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!.
How Come
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And every night he's dreamin' of me, so he says!
I'm gonna knock on his front door,
I'm gonna find out what's the score!
How come you don't love me like you used to, how come?
And you still my baby! Come come!
You go runnin' round datin'
Oh baby, how come, how come?
You don't kiss me like you used to, how come?
Am I still your baby? Come come!
You're a solid hit, skipper,
But honey, I'm a hipper!
Tell me how come?
Baby, I'm confessin'
You have got me guessin';
Lately, I don't get nowhere,
I get the air of Frigidaire!
How come you don't thrill me how you used to, how come?
And you still my baby! Come come!
Better stop your lyin',
Alibi-in',
And tell me baby, how come?
Baby, I'm confessin'
You have got me guessin';
Lately, I don't get nowhere,
I get the air of Frigidaire!
How come you don't thrill me how you used to, how come?
And you still my baby! Come come!
Better stop your lyin',
Alibi-in',
And tell me baby, how come?
You better stop your lyin' and tell me how come!
The song "How Come?" by Anita O'Day is a playful and sassy expression of romantic frustration. The lyrics describe a woman's confusion over her partner's shifting affections, with the repeated refrain of "how come?" underscoring her sense of bewilderment. She acknowledges that her lover claims to love her and dream about her, but his actions suggest otherwise, as he dates other women and fails to show her the same passion as before. The singer decides to confront her lover about his behavior, demanding that he explain himself and stop making excuses. Despite her confidence, however, the lyrics indicate that the woman is truly uncertain about the nature of her relationship and where it might be headed.
Overall, "How Come?" is a characteristically upbeat and spirited song from Anita O'Day, and one that reflects the fun and flirtatious mood of mid-century jazz. The lyrics' focus on relationships and romantic insecurity make it a relatable and enjoyable listen for anyone who has struggled with making sense of their feelings for another person.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a guy who says he loves me, so he says!
I have a man who claims that he loves me
And every night he's dreamin' of me, so he says!
He says he dreams about me every single night
I'm gonna knock on his front door, I'm gonna find out what's the score!
I plan to go to his place and get to the bottom of things
How come you don't love me like you used to, how come?
Why don't you love me in the way you did before?
And you still my baby! Come come!
Even so, you are still my sweetheart
You go runnin' round datin' And leave me waitin', Oh baby, how come, how come?
You keep going out on dates and leaving me waiting, why?
You don't kiss me like you used to, how come?
Why don't you kiss me with the same passion as before?
Am I still your baby? Come come!
Do you still feel the same way about me as you once did?
You're a solid hit, skipper, But honey, I'm a hipper! Tell me how come?
You may be popular and cool, but I'm more sophisticated than that. Why don't you see that?
Baby, I'm confessin' You have got me guessin'; Lately, I don't get nowhere, I get the air of Frigidaire!
To be honest, I am confused and feeling stuck in our relationship. It's as if I'm not getting anywhere and the situation is like being stuck in cold air.
Better stop your lyin', Alibi-in', And tell me baby, how come?
You should stop making excuses and be honest with me. Explain why things have changed between us.
You better stop your lyin' and tell me how come!
You need to stop covering up the truth and explain why things have changed.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD SHERMAN, RICHARD M. SHERMAN, ROBERT B. SHERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hep2jive
ElectroGram from: Chicago Thanks for posting! Never delete this video! All over the world, people have moved the coffee table a side to dance to this!
@TomLandry1
I saw an interview where Anita said she was not particularly happy with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, but there's no denying they made some great music together.
@jeanesingsjazz
her timing was impeccable… Especially on really fast numbers. Live, you never see her miss y a beat.
@NoRosesForMe
"...I get the air of Fridgidare.."...Haha! Such cute lyrics. Ive always loved her so much. Thank you for sharing this with the world. Shes ALWAYS like sunshine. Peace to you. (subbed ya by the way)
@mh605
Wow, what a voice? Why have I not heard of this woman before?!
@guitarman6742
Because you're an infant.
@nicolegauthier9059
Thanks You Tube I did not know this singer superbe!!!
@guitarman6742
You don't know jack.
@PandaBroad1953
love her style....x
@momosmamma
ahhh great song love her voice!!