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!.
No Moon At All
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even lightning bugs have dimmed their light
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there′s no moon at all
Don't make a sound, it′s so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right
And bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
When there's no moon at all
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
And there′s no moon at all
And there is no moon at all
The song "No Moon At All" by Anita O'Day is a romantic tune that talks about a night void of the moon. The first stanza describes the startling darkness of the night as no stars are visible due to the absence of the moon. The song continues on to talk about how silent the night is, with even Fido not wanting to bark. The second stanza talks about the opportunity to park, perhaps to sit and talk or share a kiss with someone on the quiet night. The singer suggests that bright moonlight would interfere with the romantic mood that is already set in the darkness.
The chorus brings the focus back to the fact that there is no moon at all, with the singer questioning the expectations of falling in love in such an atmosphere. It is a song about how sometimes the unexpected can be just as romantic as the traditionally ideal romantic setting. This song is ultimately about seizing the moment, even when it is not what we may have envisioned or idealized.
Line by Line Meaning
No moon at all, what a night
The night is so dark and seemingly devoid of any light from the moon.
Even lightning bugs have dimmed their light
The normally glowing lightning bugs are not shining as brightly due to the darkness of the night.
Stars have disappeared from sight
The stars are not visible in the sky on this particularly dark night.
And there's no moon at all
The artist is reiterating the absence of moonlight on this night.
Don't make a sound, it's so dark
The darkness of the night is causing the artist to feel like they should be silent.
Even Fido is afraid to bark
Even the singer's dog is hesitant to make noise due to the spooky atmosphere of the dark night.
What a perfect chance to park
The lack of light from the moon presents an ideal opportunity for the singer to park their vehicle unnoticed.
And there's no moon at all
Again, the artist emphasizes the absence of moonlight on this eerie night.
Should we want atmosphere
If the couple desires a certain ambiance or mood for their romantic encounter...
For inspiration, dear
...to draw inspiration from or use as a catalyst for their emotions...
One kiss will make it clear
...they can easily achieve that mood with one kiss.
That tonight is right
The darkness of the night and lack of moonlight contribute to the ideal conditions for a successful romantic encounter.
And bright moonlight might interfere
Ironically, bright moonlight could have a negative impact on the desired atmosphere for the romantic rendezvous.
No moon at all up above
Re-emphasizing the lack of moonlight on this dark night.
This is nothing like they told us of
The singer is commentating on the difference between their expectations for this night and the actual reality of the dark and spooky atmosphere.
Just to think we fell in love
Despite the unexpected, spooky nature of the night, the couple fell in love regardless.
When there's no moon at all
The artist concludes once again by referencing the absence of moonlight on this dark and mysterious night.
Writer(s): Redd Evans, David Mann
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
iva
No moon at all, what a night
Even lightning bugs have dimmed their light
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there's no moon at all
Don't make a sound, it's so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
And there's no moon at all
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right
And bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
When there's no moon at all
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
And there's no moon at all
And there is no moon at all
Joe Gee
Great tune -Doros Days recording is smooth but Anita made every track snappy and suggestive - one of my fave female jazz vocalists and she nails this track!
iva
No moon at all, what a night
Even lightning bugs have dimmed their light
Stars have disappeared from sight
And there's no moon at all
Don't make a sound, it's so dark
Even Fido is afraid to bark
What a perfect chance to park
And there's no moon at all
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That tonight is right
And bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
When there's no moon at all
Should we want atmosphere
For inspiration, dear
One kiss will make it clear
That bright moonlight might interfere
No moon at all up above
This is nothing like they told us of
Just to think we fell in love
And there's no moon at all
And there is no moon at all
Robert O'Reilly
This is fantastic!
Jan Wintz
such a good song!
Stephen Adams: Musical Interpretations and Satire
Ted Templeman’s book, “A Platinum Producer’s Life In Music” brought me here.
Daniel Glass
YES!!
RomeoLover2
so a kpop idol brought me here. and I love this song
nini
Same hahaha
KimUoU
+RomeoLover2 Haha, ARMY is here!! >0<
Micah
+RomeoLover2 let's wait some more army