The Complete Anita O'day Verve-Clef Sessions
Anita O'Day (October 18, 1919 - November 23, 2006) was an American jazz sin… Read Full Bio ↴Anita O'Day (October 18, 1919 - November 23, 2006) was an American jazz singer.

Few female jazz singers matched the hard-swinging and equally hard-living Anita O'Day for sheer exuberance and talent in all areas of jazz vocals. Her improvising, wide dynamic tone, and innate sense of rhythm made her more than just another big-band canary. At a time when most female vocals tended to emphasize the sweet timbres of their voice, she chose to emphasize a path blazed by the one major jazz singer who emphasized message over medium - Billie Holiday. Like Holiday, O'Day combined the soaring freedom of jazz instrumentalist with the storytelling lyricism of a poet.

After making her solo debut in the mid-'40s she incorporated bop modernism into her vocals and recorded over a dozen of the best vocal LPs of the era.

During the late Forties, she recorded two dozen sides, mostly for small labels. The quality of these singles varies: O'Day was trying to achieve popular success without sacrificing her identity as a jazz singer. Among the more notable recordings from this period are "Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip", "Key Largo", "How High the Moon", and "Malaguena". O'Day's drug problems began to surface late in 1947, when she and husband Carl Hoff were arrested for possession of marijuana and sentenced to 90 days in jail. Her career was back on the upswing in September of 1948, when she sang with Count Basie at the Royal Roost in New York City, resulting in five airchecks. What secured O'Day's place in the jazz pantheon, however, are the seventeen albums she recorded for Verve between 1956 and 1962.

Her first album, Anita O'Day Sings Jazz (reissued as The Lady Is a Tramp), was recorded in 1956 for the newly established Verve Records (it was also the label's first LP). The album was a critical success and further boosted her popularity. In October of 1952 O'Day was again arrested for possession of marijuana, but found not guilty. The following March, she was arrested for possession of heroin. The case dragged on for most of 1953; O'Day was finally sentenced to six months in jail. Not long after her release from jail on February 25, 1954, she began work on her second album, Songs by Anita O'Day (reissued as An Evening with Anita O'Day). She recorded steadily throughout the Fifties, accompanied by small combos and big bands. In person, O'Day was generally backed by a trio which included the drummer with whom she would work for the next 40 years, John Poole.

As a live performer O'Day also began performing in festivals and concerts with such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Dinah Washington, George Shearing, Cal Tjader, and Thelonious Monk. She appeared in the documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival which increased her popularity. The following year O'Day made a cameo appearance in The Gene Krupa Story , singing "Memories of You". Late in 1959 she toured Europe with Benny Goodman; according to her autobiography, when Goodman's attempts to upstage her failed to diminish the audience's enthusiasm, he cut all but two of her numbers from the show.

After the Goodman fiasco, O'Day went back to touring as a solo artist. She recorded infrequently after the expiration of her Verve contract in 1962 and her career seemed over when she nearly died of a heroin overdose in 1968. After kicking the habit, she made a comeback at the 1970 Berlin Jazz Festival. She also appeared in the films Zig Zag (1970) and The Outfit (1974). She resumed making live and studio albums, many recorded in Japan, and several were released on her own label, Emily Records.

O'Day spoke candidly about her drug addiction in her 1981 memoir, High Times, Hard Times.

Her version of the standard, "Sing, Sing, Sing" was remixed by RSL and was included in the compilation album Verve Remixed 3 in 2005.

