pm, Eastern Airlines at two, Datsun at three, L'Eggs at five, McDonald's at six, and, after all that, a recording session from 8:30 pm to 3 am". Cisyk's list of commercial credits also include Kentucky Fried Chicken, US Army, Nescafe, AT&T, and Starburst candies. Soundtrack performances Cisyk performing in 1989 Cisyk's work in commercials brought her to the attention of Joe Brooks, who worked as a composer and arranger of jingles.[3] Brooks, who wrote, directed and composed the score for the movie You Light Up My Life chose Cisyk to dub the singing voice of actress Didi Conn. Cisyk's performance of the song appears on the original soundtrack album, and was released as a single, although she was not listed as the performing artist in the final credits of the film (for which she successfully sued the producers). Her single release of the song reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.[citation needed] The song was also recorded by singer Debby Boone, with Brooks producing and arranging. This recording of "You Light Up My Life", became a No. 1 single on the Billboard chart for ten consecutive weeks. People magazine ran a substantial article about "The real voice behind 'You Light Up My Life" inasmuch the similarity between her and Debby Boone's voice led many to assume the latter had sung the songs in the movie. In a 2013 biographical essay about Cisyk, Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz wrote,[4] that Brooks "withheld payment ... tried to evade payment by false promises and by asking her to be an incidental actor in his film, implying huge rewards yet to come..." Later, (according to Rakowicz's biographical essay[4]), Brooks made improper advances toward Cisyk, and after being rebuffed, didn't speak directly to her again, and continued to evade payments to her. Rakowicz writes,[4] "[Kacey] retained a lawyer and sued Brooks for the fees she earned for her work on the record and the film but accepted an award of a small sum just to relieve herself of the torment of a prolonged legal battle with Brooks." Brooks then had Cisyk's singing credit removed from the endcredits of the film. Later in 2009 Joseph Brooks, became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of casting-couch rapes.[5][6] He was indicted in May 2009 by the state Supreme Court for Manhattan (a trial-level court) on 91 counts of rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges.[7] While awaiting trial, Brooks killed himself in May, 2011.[8] Cisyk also recorded lead vocals for the soundtracks of the movies The One and Only and Circle of Two. She also contributed backing vocals to the Carly Simon songs used on the soundtrack for the movie Working Girl. Ukrainian music As the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, Cisyk was raised with Ukrainian music, and she is well known in the Ukrainian-speaking world for her two albums of Ukrainian songs.[1] According to Cisyk she recorded these albums because her colleagues often asked her to "show them something Ukrainian, but there were no records worthy of being shown".[1] In 1980 she recorded her first album, Kvitka, Songs of Ukraine which won top honors in the 1988 Ukrainian Music Awards. Her second album, Kvitka, Two Colors, was released in 1989. was dedicated to "the spirit of the Ukrainian soul, whose wings can never be broken." Today, songs from both albums continue to be heard on radio in Ukraine. Both albums were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.[1] Both Songs of Ukraine and Two Colors were family projects. Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz, a recording engineer, produced Kvitka Two Colors; her first husband, Jack Cortner[9] arranged and conducted them both. Her sister, Maria Cisyk, a concert pianist and teacher, performed the solo piano selections on the record, and her mother, Iwanna, made sure her Ukrainian pronunciation was perfect. Death and legacy Kvitka Cisyk Rakowicz died on March 29, 1998, six days before her 45th birthday. She died of breast cancer. For what would have been the singer’s 60th birthday, Ukrainian Inter TV channel broadcast a documentary film Kvitka. Single copy voice. The film examined the phenomenon of her life and career, and interviewed her relatives and close friends: husband Ed Rakowicz, son Eddie, family from Lviv and the United States, as well as peers and fans. On April 4, 2013 premieres of the film took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Luhansk and Chernivtsi. The film debuted on Inter TV channel on April 5, 2013. Her contribution to Ukrainian music is recognized with a yearly music festival. Parks and streets were also named for her in Kyiv, Vinnytsia Oblast and Lviv, Ukraine.[10] In September 2022 a street that was named after Soviet child actress Gulya Korolyova in Dnipro was renamed to honor Cisyk.[11]
My favorite version of this song. Debbie Boone had the "chart topper," but Didi Conn did a masterful version for the film. I believe she was originally from Brooklyn NY and was in both the Broadway and film versions of "Grease." A.multi-talented individual.. incredible..❤
I love the way she is smiling in the second verse. An artist that know she is nailing it and is working with great material and musicians. She is feeling the message of the song as she sings it. Many things coming together. It must be thrilling to reach such high levels of accomplishment in whatever field, but as an artist, her work is shared with millions to enjoy, even to today.
