Key Largo – Bertie Higgins | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#8); 1982
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Many songwriters have turned heartache into hit, among them Bertie Higgins. The true life heroes of Key Largo were Bertie Higgins and Beverly Seaberg. And just like Bogie and Bacall, a couple both on and off the silver screen, Bertie and Bev lived in Florida, the setting for B&B’s classic film Key Largo.
Bertie and Bev shared a love for each other, and for the Bogie and Bacall movies. Then Bev left Bertie. Two years passed, and still Bertie pined. The only tools at his disposal were his singing and songwriting so Bertie sat down and wrote a come-back love letter to Bev called Key Largo.
His plea worked even better than he dreamed it would. Bertie’s love song reached #8 in April of 1982, and Bev came back, 34 years after Bogie and Bacall had their last on-screen kiss in their own Key Largo. Trivia buffs note: Bertie Higgins’s early group, The Roemans, were Tommy “Sheila” Roe’s backing band.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Sonny Limbo
- Scott MacLellan
Lyrics Written by:
- Bertie Higgins
- Sonny Limbo
Awards:
- Certified Gold by the RIAA
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).