2006 saw her first album release in 13 years, entitled Indestructible!.
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The Complete Anita O'day Verve-Clef Sessions
Anita O'Day Lyrics


A Blues Serenade I′m mad about the boy And I know it's stupid to…
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square That certain night The night we met There was magic abroad i…
Angel Eyes Try to think that love's not around Still it's uncomfortably…
Anita's Blues I've flown around the world in a plane I've settled…
As Long As I Live He would spend it on the ponies, He would spend it…
Avalon Every morning memories stray Across the sea where flying fi…
Beautiful Love Beautiful love You are a mystery Beautiful love What have y…
Boogie Blues Don't the moon look lonesome shinin' thru the trees? Don't t…
Can't We Be Friends I thought I'd found the man of my dreams Now it…
Come Rain or Come Shine I'm gonna love you like nobody's loved you, Come rain…
Crazy He Calls Me I say I'll move the mountains And I'll move the mountains …
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me Do nothing till you hear from me, Pay no attention to…
Don't Be That Way April skies are in your eyes But darling, don't be blue Don…
Don't Explain Hush now don't explain I know you raise Cain I'm glad you're…
Drummin' Man Drummin' man, he's a drummin' man No one kicks a set…
Easy Come, Easy Go Easy come, easy go, that's the way, If love must have…
Easy Living Living for you is easy living It's easy to live when…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Falling In Love With Love Falling in love with love is falling for make-believe Fallin…
Fine And Dandy Gee it's all fine and dandy, Sugar Candy, I've got you! Then…
Frankie And Johnny Frankie and Johnny were sweethearts, Boy, how they could lov…
Get Out of Town But now, from nowhere, You come to me as before To take…
God Bless The Child Them that's got shall get Them that's not shall lose So the…
Goodbye My heart is broken, But what care I? Such pride inside me…
Have You Met Miss Jones It happened I felt it happened I was awake I wasn't blind I …
Honeysuckle Rose Honey, honey, Oh, honey, listen to my plea: Every honeybe…
Hooray For Hollywood Hooray for Hollywood That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood Where …
I Believe In You You have the cool clear eyes of a seeker of…
I Can't Get Started I've flown around the world in a plane I've settled…
I Could Write A Book A-B-C-D-E-G I never learned to spell At least not well. 1-2…
I Cover the Waterfront I cover the waterfront, I'm watching the sea,, Will the one …
I Didn't Know What Time It Was Once I was young, yesterday, perhaps Danced with Jim and Pau…
I Fall In Love Too Easily I fall in love too easily, I fall in love…
I Get a Kick Out of You My story is much too sad to be told But practically…
I Hear Music I hear music Mighty fine music The murmur of a morning breez…
I Love You I've told ya I love ya, now get out! I've told…
I Never Had a Chance I never had a chance I thought you cared for me But…
I Used to Be Color Blind Strange How a dreary world can suddenly change To a world as…
I Won't Dance I won't dance, don't ask me I won't dance, don't ask…
I'll See You In My Dreams I'll see you in my dreams And I'll hold you in…
I'm With You "Have you met Miss Jones?" someone said as we shook…
I've Got Five Dollars Well I've been working hard the whole week and now I'm…
I've Got You Under My Skin I've got you under my skin I've got you deep in…
If I Love Again I often wonder why he came to me Brought such a…
If The Moon Turns Green Just when I thought that fate was unkind, That happiness was…
It Could Happen To You Hide your heart from sight, Lock your dreams at night, It co…
It Had To Be You It had to be you, it had to be you. I…
It Never Entered My Mind Once I laughed when I heard you saying That I'd be…
It's Delovely The night is young, the skies are clear So if…
Johnny One Note Johnny could only sing one note And the note he…
Just in Time I was resting comfortably, face down in the gutter Life was…
Let's Begin Now that you've got me goin', Whatcha gonna do? Is it up…
Let's Face the Music and Dance There may be trouble ahead, But while there's music and moo…
Let's Fall In Love Let's fall in love Why shouldn't we fall in love? Our hearts…
Little Girl Blue Sit there and count your fingers What can you do Old girl…
Lover You went away I let you We broke the ties that bind I…
Lullaby of the Leaves Rustling of the leaves used to be my lullaby In the…
