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!.
Holiday for Love
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
That belong to a lonesome cop
I open shop
When the moon so long has been gazing down
On the wayward ways of a wayward town
That a smile becomes a smirk
I go to work
Love for sale
Appetizing young love for sale
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Love that's only slightly soiled
Love for sale
Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply?
Who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise?
Love for sale
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish way
I know every type of love better far than they
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
Old love, new love
Every kind but true love
For sale
Appetizing young love for sale
If you want to buy my wares
Follow me and climb the stairs
Love for sale
Love for sale
The lyrics of "Love For Sale" by Anita O'Day And Her Orchestra revolve around the theme of love being commodified and reduced to a transactional experience. The song depicts a bleak and cynical view of love, where it is treated as a product to be bought and sold. The opening lines describe an empty street with the heavy footsteps of a lonesome cop, creating a somber atmosphere. In this desolate setting, the singer opens a metaphorical "shop" to sell love.
The lyrics then shift to emphasize the corrupt and wayward nature of the town, where even smiles become smirks. The singer takes advantage of this environment and begins to work, offering "appetizing young love for sale." The description of the love being fresh and unspoiled, yet slightly soiled, suggests that it is not genuine or authentic. The chorus poses the question of "who will buy" this love and who is willing to pay the price for a trip to paradise.
The song then contrasts the singer's understanding of love with that of the poets, claiming to know every type of love better than they do. It implies that the singer has experienced various forms of love, both old and new, but not true love. The repetition of the phrase "love for sale" underscores the commodification of love and reinforces the cynical tone of the song.
Overall, "Love For Sale" offers a bleak commentary on the nature of love in a society where it is treated as a commodity and reduced to a transactional experience.
Line by Line Meaning
When the only sound on the empty street
In a desolate and quiet street, where no other noises can be heard
Is the heavy tread of the heavy feet
The sound of footsteps, slow and burdened
That belong to a lonesome cop
Coming from a solitary police officer
I open shop
I begin my business
When the moon so long has been gazing down
After the moon has spent a great deal of time looking upon
On the wayward ways of a wayward town
Observing the unpredictable and rebellious nature of a restless town
That a smile becomes a smirk
Where a smile transforms into a smug expression
I go to work
I commence my task
Love for sale
Affection available for purchase
Appetizing young love for sale
Desirable and enticing youthful affection offered for acquisition
Love that's fresh and still unspoiled
Affection that is new and untainted by negative experiences
Love that's only slightly soiled
Affection that has been minimally tarnished
Love for sale
Affection available for purchase
Who will buy? Who would like to sample my supply?
Who is willing to purchase? Who desires to test the products I offer?
Who's prepared to pay the price for a trip to paradise?
Who is ready to pay the cost to embark on a journey to heavenly bliss?
Love for sale
Affection available for purchase
Let the poets pipe of love in their childish way
Allow the poets to speak of love in their innocent manner
I know every type of love better far than they
I am intimately familiar with all forms of love, more than they ever could be
If you want the thrill of love, I've been through the mill of love
If you seek the excitement of love, I have endured the hardships and trials of love
Old love, new love
Experienced love, novel love
Every kind but true love
All varieties except genuine love
For sale
Available for purchase
Appetizing young love for sale
Desirable and enticing youthful affection offered for acquisition
If you want to buy my wares
If you wish to acquire what I have to offer
Follow me and climb the stairs
Accompany me and ascend the steps
Love for sale
Affection available for purchase
Love for sale
Affection available for purchase
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Word Collections Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Som Luong
I love Anita O'Day. Just look/listen at the way she controls her voice, the way she moves in and out from the mic. Such precision. She knows exactly what she is doing and is having fun with it.
1122redbird
Yea, she is a badass performer. And high as fuck on smack too.
Terry Costello
You are witnessing probably the best live jazz singing ever from 65years + virtuosic ,timing , interpretation,modern swing,space humour it has it all.Pure pure genius❤
J Mc
I really don’t know what is happening here, but it’s hypnotic. Or rather she is. Accomplished musicianship from the band. Wonderful camera work and editing of the very cool crowd. And the elegance, class and effortless improvisation from Anita O’Day. A beautiful snapshot of a bygone era. Thankyou.
Andrew Horsfield
Maybe too cool a crowd??
Rien Jans
This was taken from a film called Jazz on a Summer's Day, a documentary more like, about the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958. Must see, mesmerizing stuff indeed!
Rain for me
Very beautiful comment
J Mc
@Rain for me Thankyou
skycam66
She admitted she was high on heroin and doesn't remember any of this
Michael G Moore
That woman was one of the greatest Jazz performers ever. No one was like her at all. Her rythimatic style was uñbelievable. She had the looks to go with. I bought her Cocktail Hour 2 CD set made in 2000 around that time. I will miss her.