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!.
Chicago
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chicago, Chicago, I'll show you around, I love it
Betcha bottom dollar you'll lose your blues
In Chicago, Chicago
The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down
On State Street, that great street
I just want to stay, I just want to stay
They have the time, the time of their life
I saw a man who danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
Free and easy town, brassy, breezy town
Chicago, Chicago
Let me cool my heels right down at Marshall Field
Come and walk with
Along the lake, to the drake
Hollar and hoot, all through the loop
Shout out now to Mrs. O'Leary's cow
No she-she, life is peachy
Chicago, we'll meet at the Pump Room Ambassador East
To say the least
On shishkabob and breast of squab we will feed and get free
Don't tell me sin is rampid and right
Think of that man who danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago
I feel sympathy for that wonderful, windy town!
The song "Chicago" by Anita O'Day is an energetic and lively tribute to the city of Chicago. The opening line, "Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town, that toddlin' town," immediately sets the tone for the song as an upbeat celebration of the city. The next few lines assert the singer's love for Chicago and promises to show the listener around. The lyrics suggest that Chicago is a place where one can escape their problems and find joy. The line "Betcha bottom dollar you'll lose your blues" reinforces this idea.
Line by Line Meaning
Chicago, Chicago, that toddlin' town, that toddlin' town
Oh Chicago, what a lively and bustling city you are!
Chicago, Chicago, I'll show you around, I love it
If you come with me, I'll take you on a tour of the city that I love so much.
Betcha bottom dollar you'll lose your blues
I am certain that you will forget all your worries and sadness.
In Chicago, Chicago
The town that Billy Sunday could not shut down
Chicago is a city that is always vibrant, even when its churches and preachers are trying to bring people down.
On State Street, that great street
I just want to stay, I just want to stay
State Street is such a wonderful place that I wish I could stay there forever.
They do things they don't do on Broadway, say
They have the time, the time of their life
Chicagoans have a unique way of enjoying life that is different from what is done on Broadway. They truly know how to have fun and enjoy themselves.
I saw a man who danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, Chicago
I once saw a happy couple dancing together in the streets of Chicago, which is such a great and lively city.
Free and easy town, brassy, breezy town
Chicago, Chicago
Chicago is a place where people can be themselves, relax, and enjoy life to the fullest. It's a lively and fun-loving city.
Let me cool my heels right down at Marshall Field
Come and walk with
Along the lake, to the drake
Let's go and take a leisurely walk around Marshall Field and along Lake Michigan towards the Drake Hotel.
Hollar and hoot, all through the loop
Shout out now to Mrs. O'Leary's cow
Let's make some noise and have fun as we walk through the downtown loop, and let's not forget to acknowledge Mrs. O'Leary's cow (famous for starting the Great Chicago Fire).
No she-she, life is peachy
Chicago, we'll meet at the Pump Room Ambassador East
To say the least
In Chicago, there's no need for anything fancy. Life is great as it is. Let's meet up at the Pump Room in the Ambassador East Hotel - it's the least we can do to enjoy this great city.
On shishkabob and breast of squab we will feed and get free
Don't tell me sin is rampid and right
Think of that man who danced with his wife
In Chicago, Chicago
Let's eat shishkabob and squab and forget about all the bad things going on. Don't try to tell me that sin is rampant and normal. Think instead of that happy couple dancing in the streets of Chicago.
I feel sympathy for that wonderful, windy town!
I have a great fondness for this amazing and windy city, and I really empathize with its lively and bustling nature.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, CTM Publishing, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fred Fisher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
New England Artiste
Awesome!
cjgaddy
GREAT! Go Anita! Go John! Personnel on "Live At Mister Kelly's 4-27-1958" (Mister Kellys Restaurant, Chicago):
Joe Masters (p), Eldee Young (b), John Poole (d) <=Brushes Master!!
坂巻 去来
🌿🌺🏵️😉
Marc Uroz
Picture you upon my knee,
Just tea for two and two for tea,
Just me for you
And you for me alone.
Nobody near us
To see us or hear us,
No friends or relations
On weekend vacations.
We won't have it known, dear,
That we own a telephone, dear;
Day will break and you'll awake
And start to bake a sugar cake,
For me to take
For all the boys to see.
We will raise a family,
A boy for you, a girl for me.
Oh, can't you see
How happy we would be?
Alberto Interian III
Anyone know the tune the band starts playing at 3:45?
Alex Becerril
Four