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!.
An Evening With Anita O'Day: You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it started in fun;
I just wanted someone to be gay with,
To play with someone.
But now I realize that I could never let you go,
And I've come to tell you so;
[Chorus]
Seems to act just like a drug;
You're getting to be a habit with me.
Let me stay in your arms,
I'm addicted to your charms;
You're getting to be a habit with me.
I used to think your love was something that I
Could take or leave alone.
But now I couldn't do without my supply,
I need you for my own.
Oh, I can't break away,
I must have you every day,
As regularly as coffee or tea.
You've got me in your clutches and I can't get free,
You're getting to be a habit with me,
(Can't break it!)
You're getting to be a habit with me.
I thought it was just another meeting,
But my fate had begun;
Something in my heart kept on repeating,
She's diff'rent, this one.
I'm getting, oh so used to having you around each day,
Don't you ever go away.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of the song "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" by Anita O'Day talk about the idea of addiction when it comes to love. The singer reflects on how their relationship started in fun, but now they cannot imagine letting it go. They explain that every kiss and hug they share seems to act like a drug, and they cannot break away from the addictive need to be with their lover. The lyrics also imply that the singer was initially hesitant about committing to the relationship, but now they cannot imagine being without their partner, as they have become a habit to them.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea of addiction, as the singer compares their lover to a habit that they cannot break away from. They express their need to stay in their partner's arms and how they have become addicted to their charms. The line "As regularly as coffee or tea" further emphasizes the idea of addiction, as coffee and tea are everyday habits that people find hard to break away from. The last line of the chorus, "you're getting to be a habit with me," is repeated multiple times, emphasizing the idea of addiction.
Overall, the lyrics of the song "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" explore the concept of love addiction, where the singer cannot imagine their life without their partner. The song emphasizes the idea of addiction through the use of repetitive lyrics and comparing the lover to everyday habits that people find hard to break away from.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know exactly how it started,
I am uncertain about the origin,
But it started in fun;
Although I don't remember how it began, it was for enjoyment,
I just wanted someone to be gay with,
I desired a companion who shared my fun-loving spirit,
To play with someone.
I wanted to have someone to spend time with and enjoy activities.
But now I realize that I could never let you go,
I have come to the understanding that I cannot lose you,
And I've come to tell you so;
I have arrived to confess my feelings to you.
Every kiss, every hug
Any display of affection,
Seems to act just like a drug;
Has an addictive effect on me,
You're getting to be a habit with me.
I am forming an attachment to you and cannot imagine being without you.
Let me stay in your arms,
I would like to remain held by you,
I'm addicted to your charms;
I am spellbound by your alluring qualities,
You're getting to be a habit with me.
My dependency on you is growing.
I used to think your love was something that I
Initially, I believed your love was something that,
Could take or leave alone.
I could take it or leave it and not be too bothered,
But now I couldn't do without my supply,
But now, I cannot survive without your affection,
I need you for my own.
I crave having you for myself.
Oh, I can't break away,
I have found it impossible to sever the bond we share,
I must have you every day,
I could not imagine my life without you in it,
As regularly as coffee or tea.
Your presence has become a staple in my life.
You've got me in your clutches and I can't get free,
You have a hold on me that I cannot escape,
You're getting to be a habit with me,
You are becoming a regular part of my life that I cannot seem to give up.
(Can't break it!)
(I am powerless to end it!)
You're getting to be a habit with me.
I am getting attached to you and cannot get enough.
I thought it was just another meeting,
Initially, I assumed it was just a typical encounter,
But my fate had begun;
But destiny had other plans,
Something in my heart kept on repeating,
My heart kept reminding me,
She's diff'rent, this one.
This one is unique and special.
I'm getting, oh so used to having you around each day,
I am becoming accustomed to your presence in my daily life,
Don't you ever go away.
Please don't leave me.
[Chorus]
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WARREN, AL DUBIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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)