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!.
Stompin at the Savoy
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Savoy, it wins you at a glance
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Your form, just like a clingin' vine
Your lips, as warm and sweet as wine
Your cheek, so soft and close to mine, divine.
While the band is swingin'
Never tired of rompin'
An' Stompin' with you at the Savoy
What joy, a perfect holiday
Savoy, where we can glide and sway
There let me stomp away with you
Savoy,
Savoy,
Savoy.
Your form just like a clingin' vine
Your lips, as warm and sweet as wine
Your cheek, so soft and close to mine, divine.
Oh, how my heart is singin'
While the band is swingin'
Never tired of rompin'
An' Stompin' with you at the Savoy
What joy,
Savoy,
Savoy, there let me stomp away
With you.
The lyrics to "Stompin At The Savoy" evoke a feeling of joy and romance. The Savoy refers to the famous ballroom in Harlem, New York, which was a hub for swing and jazz dancing in the 1930s and 1940s. The first stanza sets the stage for the romantic atmosphere of the Savoy, with its happy feet and sweet romance. The next stanza refers to the singer's love interest, praising their beauty and closeness, which feels divine. The chorus repeats the joy of romping and stomping with their partner at the Savoy, a perfect holiday where they can glide and sway to the music.
Line by Line Meaning
Savoy, the home of sweet romance
Savoy is a place where sweet romance resides
Savoy, it wins you at a glance
The beauty of Savoy attracts you instantly
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Savoy provides an opportunity for happy feet to dance
Your form, just like a clingin' vine
Your shape resembles that of a clinging vine
Your lips, as warm and sweet as wine
Your lips are as sweet and warm as wine
Your cheek, so soft and close to mine, divine.
Your cheek is so tender and intimate, it feels divine
How my heart is singin'
The joy in my heart is singing
While the band is swingin'
As the band plays swing music
Never tired of rompin'
Never getting bored of frolicking
An' Stompin' with you at the Savoy
Dancing and having fun with you at Savoy
What joy, a perfect holiday
What joy it is to have a perfect holiday at Savoy
Savoy, where we can glide and sway
Savoy is a place where we can sway and move gracefully
There let me stomp away with you
Let me have fun and dance with you at Savoy
Savoy
Savoy
Savoy
Savoy
Savoy.
Savoy.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
RBS Prods
A sensational performance of "Stompin at the Savoy" by Anita O'Day!
Roland Deschain
Thank you heroin!!!!