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!.
Anita's Blues
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've settled revolutions in Spain
And the North Pole I have charted
Still I can't get started with you
On the golf course, I'm under par
Metro Goldwyn have asked me to star
I've got a house, a showplace
'Cause you're so supreme
Lyrics I write of you, I dream
Dream day and night of you
And I scheme just for the sight of you
Baby, what good does it do?
I've been consulted by Franklin D
Greta Garbo has had me to tea
Still I'm broken-hearted
'Cause I can't get started with you
Anita O'Day's "Anita's Blues" is a love song that is also a lament. It features O'Day crooning about her desire for someone who seems out of her reach, who she can't "get started with." In the first verse, she sings about her impressive accomplishments - flying around the world in a plane, settling revolutions in Spain, and charting the North Pole - but notes that none of these things have given her the satisfaction that she would get from being with the person she desires. She even says that on the golf course, she's "under par," meaning she's playing very well, but this still isn't enough to win over her love.
In the second verse, O'Day sings about how she's achieved success in other areas, like being asked by Metro Goldwyn to star in films and having a luxurious house to call her own, but still feels like she hasn't accomplished what she really wants - being with this person. The song is full of despair and longing, as O'Day says that the object of her affection is "so supreme" and that she's always dreaming and scheming about how to win them over, only to feel defeated over and over again. She even notes that people as famous as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Greta Garbo have sought her out, but none of that compares to the feeling of being rejected by the person she wants.
Overall, "Anita's Blues" is a timeless love song that resonates with anyone who has ever felt like they couldn't win over someone they desired. It's a testament to the power of love and the impact that unrequited affection can have on our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I've flown around the world in a plane
I've traveled extensively and seen many places by air
I've settled revolutions in Spain
I've played a significant role in resolving political turmoil in Spain
And the North Pole I have charted
I've explored and mapped the North Pole
Still I can't get started with you
Despite all the accomplishments I've achieved, I can't win your affection
On the golf course, I'm under par
I excel at golf, scoring more below the average score
Metro Goldwyn have asked me to star
Famous film production company Metro Goldwyn has invited me to act in their films
I've got a house, a showplace
I have a magnificent and impressive home
Still I can't get no place with you
Despite all I have, I still cannot get your attention and love
'Cause you're so supreme
You are perfect and incomparable
Lyrics I write of you, I dream
I dream of writing the perfect lyrics about you
Dream day and night of you
You are constantly on my mind, both while sleeping and awake
And I scheme just for the sight of you
I plot and plan just to get a glimpse of you
Baby, what good does it do?
Despite my best efforts, nothing seems to work in winning your affection
I've been consulted by Franklin D
I've advised former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Greta Garbo has had me to tea
Famous actress Greta Garbo has invited me to a tea party
Still I'm broken-hearted
Despite all my achievements, my heart is still shattered because I cannot have you
'Cause I can't get started with you
I am unable to begin a romantic relationship with you, and it breaks my heart
Lyrics © HELENE BLUE MUSIQUE LTD
Written by: ANITA O'DAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pete TheMan
Every 'girl 'singer' should listen to this.
kwik2hear
She'll take them to school 😂😂😂
kwik2hear
Real blues!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric REED
(George) Bud Lavin (piano), Monty Budwig (bass), John Poole (drums)
June 28, 1954, Los Angeles, CA
woodlawn4623
This song was originally recorded on Norgran 10" LP and along with this one was the very unique version of Man I Love and other equally unique interpretations of several standards which were later released on An Evening with Anita Oday, all of the songs, outstanding and showing her ability to sing like a horn. Of all of Anita O'Days renditions of popular songs this album is, in my view, her very best work.
Guitar Man
I have the album. I agree.