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!.
Leave It to Me
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say come and lay by your side
If this is just another ride you're taking me on,
Then leave me alone
I'm not your part-time man
Love is more than now and then
I've enjoyed as much as this, as I can stand
Love me or leave me alone
Love me or, baby,
Believe me, I'm gone
This time I'm gonna be strong
Maybe once upon a time,
I was young and love was blind
I thought I had finally made up my mind
It's sad, but
Love me or leave me alone
Love me or leave me alone
Love me or, baby,
Believe me, I'm gone
Love me or leave me
Girl, don't deceive me
Love me or leave me alone
The lyrics to the song Love Me or Leave Me by Anita O'Day that was composed by Oscar Peterson is a message from someone who is tired of being in a relationship that is not solid. The first stanza hints at vulnerability as the person is invited to lay by the other person’s side. However, they emphasize that they do not want to be taken on yet another ride. The second stanza then shows that the person is no longer comfortable with their current arrangement, as they do not want to be a part-time lover. They want something more substantial, and love is not merely for short periods.
In the third stanza, the person asks to be loved or left alone. It is evident that they have reached a breaking point, and a decision needs to be made. The chorus then repeats the message that they either need to be loved or left alone. And this time, they promise to be strong, implying that they will no longer allow themselves to be taken for granted.
The last stanza shows that the person has been in this kind of situation before, and they are tired of it. They know what they want, and they are not willing to compromise. In conclusion, the song is about someone who has reached a point of self-respect and is no longer willing to settle for less in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You hold your arms open wide
You are extending an invitation to me to come to you.
You say come and lay by your side
You are asking me to spend time with you.
If this is just another ride you're taking me on,
If this is just a temporary fling for you,
Then leave me alone
Then I want you to leave me and not waste my time.
I'm not your part-time man
I am not interested in being with you temporarily.
Love is more than now and then
I believe that love is a long-term commitment.
I've enjoyed as much as this, as I can stand
I have appreciated the time we have spent together but I cannot continue.
So, love me or leave me alone
You either commit to me for the long-term or leave me alone.
Love me or leave me alone
I want commitment from you or nothing at all.
Love me or, baby,
You have to choose between loving me exclusively or ending our relationship.
Believe me, I'm gone
If you refuse to commit, then I have to leave you.
This time I'm gonna be strong
I vow not to be manipulated into a short or mediocre love affair.
Maybe once upon a time,
I acknowledge that I might have had a different mindset in the past.
I was young and love was blind
I was naively optimistic and impulsive about love.
I thought I had finally made up my mind
I thought I had a grasp on what I wanted in a relationship.
It's sad, but
Unfortunately,
Girl, don't deceive me
I don't want you to lie to me or mislead me.
Love me or leave me alone
I am demanding clarity and honesty from you.
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, TOBAGO MUSIC COMPANY, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Beran
Great song, great singer, flawless band.
sanmarinojr
My pleasure, lady!
AfroLady352
Thank you, Alex.