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 De Lovely
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So if you want to go walking, dear,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
I understand the reason why
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
You can tell at a glance
What a swell night this is for romance,
Murmuring low,
"Let yourself go!"
So please be sweet, my chickadee,
And when I kiss you, just say to me,
"It's delightful, it's delicious,
It's delectable, it's delirious,
It's dilemma, it's delimit, it's deluxe,
It's de-lovely".
I feel a sudden urge to sing
The kind of ditty that invokes the spring.
I'll control my desire to curse
While you crucify the verse.
This verse I started seems to me
The Tin-Pantithesis of a melody,
So spare us all the pain,
Just skip the darn thing and sing the refrain
Mi, mi, mi, mi,
Re, re, re, re,
Do, sol, mi, do, la, si.
The night is young, the skies are clear
So if you want to go walking, dear,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
I understand the reason why
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
You can tell at a glance
What a swell night this is for romance,
You can hear dear Mother Nature
Murmuring low,
"Let yourself go!"
So please be sweet, my chickadee,
And when I kiss you, just say to me,
"It's delightful, it's delicious,
It's...It's de-lovely".
Anita O'Day's "It's Delovely" is a fun and upbeat song that captures the essence of a romantic evening. The first stanza of the song expresses the beauty of the night, urging the listener to go walking with their loved one. The repetition of "it's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely" emphasizes the carefree and happy atmosphere of the night. The second stanza emphasizes the charm of the night that brings out the sentimental side of both the listener and the singer. The lyrics suggest that the present moment is ideal for romance.
Mother Nature is personified in the song to encourage the lovers to let loose and indulge in the moment. The mention of "chickadee" in the song paints an image of endearment that is both humorous and affectionate. The last verse of the song is a playful exchange between the singer and listener in which she urges them to forget the unpleasant verse and sing the catchy refrain instead.
Overall, "It's Delovely" is a beautiful and joyful song that celebrates love, life and nature. It encourages the listener to make the best of the beautiful night by indulging in the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is young, the skies are clear
It's still early and a lovely night for an outing
So if you want to go walking, dear,
If you feel like a stroll, my love
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
It is wonderful, enjoyable, and charming
I understand the reason why
I see why you're feeling sentimental
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
You're emotional because I am too
You can tell at a glance
It's easy to see
What a swell night this is for romance,
It's a great evening for love
You can hear dear Mother Nature
You can perceive nature's voice
Murmuring low,
Whispering quietly
"Let yourself go!"
Let your feelings and desires take over
So please be sweet, my chickadee,
Be kind to me, my darling
And when I kiss you, just say to me,
And when I kiss you, respond with
"It's delightful, it's delicious,
"It's wonderful, enjoyable
It's delectable, it's delirious,
It's delicious, it's ecstatic
It's dilemma, it's delimit, it's deluxe,
It's a problem, it's defined, it's luxurious
It's de-lovely".
It's truly lovely
I feel a sudden urge to sing
I'm suddenly compelled to sing
The kind of ditty that invokes the spring.
A joyful tune that reminds me of springtime.
I'll control my desire to curse
I'll refrain from using bad language
While you crucify the verse.
While you sing the song perfectly.
This verse I started seems to me
The lyrics I began writing appear to me
The Tin-Pantithesis of a melody,
Completely opposite of a melody
So spare us all the pain,
So let's skip this part
Just skip the darn thing and sing the refrain
Skip that part and continue with the chorus
Mi, mi, mi, mi,
Musical notes
Re, re, re, re,
Musical notes
Do, sol, mi, do, la, si.
Musical notes
The night is young, the skies are clear
It's still early and a lovely night for an outing
So if you want to go walking, dear,
If you feel like a stroll, my love
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.
It is wonderful, enjoyable, and charming
I understand the reason why
I see why you're feeling sentimental
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I,
You're emotional because I am too
You can tell at a glance
It's easy to see
What a swell night this is for romance,
It's a great evening for love
You can hear dear Mother Nature
You can perceive nature's voice
Murmuring low,
Whispering quietly
"Let yourself go!"
Let your feelings and desires take over
So please be sweet, my chickadee,
Be kind to me, my darling
And when I kiss you, just say to me,
And when I kiss you, respond with
"It's delightful, it's delicious,
"It's wonderful, enjoyable
It's delectable, it's delirious,
It's delicious, it's ecstatic
It's dilemma, it's delimit, it's deluxe,
It's a problem, it's defined, it's luxurious
It's de-lovely".
It's truly lovely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
NoRosesForMe
She is a Queen. Always will be. LOVE her so much. She is one of the absolute BEST. And not many chicks really impress me. Ive always loved her dearly and I thank you for sharing this with the world. xx Peace ♥ "Jenny"
Gothicc senpai
thanks for keeping it up great song
Antoinette Rader
I am definitely living in the wrong era!
A C
Yes You May Billy ......All Day Anita .......Good vocals and Great Big Bands ....Luv..mmmm...:)
NoRosesForMe
PS!! those shoes at 4:56 ! Gotta love 'em!! Omgoodness....she was/is the top class gal.....but....very REAL and hip. ...oh geez love her little shoes and outfits!! hehe