The original singer was Kasey Cisyk, not Debby Boone, who died in 1998. Wikipedia- Kasey Cisyk. People magazine ran a substantial article about "The real voice behind 'You Light Up My Life" inasmuch the similarity between her and Debby Boone's voice led many to assume the latter had sung the songs in the movie. Cisyk's work in commercials brought her to the attention of Joe Brooks, who worked as a composer and arranger of jingles.[3] Brooks, who wrote, directed and composed the score for the movie You Light Up My Life chose Cisyk to dub the singing voice of actress Didi Conn. Cisyk's performance of the song appears on the original soundtrack album, and was released as a single, although she was not listed as the performing artist in the final credits of the film (for which she successfully sued the producers). Her single release of the song reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. In a 2013 biographical essay about Cisyk, Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz wrote, that Brooks "withheld payment ... tried to evade payment by false promises and by asking her to be an incidental actor in his film, implying huge rewards yet to come..." Later, (according to Rakowicz's biographical essay[4]), Brooks made improper advances toward Cisyk, and after being rebuffed, didn't speak directly to her again, and continued to evade payments to her. Rakowicz writes, "[Kasey] retained a lawyer and sued Brooks for the fees she earned for her work on the record and the film but accepted an award of a small sum just to relieve herself of the torment of a prolonged legal battle with Brooks." Later in 2009 Joseph Brooks, became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of casting-couch rapes. He was indicted in May 2009 by the state Supreme Court for Manhattan (a trial-level court) on 91 counts of rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges.While awaiting trial, Brooks killed himself in May, 2011.
I loved the scene immediately when Kasey walked into the studio and the orchestra took her place through a misunderstanding. The little argument with the conductor, the professional arrangement by him (on the fly with photocopies), then - her singing with the orchestra - beautiful, simply beautiful !!
I've always hated that they had Debbie Boone re-record this song, because Kasey Cisyk did a phenomenal job (and I don't think Boone came close to her awesome voice)!
Debbie Boone made a career with just this one song. Can you believe it? It was written as a love song, but Boone interpreted the song as inspirational and stated that she recorded the song for God. All thanks to her producer Mike Curb and father Pat....
La mejor cancion, Kesey Cisyk la mejor interprete, Didi Conn cuando la vi por primera vez la pelicula, pense que ella cantaba, perdo despues cuando compre el vinilo me di cuenta quien era la interprete
Love this song, takes me back to my childhood, eleven years old when I saw the film in the cinema, couldn't remember the actual song or much about the film for years until I found this on you tube, wonderful song, absolutely wonderful.
![You Light up my life [1977]](/img/n.gif)
I went to school with her and it kills me that she got no recognition for this awesome rendition. Her vocal control is astounding, even for s simple pop song like this. RIP, Kasey - the rest of the world may not have known how amazing you were, but we did.
Ми дуже любимо її в Україні.Коли вона співає українською,то це зразу впізнавані.Дуже приємно,що ви вчилися з нею в одній школі,а її батько народився тут поблизу мене ,за 30км
I'm Brazilian and the radios here in Brazil at that time played this song daily, I really miss that time.
Agree, The original and best version. Didi Conn never got the credit she deserved as well as Kasey Cisyk.
She died. ? Wow..
@@er5650 breast cancer
Наша Квіточка - найкраща!
She died so young. Beautiful girl and beautiful song. RIP KC
I still get goosebumps 35 years later❤️🙏❤️🙏
For me, the best version is this..... Kasey Cisyk lives forever!
I agree the best
Kvitka Cisyk, a Ukrainian nightingale. She also did the Coca Cola commercial popular song, and many others and never got the credit for it.
Ich liebe dieses Lied schon seitdem ich es das erste Mal hörte, aber wusste nie, dass im Original dieses Lied von ihr gesungen wurde.
For clarification... Didi Conn (aka Frenchy from Grease) is shown here, lip syncing this song for a film she starred in called "You Light Up My Life (1977) and Kvitka aka Kasey Cisyk is the one actually singing.
