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!.
We'll Be Together Again
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remember the sun has shone
Laugh, and the world will laugh with you
Cry, and you'll cry alone
No tears, no fears
Remember, there's always tomorrow
So what if we have to part
Your kiss, your smile
Are memories I'll treasure forever
So try thinking with your heart
We'll be together again
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
Times when I know you'll be sad
Don't let temptation surround you
Don't let the blues make you bad
Some day, some way
We both have a lifetime before us
For parting is not goodbye
We'll be together again
In Anita O'Day's "We'll Be Together Again," the singer gives a message of hope and resilience through tough times by assuring the listener that they will always have the strength to push through. O'Day starts by acknowledging that everyone has moments of darkness, but reminds us that we must keep in mind that the sun has once shone, and will shine again. She advises that laughing through hard times is one way to combat sadness, as it draws positive energy and support from others.
The singer then encourages us to aim for the future with no tears, no fears, as there is always a tomorrow. Even if we have to part with someone, she promises that someday they will be reunited. O'Day highlights the importance of memories, and how they are treasured forever. She ends her song with words of encouragement that we should stay strong through the lonely and sad times, and not let negativity bring us down as we have a long lifetime ahead of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Here in a moment of darkness
During tough times, when everything seems bleak
Remember the sun has shone
Remember that happier times have come before and will again
Laugh, and the world will laugh with you
If you exude joy and positivity, others will follow your lead
Cry, and you'll cry alone
People may sympathize with you, but ultimately you have to face your hardships on your own
No tears, no fears
Don't let negative emotions consume you
Remember, there's always tomorrow
No matter how bad things get, there's always a new day and new opportunities
So what if we have to part
Even if we have to separate for a time, it's not the end
We'll be together again
We'll reunite eventually
Your kiss, your smile
Memories of your affection are priceless to me
Are memories I'll treasure forever
I will always hold onto the beautiful moments we shared
So try thinking with your heart
Don't overthink things, follow your instincts and emotions
We'll be together again
We'll find our way back to each other
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
I know that you'll experience feelings of isolation
Times when I know you'll be sad
I know that you'll encounter moments of sorrow
Don't let temptation surround you
Don't give in to negative influences or distractions
Don't let the blues make you bad
Don't let sadness bring you down
Some day, some way
At some point, in some form or another
We both have a lifetime before us
We still have so much time to live and love
For parting is not goodbye
Leaving each other temporarily doesn't mean our bond is broken forever
We'll be together again
We'll come back together in the future
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, TERRY FISCHER MUSIC CO., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CARL FISCHER, FRANKIE LAINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tjesuloba
absolutely stunning, love love love
@joehallen6831
WHAT A STUNNING RENDITION!! SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT, ANITA O'DAY. WAS. SUPERB. REST IN PEACE, MISS O'DAY. JOE. I AM 63.
@geoffmobile
I just absolutely love this.
@kerrycosner6533
Love it! Up tempo and swingin'!
@Gxyz222
A great homage to a poignant and probably very misunderstood singer. Boy she must have been one really cool woman when she was alive, especially playing beside Oscar Peterson, WOW!
@ManuelDelgadodelaRosa
"Mi adorada Anita" at her best...
@janitachettri5701
No tears, no fears
Remember there's always tomorrow
So what if we have to part
We'll be together again
Your kiss, your smile
Are memories I'll treasure forever
So try thinking with your heart
We'll be together again
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
Times when I know you'll be sad
Don't let temptation surround you
Don't let the blues make you bad
Someday, someway
We both have a lifetime before us
For parting is not good bye
We'll be together again
Times when I know you'll be lonesome
And times when I know you'll be sad
But don't let temptation surround you
Don't let the blues make you bad
Someday, someway
We both have a lifetime before us
For parting is not good bye
We'll be together again
@user-gy3gy3zz7c
👑👑👑👑👑
@doitnowvideosyeah5841
Think this could be re-issued on vinyl?
@shne388
Billie Holiday's rendition stands in #1, but this comes in #2 over Fitzgerald's cleaner sweeter voice version or Sinatra. I've always thought Anita had great pipes and unique interpreting intuition. Go watch her at Newport Jazz festival. R.I.P. Anita.🙏