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!.
What A Little Moonlight Can Do
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a little moonlight can do
Ooh, ooh, ooh
What a little moonlight can do to you
You're in love
Your heart's fluttering all day long
You only stutter cause your poor tongue
Just will not utter the words
Ooh, ooh, ooh
What a little moonlight can do
Ooh, ooh, ooh,
When a little moonbeam comes peepin' through
You'll get bored
You can't resist her
And all you'll say
When you have kissed her is
Ooh, ooh, ooh
What a little moonlight can do
If by chance you have a bashful sweetheart
Moonlight will teach him to care
and the greatest lover will discover
That he's got time for just one more affair
You'll get bored
You can't resist her
And all you'll say
When you have kissed her is
Ooh, ooh, ooh
What a little moonlight can do
The song "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" by Anita O'Day represents the powerful and transformative effect that the moon has on people in love. The moon is a symbol of magic, mystery and romance, and this song describes how the simple act of moonlight shining on two people can change their lives forever.
The lyrics describe the feeling of falling in love, where the heart is constantly fluttering and the tongue is tied up in knots unable to confess one's feelings. The moonlight acts as a catalyst, finally allowing the words "I love you" to flow freely.
As the moonbeam continues to shine on the couple, they become unable to resist each other and ultimately fall into each other's arms. The song suggests that even the most bashful person can become a great lover under the spell of moonlight.
Overall, "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" is a song that captures the transformative power of love and the symbolism of the moon in romantic relationships. The song speaks to the universal experience of falling in love and the ways in which it can change our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Expressing the feelings of awe and wonder that the singer feels
What a little moonlight can do
The transformative effect of the moonlight on those who experience romantic situations
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Further expressing the same wonder and awe
What a little moonlight can do to you
The personal experience of the artist, describing the impact of moonlight on their own romantic experiences
You're in love
The state of mind of someone who has fallen in love
Your heart's fluttering all day long
The powerful effect of love on the emotions of the individual, causing the heart to race constantly
You only stutter cause your poor tongue
The difficulty in expressing emotions verbally because of the overpowering emotions of love
Just will not utter the words
The inability to express oneself fully due to the overwhelming sensations experienced during the romantic encounter
'I love you'
The phrase that the artist is struggling to convey due to the intensity of their emotions
When a little moonbeam comes peepin' through
The specific moment when the moon's light has a transformative effect on the mood and actions of the artist
You'll get bored
The singer predicts that, after a period of time, the feeling of being overwhelmed by love will fade and become dull
You can't resist her
The power of attraction and desire that the artist feels for their romantic partner
And all you'll say
The limited ability to express oneself once again due to the overwhelming emotions of love
When you have kissed her is
The specific occasion in which the singer will once again be unable to express themselves through words
If by chance you have a bashful sweetheart
The specific scenario that the singer is describing - a person with a bashful romantic partner
Moonlight will teach him to care
The transformative effect of moonlight on someone who is typically shy, giving them the confidence and ability to express romantic feelings
And the greatest lover will discover
Even the most experienced and skilled lover of all can be affected by the transformative power of moonlight
That he's got time for just one more affair
The implication that, despite the power of love and moonlight, one may still be tempted to engage in casual romantic experiences
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WOODS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aceiseverywhere
on Who Cares?
Let it rain and thunder
Let a million firms go under
I am not concerned with, stocks and bombs that I've been burned with
I love you and you love me
And that's how it will always be
And nothing else can ever mean a thing
Who cares what the public chatters?
Love's the only thing that matters
Who cares if the sky, cares to fall
in the sea
Who cares how history rates me?
As long as your kiss intoxicates me
Oh why should I care?
Life is one long jubilee
As long as I care for you
And you care for me!
Who cares if the sky, cares to fall
in the sea
Who cares what banks fail in Yonkers?
As long as you've got a kiss that conquers!
Oh why should I care?
Life is one long jubilee
So long as I care for you
and you care for me!
(These lyrics might be wrong, sorry)