"Kasey" is a Ukrainian opera trained singer and she passed of breast cancer in 1998 at 44 years old. Didi is still alive at 73 years old today.
Great information
I can't believe that Kasey never received the recognition nor proper compensation for her fabulous rendition of this song.
The 1977 "Oscar" for the best soundtrack and 1977 Golden Globus.
Tragic!
Your right. Everybody else cashed in on this song, especially Debbi Boone. To me, Kayse's rendition of this song is the best one ever recorded.
@@karlgansberg9025 Debby Boone didn't "cash in" on the song. Joseph Brooks had a falling out with Kasey and he hired Debby.
Debbie Boone's version of the song is far superior.
My grandfather sing this song for me every night when i'm just a little kid. Now I'm twenty and sing this song alone and really miss him. I hope he can hear me, just want to tell him that i love him. T T
He can hear you and he loves you. You'll see him again some day when your life's work is done. But he's up there rooting for you!
He hears you, your hope is the direct connection.
lol
Awwwwww! Beautiful story 👍🏻
They are probably both gone now due to pandemic. I know a lot of people who lost friends and relatives from covid.
This IS and will always be the ONLY version of this beautiful song! R.I.P. Kasey
Recently my wife dedicated this song to God ..and I now want to pray and sing this song to Our King and Savior every night !
This song just came into my mind tonight as I was praying and I feel it’s say it all about how God lights up my life
You must be fun in the sack…
Great song and Kasey Cisyk is the best singer of this song.
Absolutely!
Nope.
By FAR!
@@simonsobo4644 0pppppppppppppplpp
Hella better than D Boone
The Best Ukrainian- American Singer! Glory of Cisyk
Glory to Ukraine from Montreal!
This is so good!! Casey is also known as Kvitka Cisyk - which is her Ukrainian name! She also produced a lot of beautiful songs in Ukrainian, so take a moment to check that out ;)
Has her voice always been squeaky like a mouse ???
@@texas7123 I hope your voice sounds like Aretha Franklin's voice. At least.
Чудова пісня , чудове виконання . Квітка змогла б створити ще безліч прекрасних виконань якби не її передчасна смерть . Тішуся , що ми українці маємо в особі Квітки Цісик такий неперевершений голос .
今はもう無くなってしまいましたが、花畑公園の脇にあった名画座で何度も繰り返して観ました。入れ替えなんてなかった時代です。あれから45年近くが過ぎました。あのころの自分にとって心の支えとなりました。ＵＰありがとうございます。
There is a movie that needs to be made about Kasey & her story. She is the original voice to this beautiful song.
How did Debbie Boone get all the recognition???
@@texas7123 Her daddy Pat
@@sharonhowell7011 was he a singer?
Now I know the truth & Bless her for her courage to not allow that horrible man to get away with stealing her song. I so pray that I can find a video of her singing this so beautiful song originally before it was given to Debbie Boone.
Das wusste ich ja gar nicht!
Sie meinen, dass Debby Boone diesen Song von ihr geklaut hat?
Неперевершено. Можна слухати безкінечно
So emotional. Gigantisch! 😘
Her and Debby wow!!! Both of their versions give me a goosebumps but Kasey version omg!! Her voice is too soft.
The Orchestra: MY GOD: PERFECT: YES: VOCALS TOO🤪
She and Debby, Both are Sweet an angelic singing and Great voices !!!✨💃💃✨
Rip Kasey....Paolo, Rome, Italy.
Der Song ist schon soo alt aber er berührt mich immer noch.
Dont care WHAT ANYONE says...this movie was Excellent!!
She sings the best version of this song.
What a amazing movie “You Light Up My Life” Didi Conn did a fantastic job at playing the main part and her voice is splendid in singing this I have the movie and watch it time to time
It's not her singing though. She's just lip syncing.
The best version ever !! Great voice !
"You Light Up My Life" has always moved me to the extreme, but this original version, with the original performer, and so beautifully orchestrated, brought me to tears, even more so knowing that Kasey Cisyk passed from this world so prematurely, oh my emotion is extremely empowered, impossible not to cry! Congratulations for posting something so timeless, beautiful, once again congratulations from the Brazilian people to the Ukrainian people! 😔😪💖💖💖💖💖💖💖👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Квітка Цісик просто душею співає! Чудовий, неймовірний спів...
Irrespective, She really owned this song, a heart and soul job, just beautiful!
