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!.
Time After Time
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So lucky to be loving you
So lucky to be the one you run to see
In the evening, when the day is through
I only know what I know, the passing years will show
You've kept my love so young, so new
And time after time, you'll hear me say that I'm
I only know what I know, the passing years will show
You've kept my love so young, so new
And time after time, you'll hear me say that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
In Anita O'Day's "Time After Time," she expresses her gratitude towards her lover, cherishing the time spent together. The track starts with an acknowledgment of how lucky the singer is to be in love with the one she's singing to. She feels fortunate to be the one he chooses to spend his evening with, as the day comes to an end. As the years go by, the song's main character fades into introspection, wondering if her love will remain the same for as long as time goes by. However, she reassures herself that the passing years will show the power of the love she shares with her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Time after time, I tell myself that I'm
Repeatedly, I reassure myself that I am
So lucky to be loving you
Incredibly fortunate to have the privilege of loving you
So lucky to be the one you run to see
Extremely fortunate to be the person you choose to visit
In the evening, when the day is through
During the nighttime, after the day has ended
I only know what I know, the passing years will show
I am aware of what I know, and time will reveal its accuracy
You've kept my love so young, so new
You have preserved my love as vibrant and fresh
And time after time, you'll hear me say that I'm
Consistently, you will hear me express that I am
So lucky to be loving you
Amazed and appreciative of the opportunity I have to love you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE MUSIC GOES ROUND, Spirit Music Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KMack
Without a doubt absolutely the BEST female vocalist ever, in my opinion & the best ever version of a song I LOVE. Anita was one of a kind & dearly missed, but her beautiful voice lives on. RIP Anita 💖!
Jim Flynn
Great version of this wonderful standard. Many have performed it, and have done an excellent job with it. This Anita O'day recording is at the top of the list of those who have invested their talent in it.
Quenten Jones
What a gorgeous voice. I vaguely remember hearing her in my youth (many years ago) as my parents were fans of this style of music, but it is only in the last ten years or so that I have come to appreciate how marvelous Anita O'Day was as a performer. Her entire catalogue is worth listening to.
Amor Ophy
so soothing for the heart...amazing voice!
take5t0ky0jpn
I agree with you ! She sang this song's spirit perfectly. Many people say that This is Anita's best Album. & The Best track for me ! Thank you for your message !!
Els van Alfen
What a performance, beautiful voice, perfect frasing
steveknows62
She pretty much does everything to perfection.
local802blues
Softly with feeling and sung very straight by the hippest jazz of singers.Beautiful.
Robbin' Marx
this is really lovely.. and Anita is in top form as usual..
Mauricio Durón
I'm sold! How could this recording go by unnoticed by me? Outrageous! And yet, here it is, thanks to 'take5'. Much appreciated.