Anita O'Day (October 18, 1919 - November 23, 2006) was an American jazz sin… Read Full Bio ↴Anita O'Day (October 18, 1919 - November 23, 2006) was an American jazz singer.

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!.

Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?
Anita O'Day Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I got a gal who's always late
Any time we have a date
But I love her
Yes I love her

I'm gonna walk right up to her gate
And see if I can get it straight
'Cause I want her

I'm gonna ask her

Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Way you're acting lately makes me doubt
Youse is still my baby, baby
Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out

A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Just when you're sure of what you'll find
She's gone and made a change

Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true

Is you is or is you ain't my baby

Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true

Overall Meaning

The song 'Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby' by Anita O'Day addresses the confusion a man feels towards his woman and questions the validity of their relationship. The opening lines of the song reveal that the woman is always late when they have a date. Despite this, the man admits that he loves her. He decides to take action and goes to her gate to confront her and ask her if she still loves him or if she's found someone new.

The following lines imply that the man is confused by the woman's recent behavior, which leads him to doubt whether she's still his baby or not. The woman is described as a creature that has always been strange, and the man is uncertain about what he'll find. The chorus repeats the main question "is you is or is you ain't my baby" which emphasizes the man's confusion and need for clarity.

Overall, the song expresses the complex emotions and doubts that can exist in a relationship, particularly when there is a lack of communication and clarity. The lyrics highlight the importance of open and honest communication in a relationship to ensure that both partners feel secure and loved.

Line by Line Meaning

I got a gal who's always late
I have a girlfriend who is always tardy

Any time we have a date
Every time we set up a meeting

But I love her
However, I adore her

Yes I love her
Undoubtedly, I am fond of her

I'm gonna walk right up to her gate
I plan to approach her residence directly

And see if I can get it straight
Plus, I'll try to clarify what's happening

'Cause I want her
It's because I want her

I'm gonna ask her
I'll question her

Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Are you still my girlfriend or not?

Way you're acting lately makes me doubt
Your recent behavior has led me to suspect

Youse is still my baby, baby
You are still my girlfriend, darling

Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out
It appears as if my love has been extinguished from your heart

A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Females have always been enigmatic beings

Just when you're sure of what you'll find
When you think you know what to expect

She's gone and made a change
She suddenly alters it

Maybe baby's found somebody new
Perhaps my girlfriend has found a new partner

Or is my baby still my baby true
Or is she still faithful to me?

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BILLY AUSTIN, LOUIS JORDAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Nickee_Sonicjinn

5y↑9

Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
Well, the way you're acting lately, well it makes me doubt
You were still my baby, baby
But it seems like my flame in your heart, well it's just gone out

A man is a creature
That has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You'll find that he's gone and made a change

Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
Well, maybe my baby found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby too?

I was quite curious about the lyrics~~ :)
One of the most attractive jazzy vocals that I've heard from Korean commercials.
요즘 한국광고음악 중 가장 좋아하는 곡 중에 하나네요 :)

All comments from YouTube:

@jackd8602

1y↑2

Saw her in Newport when I was a teen. I did not have enough money for the tennis venue. But she showed up later, floppy hat and all, for free, at the beach wall set up. Great artist and fan pleased. Miss her.