Rest in peace... She was passed away too fast (45 years old)...🙏
Didi conn sings not Kasey he leads the band
@@donaldjohnson1697 ew, no.
First of all Didi is lip synching and the voice of the song is Kvitka "Kacey" Cisyk. Second, Kacey is a woman.
Kasey's original version of this song for the movie was and remains the best version. I love her rendition and was terribly disappointed by the choice to allow Debbie Boone to release it. I'm in my 60s now, and I'm so glad I can once again hear Kacey sing this song that rightfully belonged to her.
Яка талановита Співачка ! Кейсі Цісик- Квітка Цісик. З Українським серцем.
Ah, but now we can listen to her often, and get such joy from her voice and magnificent performance!,
Ohne Worte 🙏
What the hell! She sings it with sooo much emotion...and you just know by listening to her...that this is the original version. Strong and yet so tender voice. Absolutely beautiful!!! Touches your heart and soul.
I really thought it was originally from Debby Boone
I came here by searching the one I thought was the original, Debbie's, but came to know that another singer was the first pick in a movie. Both are good songs, but I loved this version, not only because is the original, it has more emotions, Debbie's is good too.
Most folks thought Debbie Boone sang the original. Wrong, she was the first commercial artist to sing it. Kvitka Cisyk was hired by Joe Brooks for the film's soundtrack and later it was recorded by Debby Boone. Kasey did not receive due credit or compensation for her performance.
@@eltonej dumb question but what is the name of the movie?
@@marcusliddell the movie was named the same as the song, "You Light Up My Life"
Came here after reading some comments that she's d original singer.. shes awesome.. brings tears hearing ..
Don’t you love the look on her face as she just floats along with this. Beautiful.
I remembered the movie.. awesome.
Our Kvitka ❤
This is more emotional, but, never soggy, yet warmer, stronger and more intimately appealing to my soul than any other “commercially successful” versions, though they all did what they could do best at the time.
To me, this is the true and only original. I’ve loved it since the first time I heard her voice in the movie. Thanks for lighting up my mind!
Great Jo by Kasey Cisyk. She should gotten recognition and credit on the movie.
Квітка Цісик це голос України, її душа та серце, яке змузили покинути рідну сторону
Люба Квітка Цісик!!! Дякую!!!
I love Didi Conn's performance in this scene. She goes from shy and uncertain to taken by emotion.
It’s not her voice
@@fenderstratADHD He didn't say it was her voice, he said about her performance, the whole act. We may not heard "her" voice in the final product, but she was singing (and acting) there.
@@fenderstratADHD Yes, I'm well aware of that. It's her acting performance I meant.
This is the first performance of the song I ever saw and Didi Conn's performance was what sold me on it way back then. This is the only scene from the movie I remember. The changes in her expression and body language are what make this compelling and dynamic. She could have been so cardboard that the scene would have been boring.
I really like Didi.Very down to earth with a heart of gold.So wonderful in every movie and show I have seen her in.I have a little crush on Didi too.❤️
Накраща Квітка усіх часів 💛💙🌷
This specific performance always brings a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.
This song is so beautiful. 🎵🎵🎵 Didi was an awesome actress. ❤❤❤❤
She becomes so happy with shiny bright eyes, when the violines are starting! She has to look behind herselve to prove, what a beautiful sound is coming from there, carrying her own beautiful voice! Great!
This is such a beautiful song.🙏🎶💝😊 So well sung by Kasey. She should've gotten way more credit than anybody else. It was her song, for the film of the same name. Such a lovely singer and person. She passed way too young. She must be in the Light. 🙏🌟👌
P.S. I found a lighter this evening, and when igniting it, suddenly this song came into my mind and heart. I hadn't sung it for decades. The Universe of Light is watching over me. Thanks!! 🙏🌟👌
That voice is stunning.
This is my Mom's lullaby. Sings to me, before I go to sleep when I was 5 years old. And now, I have my own family, I sing this song to my son before he go to sleep. 😁
such a Beautiful voice what a loss R.I.P.
I learned this song when I was three (coincidentally in 1977) and sang it to my grandma.
Really love this song, Brings back some great memories from when i first saw this
You Light Up My Life movie 1977/78 I think, i was working at a cinema in east london 🏴, I was 17 & had a crush on casey from watching this film & hearing her sing this song over & over again for several weeks while it was showing at my cinema, I felt heart broken 💔💔 when it was gone from my cinema..... So pleased to hear it again ❤️❤️
The world is not always fair, the best leave early. We remember and love Kvitka
Як же це гарно🙏
I love this song and the voice of Kvitka. 2020. RIP
고마워요. kasey cisyk .
