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!.
Harlem On Parade
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sound of marching men;
I turned my head to view
The drum boy, the bugle boy, and then;
Harlem soldiers on the move,
See them marching in the groove,
Uncle Sam is mighty proud
With a smile they all perform
In a full drape uniform;
Everybody's here to cheer
For Harlem on parade.
When you hear the bugle blow,
That's the time you're bound to know
That the man behind the horn
Is as handy with a gun
When there's fighting to be done!
Every heart within the crowd
Beats it out with head unbowed,
Uncle Sam is mighty proud
Of Harlem on parade.
When you hear the bugle blow,
That's the time you're bound to know
That the man behind the horn
Is as handy with a gun
When there's fighting to be done!
Every heart within the crowd
Beats it out with head unbowed,
Uncle Sam is mighty proud
Of Harlem on parade.
The song "Harlem On Parade" by Anita O'Day is a tribute to African American soldiers during World War II. The lyrics paint a vivid scene of a parade in Harlem, with the sound of marching men and the sight of uniformed soldiers. The percussion, provided by the drum boy, and the brass, played by the bugle boy, add to the energy and excitement of the parade. The soldiers on display are dressed in full, drape uniforms, and their smiles reveal their pride in their service to their country.
The lyrics also suggest that these soldiers were not just for show. The bugle, typically used to signal orders, is noted to be a deadly weapon in the hands of the man behind it. The crowd watching the parade is also moved by the display, with every heart beating in rhythm with the soldiers' march. Overall, the song "Harlem On Parade" celebrates the bravery, service, and pride of African American soldiers during a time when they were often overlooked and discriminated against.
Line by Line Meaning
In the distance I heard a sound,
As I was walking, I heard a sound coming from afar.
The sound of marching men;
It was the sound of a group of men marching together in unison.
I turned my head to view
I turned my head to see where the sound was coming from.
The drum boy, the bugle boy, and then;
I saw the drum boy and the bugle boy leading the group, followed by the rest of the soldiers.
Harlem soldiers on the move,
These were soldiers from Harlem who were on the move.
See them marching in the groove,
They were marching in a synchronized and rhythmic way that looked impressive.
Uncle Sam is mighty proud
The United States government is extremely proud of these soldiers.
Of Harlem on parade.
The pride is specifically for the soldiers from Harlem who were marching in the parade.
With a smile they all perform
All the soldiers were performing with a smile on their faces.
In a full drape uniform;
They were wearing full military uniforms that looked very well put together.
Everybody's here to cheer
Everyone in attendance was there to cheer on the soldiers.
For Harlem on parade.
This parade was specifically for the soldiers from Harlem.
When you hear the bugle blow,
If you hear the sound of the bugle playing,
That's the time you're bound to know
You'll know at that moment
That the man behind the horn
The person playing the bugle
Is as handy with a gun
Is skilled with using firearms
When there's fighting to be done!
They can handle themselves in combat situations.
Every heart within the crowd
Every person in the audience
Beats it out with head unbowed,
Their hearts were beating strongly and they were all standing tall with pride.
Uncle Sam is mighty proud
The United States government is very proud
Of Harlem on parade.
Of the soldiers from Harlem that were marching in the parade.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BENNY CARTER, REDD EVANS
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)