Mack The Knife Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear And it shows…
Mad About The Boy I'm mad about the boy And I know it's stupid to…
Memories of You Waking skies At Sunrise, Every sunset too, Seems to be Bring…
Miss Brown To You It happened I felt it happened I was awake I wasn't blind I …
Night and Day Like the beat, beat, beat, Of the tom-tom; When the jungle s…
Night Bird And the summer became the fall I was not ready for…
No Moon At All No moon at all, what a night Even lightning bugs have…
No Soap, No Hope Blues I've got a soap dish but ain't got no soap I've…
Orphan Annie Leapin' Lizards! Who's the little chatterbox The one with p…
Pagan Love Song Come with me where moonbeams light Tahitian skies And the s…
Peel Me a Grape Peel me a grape, crush me some ice Skin me a…
Pick Yourself Up Please teacher, teach me something, Nice teacher, teach me …
Señor Blues I don't want you, but I'd hate to lose you You've…
Slow Down Well, come on pretty baby won't you walk with me…
Spring Is Here Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing? Spring is…
Stars Fell On Alabama Moonlight and magnolia, starlight in your hair All the world…
Stella by Starlight The song a robin sings Through years of endless springs The …
Stompin At The Savoy Savoy, the home of sweet romance Savoy, it wins you at…
Strawberry Moon She gets too hungry for dinner at eight She likes…
Sweet Georgia Brown She just got here yesterday, Things are hot here now they…
Ten Cents a Dance I work at the Palace Ballroom, but, gee that Palace is…
Thanks for the Memory Thanks for the memory Of sentimental verse, Nothing in my pu…
That Old Feeling Last night I started out happy Last night my heart was…
That's Your Red Wagon If you wanna go crazy, be the clown Be the laughing…
The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men Sing a song of sad young man Glasses full of rye All…
The Lady Is a Tramp She gets too hungry for dinner at eight She likes…
The Man I Love When the mellow moon begins to beam Every night I dream…
The Thrill Is Gone The thrill is gone The thrill is gone away The…
The Way You Look Tonight Some day, when I'm awfully low, When the world is…
There's a Lull in My Life Oh, there's a lull in my life It's just a…
Time After Time Time after time, I tell myself that I'm So lucky to…
To Keep My Love Alive I've been married, and married, and often I've sighed "I'm …
Under a Blanket of Blue Under a blanket of blue, just you and I beneath…
Vaya Con Dios Now the hacienda's dark, the town is sleeping, Now the…
Waiter, Make Mine Blues The time is the same Our old rendevior The table is set…
What A Little Moonlight Can Do Ooh, ooh, ooh What a little moonlight can do Ooh, ooh, ooh…
What Is This Thing Called Love? I was a hum-drum person Leading a life apart When love flew…
When Sunny Gets Blue When sunny gets blue Skies get grey and cloudy And the rain…
When the World Was Young It isn't by chance I happen to be a boulevardier,…
Whisper Not Whisper Not (Benny Golson) Sing low, Sing clear Sweet words…
Who Cares? Who cares if the sky cares To fall in the sea? Who…
Yesterdays Yesterdays, yesterdays Days I knew as happy Sweet sequester …
You Came a Long Way from St. Louis You came a long way from St. Louis, you climbed…
You Don't Know What Love Is You don't know what love is 'Til you've learned the meaning…
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…
You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me I don't know exactly how it started, But it started in…
You're the Top At words poetic, I'm so pathetic That I always have found…


Aceiseverywhere


on Who Cares?

Let it rain and thunder
Let a million firms go under
I am not concerned with, stocks and bombs that I've been burned with
I love you and you love me
And that's how it will always be
And nothing else can ever mean a thing
Who cares what the public chatters?
Love's the only thing that matters
Who cares if the sky, cares to fall
in the sea
Who cares how history rates me?
As long as your kiss intoxicates me
Oh why should I care?
Life is one long jubilee
As long as I care for you
And you care for me!

Who cares if the sky, cares to fall
in the sea
Who cares what banks fail in Yonkers?
As long as you've got a kiss that conquers!
Oh why should I care?
Life is one long jubilee
So long as I care for you
and you care for me!

(These lyrics might be wrong, sorry)

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