난 기억합니다 지금도 당신을 이 노래를.
평온하길 바래요.
Thanks for peace for Ukraine ✌
loved this song and movie so glad i found it on here not heard it for years singing along now lol xxx
Our Beautiful Flower... so much I love you.
I always loved Debby Boones version, just heard this for the first time and I have to say, I think this one might be better!
So many nights I'd sit by my window
Waiting for someone to sing me his song
So many dreams I kept deep inside me
Alone in the dark, but now you've come along
And you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
Rollin' at sea, adrift on the water
Could it be finally I'm turning for home
Finally, a chance to say,
"Hey, I love you"
Never again to be all alone
'Cause you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
'Cause you, you light up my life
You give me hope to carry on
You light up my days
And fill my nights with song
It can't be wrong
When it feels so right
'Cause you, you light up my life
Kvitka "Kacey" Cisyk (Ukrainian: Квітка Цісик; Квітослава-Орися Цісик, Kvitka Tsisyk; April 4, 1953[1] - March 29, 1998) was an American coloratura soprano of Ukrainian ethnicity. Cisyk, a classically trained opera singer, achieved success in four musical genres: popular music, classical opera, Ukrainian folk music and commercial jingles for radio and TV advertisements.
Cisyk recorded "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same title (Oscar and Golden Globe Awards win in 1978), sang the "Have you driven a Ford lately?" and "You deserve a break today!" jingles, and released two critically acclaimed albums of Ukrainian songs.
Early life
Cisyk was the daughter of two Ukrainian immigrants from Eastern Galicia; her given name, Kvitka, is Ukrainian for "flower".[1] Her father, Wolodymyr Cisyk, a well known Ukrainian concert violinist and teacher,[1] taught his daughter the violin when she was five years old, grooming her for a career as a classical musician.
Education
Cisyk attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City and graduated in 1970. She attended Harpur College, also known as SUNY Binghamton, for one year directly after high school. Her sister taught piano there. In the summer of 1971, she attended a SUNY-sponsored opera program in Ghent, Belgium. She received a violin scholarship to the Mannes College of Music, but had switched to classical voice training by the time of her graduation.
Popular music career
Cisyk's original goal was a career as an opera singer, but her father's death left the family without a source of income. Needing to earn money immediately, Cisyk pursued a career as a session singer in popular music. She drew her professional name (Kacey) from her first and last initials.
Cisyk began singing in clubs, while submitting audition tapes to producers and advertising agencies. She had a successful career as a background singer in popular music, working as a backup singer for Carly Simon and Michael Franks and for artists produced by Quincy Jones.
Commercial jingle career
Cisyk achieved her widest success as a singer of the musical jingles used in TV and radio commercials.[1] Cisyk's recording of the slogan "Have you driven a Ford lately?" was used in Ford commercials from 1981 to 1998; in 1989, Ford executives estimated that Cisyk's recording of that phrase had been heard 20 billion times.[1][2]
During a career that lasted more than twenty years, Cisyk had skills so highly valued that competitors within the same industry sought her services. She sang the phrase "You deserve a break today" for McDonald's, but also recorded commercials for Burger King.
In addition to Ford, Cisyk sang for automakers General Motors and Toyota. She recorded spots for the three national television networks in the 1980s (ABC, NBC and CBS), four major airlines (American, Delta, Eastern and TWA), two national retailers (Sears and JC Penney), and the two most popular soft drinks: Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
According to her New York Times obituary, "a typical day, she later recalled, would begin with a 9 am session for Trans World Airlines, followed by Coca-Cola at eleven, Hartz Mountain at 1 pm, Eastern Airlines at two, Datsun at three, L'Eggs at five, McDonald's at six, and, after all that, a recording session from 8:30 pm to 3 am".
Cisyk's list of commercial credits also include Kentucky Fried Chicken, US Army, Nescafe, AT&T, and Starburst candies.
Soundtrack performances
Cisyk performing in 1989
Cisyk's work in commercials brought her to the attention of Joe Brooks, who worked as a composer and arranger of jingles.[3] Brooks, who wrote, directed and composed the score for the movie You Light Up My Life chose Cisyk to dub the singing voice of actress Didi Conn.
