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!.
Watch the Birdie
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watch the birdie, come on and give it all you've got
Watch the birdie, just look around and pick a spot
And hold it
Watch the birdie, just strike a funny pose a while
Watch the birdie or you can beat that pose a mile
Watch the birdie and let me see your pretty smile
We're looking for a tall dark handsome man
With eyes of blue and the golden tan
Strong white teeth like Joel McCray
Hey you, get out of the way
Watch the birdie, we'll take a camera candid shot
Watch the birdie, come on and give it all you've got
Watch the birdie, just look around and pick a spot
And hold it, hold it
Hold it
The lyrics of Anita O'Day's "Watch the Birdie" are about taking a photo or a candid shot, while also providing instructions on how to pose for the camera. The song is about experiencing the moment and capturing memories through photography. The opening line "Watch the birdie" is a commonly used phrase from the early days of photography, encouraging subjects to look at the lens by pretending there was a bird above the camera. The song is an upbeat jazz swing, suitable for dancing and partying. The lyrics are playful and cheerful, reflecting the spirit of the time when it was composed.
Line by Line Meaning
Watch the birdie, we'll take a camera candid shot
Let's take a candid picture, look at the camera
Watch the birdie, come on and give it all you've got
Give your best smile and pose
Watch the birdie, just look around and pick a spot
Find a good place to pose and smile
And hold it
Stay still for the photo
Watch the birdie, just strike a funny pose a while
Make a silly pose for the picture
Watch the birdie or you can beat that pose a mile
Try to outdo your previous pose
Watch the birdie and let me see your pretty smile
Show off your beautiful smile for the camera
And hold it
Stay still for the photo
We're looking for a tall dark handsome man
We're searching for a good-looking man
With eyes of blue and the golden tan
Who has blue eyes and a golden tan
Strong white teeth like Joel McCray
Who has white teeth like Joel McCray
Hey you, get out of the way
Move out of the way of the shot
Watch the birdie, we'll take a camera candid shot
Let's take a candid picture, look at the camera
Watch the birdie, come on and give it all you've got
Give your best smile and pose
Watch the birdie, just look around and pick a spot
Find a good place to pose and smile
And hold it, hold it
Stay still for the photo
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deadlifts
Anita is my favorite Jazz vocalist. I listen to her early years CDs every day.
Bob Zwolinski
She really was incredibly talented. Sadly, she never got the recognition she deserved. Thanks for stopping by! Glad you appreciate it!
Old Classics
That stereo is amazing.
Bob Zwolinski
Thank you, Old Classics, for stopping by! Much appreciated! Glad you liked it! This one was one if my 1st mono-to-stereo conversions from a few years ago. I’ve since purchased much better sound-separation software and may revisit this one in the future.
MixerRog
Bob, Great job on the stereo conversion! Rog
Bob Zwolinski
Thanks Rog! The great results are a product of your suggestion: a 20ms delay on the right channel with a 25% amplitude reduction on the left. It works perfectly every time regardless of the song's tempo. Thanks again!
Ray Szymarek
I met Gene Krupa in person after taking second place in a drum contest. Anita o day was the star vocalist for Krupa. After anita left Gene she went with Stan Kenton. Anita led a rough life
Bob Zwolinski
Indeed! Anita led a very tough life! Her years of drug abuse took their toll. One of my acquaintances was her caregiver in her senior home in West Hollywood at the end. Sadly, she never received and accolades and notoriety like her peers did like Ella Fitzgerald and others of that era. Wow! Meeting Gene Krupa! What a hoot! My cousin, Bill Trujillo, was Stan Kenton's 1st-chair tenor sax player for over 5 decades. Stan loved female vocalists with husky voices like Anita and June Christy. Thank you so much for stoppling by Ray! Glad you liked it! I was thrilled with the great fidelity from this almost 80-year-old recording!
statesideqsod
Nice photos of the band. Thanks for posting
Bob Zwolinski
Thanks for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed it!