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!.
In a Little Spanish Town
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thrilling me again
Like that night in spain
Someone is sharing my memories
Wonder does she grieve
Every lovely evening
In a little Spanish town
Stars were peek-a-booing down
'Twas on a night like this
I whispered "Be true to me"
And she sighed: "Si, Si"
Many skies have turned to gray
Because we're far apart
Many moons had passed away
And still she's in my heart
We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
In a little Spanish town
'Twas on a night like this
Somehow I keep on remembering
Tears that said goodbye
Shining in her eye
Wonder does she keep remembering
Promises of mine
When the moon is shining
In a little Spanish town
'Twas on a night like this
Stars were peek-a-booing down
'Twas on a night like this
I whispered "Be true to me"
And she sighed: "Si, Si"
Many skies have turned to gray
Because we're far apart
Many moons had passed away
And still she's in my heart
We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
In a little Spanish town
The lyrics of Anita O'Day & Stan Kenton and His Orchestra's song "In a Little Spanish Town No 2" paint a poignant picture of the singer's memories and lingering thoughts of a past love. The opening verse suggests that the singer is looking back on a time and place where she shared special moments with someone she loved. The line "someone is sharing my memories" captures the idea that while the singer may be alone, she imagines her former lover is thinking of her too. She wonders if her former lover is feeling the same way and if she still grieves their separation.
The following verses narrate the events of the "night in Spain" where the singer and her lover made a promise to each other. The lyrics describe the intensity of their connection and the significance of the promise they made. The line "many skies have turned to gray, because we're far apart" suggests that the singer and her former lover have been separated for some time and that it has taken a toll on their relationship. Nevertheless, the promise that they made to each other on that night continues to be strong, as the singer declares that her former lover is still in her heart after all these years.
Line by Line Meaning
Evenings are crowded with memories
My reminiscences fill my evenings, as my mind wanders to a certain period in my life
Thrilling me again
My memories evoke strong emotions, as though I am reliving them
Like that night in Spain
One particular memory stands out, of a night spent in Spain
Someone is sharing my memories
I wonder if someone else also thinks about that night spent in Spain
Wonder does she grieve
I am curious if this person also feels melancholic when thinking about it
Every lovely evening
It seems that every evening is lovely, as my memories fill me with happiness
In a little Spanish town
This special night took place in a tiny town in Spain
'Twas on a night like this
The particular night the singer is remembering was similar to the current night they are experiencing
Stars were peek-a-booing down
The stars were visible and shining brightly in the night sky
I whispered "Be true to me"
The singer made a request to their companion to remain loyal to them
And she sighed: "Si, Si"
The companion replied in Spanish with a double confirmation of their allegiance
Many skies have turned to gray
Since that night, a long time has elapsed, and many unhappy events have taken place
Because we're far apart
The singer and their companion have been separated, and distance has taken a toll
Many moons had passed away
A considerable amount of time has gone by since their separation
And still she's in my heart
Despite everything that has happened, she is still in the singer's thoughts and emotions
We made a promise and sealed it with a kiss
The singer and their companion made a vow to each other, commemorated by a kiss, on that special night in Spain
Somehow I keep on remembering
The memories of that night in Spain seem to be etched permanently into the singer's mind
Tears that said goodbye
The farewell was accompanied by tears, indicating a deep emotional bond between the singer and their companion
Shining in her eye
The tears were visible in the companion's eyes
Wonder does she keep remembering
The singer wonders if their companion thinks about that night and their vow as often as they do
Promises of mine
The singer made several promises to their companion that night in Spain
When the moon is shining
At night, when the moon is visible in the sky, the singer's thoughts turn to that special night in Spain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE YOUNG, MABEL WAYNE, SAM M. LEWIS
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)