Cisyk's performance of the song appears on the original soundtrack album, and was released as a single, although she was not listed as the performing artist in the final credits of the film (for which she successfully sued the producers). Her single release of the song reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.[citation needed]
The song was also recorded by singer Debby Boone, with Brooks producing and arranging. This recording of "You Light Up My Life", became a No. 1 single on the Billboard chart for ten consecutive weeks. People magazine ran a substantial article about "The real voice behind 'You Light Up My Life" inasmuch the similarity between her and Debby Boone's voice led many to assume the latter had sung the songs in the movie. In a 2013 biographical essay about Cisyk, Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz wrote,[4] that Brooks "withheld payment ... tried to evade payment by false promises and by asking her to be an incidental actor in his film, implying huge rewards yet to come..." Later, (according to Rakowicz's biographical essay[4]), Brooks made improper advances toward Cisyk, and after being rebuffed, didn't speak directly to her again, and continued to evade payments to her. Rakowicz writes,[4] "[Kacey] retained a lawyer and sued Brooks for the fees she earned for her work on the record and the film but accepted an award of a small sum just to relieve herself of the torment of a prolonged legal battle with Brooks." Brooks then had Cisyk's singing credit removed from the endcredits of the film. Later in 2009 Joseph Brooks, became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of casting-couch rapes.[5][6] He was indicted in May 2009 by the state Supreme Court for Manhattan (a trial-level court) on 91 counts of rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges.[7] While awaiting trial, Brooks killed himself in May, 2011.[8]
Cisyk also recorded lead vocals for the soundtracks of the movies The One and Only and Circle of Two. She also contributed backing vocals to the Carly Simon songs used on the soundtrack for the movie Working Girl.
Ukrainian music
As the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants, Cisyk was raised with Ukrainian music, and she is well known in the Ukrainian-speaking world for her two albums of Ukrainian songs.[1] According to Cisyk she recorded these albums because her colleagues often asked her to "show them something Ukrainian, but there were no records worthy of being shown".[1]
In 1980 she recorded her first album, Kvitka, Songs of Ukraine which won top honors in the 1988 Ukrainian Music Awards.
Her second album, Kvitka, Two Colors, was released in 1989. was dedicated to "the spirit of the Ukrainian soul, whose wings can never be broken." Today, songs from both albums continue to be heard on radio in Ukraine.
Both albums were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.[1]
Both Songs of Ukraine and Two Colors were family projects. Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz, a recording engineer, produced Kvitka Two Colors; her first husband, Jack Cortner[9] arranged and conducted them both. Her sister, Maria Cisyk, a concert pianist and teacher, performed the solo piano selections on the record, and her mother, Iwanna, made sure her Ukrainian pronunciation was perfect.
Death and legacy
Kvitka Cisyk Rakowicz died on March 29, 1998, six days before her 45th birthday. She died of breast cancer.
For what would have been the singer’s 60th birthday, Ukrainian Inter TV channel broadcast a documentary film Kvitka. Single copy voice. The film examined the phenomenon of her life and career, and interviewed her relatives and close friends: husband Ed Rakowicz, son Eddie, family from Lviv and the United States, as well as peers and fans. On April 4, 2013 premieres of the film took place in Kyiv, Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Odesa, Luhansk and Chernivtsi. The film debuted on Inter TV channel on April 5, 2013.
Her contribution to Ukrainian music is recognized with a yearly music festival. Parks and streets were also named for her in Kyiv, Vinnytsia Oblast and Lviv, Ukraine.[10] In September 2022 a street that was named after Soviet child actress Gulya Korolyova in Dnipro was renamed to honor Cisyk.[11]
My favorite version of this song. Debbie Boone had the "chart topper," but Didi Conn did a masterful version for the film. I believe she was originally from Brooklyn NY and was in both the Broadway and film versions of "Grease."
A.multi-talented individual.. incredible..❤
Наша Квітка.Браво...
Simply Awesome!!
український ангел
I love the way she is smiling in the second verse. An artist that know she is nailing it and is working with great material and musicians. She is feeling the message of the song as she sings it. Many things coming together. It must be thrilling to reach such high levels of accomplishment in whatever field, but as an artist, her work is shared with millions to enjoy, even to today.
