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!.
I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of the song "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" by Anita O'Day describe the feeling of disbelief and wonder upon discovering that someone you love also loves you back. The singer expresses surprise and gratitude for finding a love that seems too good to be true. The opening lines describe the moment of realization, when the person "came my way" and "smiled" at the singer, igniting a feeling of love at first sight. The singer admits that they "never dreamed" that the person could feel the same way, indicating a lack of confidence in themselves and their worthiness of love.
The chorus of the song repeats the main theme of disbelief, with the singer marveling that "you're in love with me." The repetition of this line underscores the shock and joy of finding reciprocal love. The singer describes how the new relationship has enriched their life, making them "proud" and buoying them up even in difficult times.
The final lines of the song express deep gratitude and humility, with the singer acknowledging that they feel lucky to have found love with this person. The phrase "after all is said and done" suggests that the singer has experienced disappointment and setbacks in the past, but that this new love outweighs any previous pain. Overall, the song celebrates the transformative power of love and the joy of finding someone who reciprocates our feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
The singer is recalling a moment when the person they love crossed their path.
And when you smiled at me,
The person looked at the singer with affection and it made them feel happy.
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
Seeing the person they love caused the singer to feel excitement and joy.
That it was love at sight and
The artist immediately knew that they were in love when they saw the person.
I was right to love you as I do.
The artist feels proud and confident in their love for the other person.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Despite the singer's love for the person, they didn't expect that the person would feel the same way.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
The person's eyes and kisses have a significant impact on the singer.
I never knew what they could do.
The artist is surprised by the intensity of their feelings for the person's eyes and kisses.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
The person speaks about the artist and their relationship to others.
I'm on your mind each place we go
The artist is in the person's thoughts often, even when they are out in public places together.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised to hear that the person is in love with the singer.
I have always placed you far above me.
The artist thinks very highly of the person they love.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
Despite their love for the person, the singer has a hard time believing that the person loves them back.
And after all is said and done,
After all of their doubts and worries, the singer is still in disbelief that they are loved by the person they love.
To think that I'm the lucky one.
The singer feels grateful and lucky to be loved back by the person they admire.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
The artist's mood is negatively affected when the person they love is not around.
When you are not around.
The artist misses the person they love when they are apart.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
Without the person they love by their side, things in life seem to go wrong for the singer.
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
When the person the singer loves is with them, the singer feels a sense of pride and joy.
For I'm so proud of you
The artist is proud of the person they love.
It all seems too good to me to all be true
The artist is amazed that their love for the person is mutual and it feels like a dream come true.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
The person speaks about the artist and their relationship to others.
I'm on your mind each place we go
The singer is in the person's thoughts often, even when they are out in public places together.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
Others are surprised to hear that the person is in love with the artist.
I have always placed you far above me.
The singer thinks very highly of the person they love.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
Despite their love for the person, the singer has a hard time believing that the person loves them back.
And after all is said and done,
After all of their doubts and worries, the singer is still in disbelief that they are loved by the person they love.
To think that I'm the lucky one.
The artist feels grateful and lucky to be loved back by the person they admire.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kemplerbrave
You know sometimes you need to listen to a song like this to get a certainly "different" feel of a song compared to the songs of the day. Anita was great and that voice was special. Great tune and great singer no doubt about that. :) Wish the mood of the country could go back to 1945. I wasn't around then but have read much about that time period. :)
Paul Ostroff
One of the greatest jazz treasures of the past! Bravo! TY.
eottoe2001
Pitch perfect. Great voice. Thank you for posting.
Juan Manuel Parada Contreras
Simplemente genial este clàsico de siempre.
jmeintn
Great singing, thanks for posting!
Dobrib
Magnificent!Thanks for posting.
kealg seo
Great Song! Was also used in the movie ''Detour'' 1945,with Tom Neal and Ann Savage !
Monroe Quinn
Yes!!!!!!
kevin madden
It also was played in the background during the resort scene in "The Cain Mutiny."
Wayne J
@A Dog Named Handsome I wasn't sure if the actress, Claudia Drake did her own vocals or was dubbed. Ty for the tip, and I'll check out the link.