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!.
It’s You or No One
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
It's you or no one for me
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Now and forever and when forever's done
You'll find that you are still the one
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
Please don't say no to my plea
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
There's this about you
My world's an empty world without you
It's you or no one for me
For me
In the song "It's You or No One," Anita O'Day ponders about how she knew that the warmth of the glow would last, and how she guessed that the long loneliness was finally over. She goes on to say that she just looked at the person she is singing about, and she knew that she knew. She sings that it's that person or no one for her, and she is sure of this every time they kiss. She believes that it's them together forever, and even when forever is done, she knows that they will still be the one. She pleads with this person not to say no to her plea, and if they do, she believes that she is all done. Her world is empty without this person, and it's either them or nobody for her.
Line by Line Meaning
How did I know that the warmth of the glow would last.
I was uncertain if the happiness I felt would endure but seeing you filled me with hope.
How did I guess that the long loneliness was past.
I had given up on finding love but when I saw you, I felt drawn to you.
I merely looked at you and I knew that I knew.
As soon as I saw you, my heart knew that you were the one for me.
It's you or no one for me
I have chosen you and nobody else, you are the only one for me.
I'm sure of this each time we kiss
Each time we lock lips, I am reassured that I have made the right choice.
Now and forever and when forever's done
I'm committed to you for eternity, even beyond death.
You'll find that you are still the one
You will always be the only one that I love, no matter what happens in the future.
Please don't say no to my plea
I'm begging you not to reject me, as that would leave me with nothing.
'Cause if you do then I'm all through
If you turn me down, my life will be ruined and I will be lost without you.
There's this about you
You possess something intangible that draws me to you, something I cannot resist.
My world's an empty world without you
My life means nothing without you; you are the reason for my existence.
It's you or no one for me
My love for you is exclusive, you are the only one I desire.
For me
I mean what I say, and these words are from my heart.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JULE STYNE, SAMMY CAHN
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.