👍👍❤ Lovely
She did the song the best and never got the recognition she deserved. So many others sang this song but she did it with so much feeling.
The original singer was Kasey Cisyk, not Debby Boone, who died in 1998.
Wikipedia- Kasey Cisyk.
People magazine ran a substantial article about "The real voice behind 'You Light Up My Life" inasmuch the similarity between her and Debby Boone's voice led many to assume the latter had sung the songs in the movie.
Cisyk's work in commercials brought her to the attention of Joe Brooks, who worked as a composer and arranger of jingles.[3] Brooks, who wrote, directed and composed the score for the movie You Light Up My Life chose Cisyk to dub the singing voice of actress Didi Conn.
Cisyk's performance of the song appears on the original soundtrack album, and was released as a single, although she was not listed as the performing artist in the final credits of the film (for which she successfully sued the producers). Her single release of the song reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
In a 2013 biographical essay about Cisyk, Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz wrote, that Brooks "withheld payment ... tried to evade payment by false promises and by asking her to be an incidental actor in his film, implying huge rewards yet to come..." Later, (according to Rakowicz's biographical essay[4]), Brooks made improper advances toward Cisyk, and after being rebuffed, didn't speak directly to her again, and continued to evade payments to her. Rakowicz writes, "[Kasey] retained a lawyer and sued Brooks for the fees she earned for her work on the record and the film but accepted an award of a small sum just to relieve herself of the torment of a prolonged legal battle with Brooks."
Later in 2009 Joseph Brooks, became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of casting-couch rapes. He was indicted in May 2009 by the state Supreme Court for Manhattan (a trial-level court) on 91 counts of rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges.While awaiting trial, Brooks killed himself in May, 2011.
Brooks was a coward.
Gave me some legit goosebumps.
So beautiful.
Lovelly!!
One of the best versions I've ever heard!
Que chulada !**
Неймовірно!
Неймовірно гарно, а голос, він єдиний. Як чарівно виразили у пісні почуття. Дякую.
I loved the scene immediately when Kasey walked into the studio and the orchestra took her place through a misunderstanding. The little argument with the conductor, the professional arrangement by him (on the fly with photocopies), then - her singing with the orchestra - beautiful, simply beautiful !!
Greatest!
😢the most beautiful song I've ever heard.
i feel the same ❤❤❤
I've always hated that they had Debbie Boone re-record this song, because Kasey Cisyk did a phenomenal job (and I don't think Boone came close to her awesome voice)!
@Andrew Furrer Nobody gives a fuck about yours either douchebag!
@Andrew Furrer wrong
Agreed...
Debbie Boone made a career with just this one song. Can you believe it? It was written as a love song, but Boone interpreted the song as inspirational and stated that she recorded the song for God. All thanks to her producer Mike Curb and father Pat....
Coreect. Debbies version was rubbish by comparison.
Still tear up for Kasey. RIP dear angel.
La mejor cancion, Kesey Cisyk la mejor interprete, Didi Conn cuando la vi por primera vez la pelicula, pense que ella cantaba, perdo despues cuando compre el vinilo me di cuenta quien era la interprete
She's perfect !
Яка гарна!
my god what a splendid interpretation of Didi Conn congratulations !
Pure feelings in this song, Love it! Pure Gefühle in diesem Lied, ich liebe es! Καθαρά συναισθήματα σε αυτό το τραγούδι, το λατρεύω!
I was born on May 9th 1975...i remember watching this movie with my mom..alot
Sjoe, after all this years still the best interpretation/rendition of this song from the awesome movie
I love this video and the movie made me cry 2:51 😢
Simple but deep meaning, love from me
Classic... LOVE IT!!
Beautiful violin orchestra makes this song so soothing!
Born great singer!!!!!!!!!!
omg..her expressions are mighty. she really has caught me with her happiness.
The actress n the movie, the person you see singing it is not the singer! It’s DiDi Conn.
Love this song, takes me back to my childhood, eleven years old when I saw the film in the cinema, couldn't remember the actual song or much about the film for years until I found this on you tube, wonderful song, absolutely wonderful.
Are you from Ukraine?
@@ДмитроКошіль No, England but absolutely love this song!
Дмитро Кошіль my parents were born in the Ukraine and I’m Ukrainian.
Saw this at the pictures too when there was always two movies... never forgot this film either.... and no I'm not from the Ukraine 😁🤣☝🇬🇧❤