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!.
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to
Anita O'Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd be so nice by the fire
While the breeze on high sang a lullaby
You'd be all that I could desire
Under stars chilled by the winter
Under an August moon burning above
You'd be so nice, you'd be paradise
You'd be so nice to come home to
You'd be awful nice by the fire
While the breeze up on high sang a lullaby
You'd be all that I could desire
Under stars chilled by the winter
Under an August moon burnin' up there above
You'd be so nice, just like paradise
To come home to and love
Anita O'Day's song "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to" is a romantic ballad about the yearning for a loved one's presence. The song opens with the singer expressing a desire for their partner to be at home and by the fire, their presence leaving them enchanted. The wind high above them is singing a lullaby, and the singer states that their partner would be everything they desire. The lyrics paint a picture of comfort and tranquility, a feeling of completeness that arises when with someone you love.
The recurring refrain "You'd be so nice to come home to" emphasizes the longing and nostalgia for the partner's companionship, a sense of emptiness that only they can fill. Under winter stars or an August moon, the partner would be like paradise, the perfect place to come home to and love. The lyrics effectively capture the idea of a home being where the loved one is, rather than a geographical location. The harmony and rhythm of the song add to the feelings of warmth and tenderness.
Line by Line Meaning
You'd be so nice to come home to
Coming home to you would make me feel comforted
You'd be so nice by the fire
Being with you by a fire would make me happy and content
While the breeze on high sang a lullaby
Listening to the wind would create a peaceful atmosphere
You'd be all that I could desire
Being with you would fulfill all of my needs and wants
Under stars chilled by the winter
Being together under the cold winter sky would be a special moment
Under an August moon burning above
The August moon shining above us would make the moment even more special
You'd be so nice, you'd be paradise
Being with you would be like being in an ideal place
To come home to and love
I want to come home to you and cherish our time together
You'd be awful nice by the fire
Being with you by a fire would be more than just nice, it would be incredible
While the breeze up on high sang a lullaby
The wind would seem almost like it was singing us a soothing song
Just like paradise
Being with you would be like being in a perfect place or situation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, O/B/O DistroKid, Sentric Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LKre-vi5oq
This woman is beyond fantastic. She infused jazz and her singing with such a crisp and unerring beauty. She was an acutely knowledgeable musician, her work with tempo and beat has never been matched, and never will be. May all the gods bless you and keep you Ms. O'Day.
@stuartdryer4089
She is one of the legends. So many singers butcher this song but Anita takes it beyond what seems possible. I have to say too, these Japanese guys sound really good. I love the trumpet solo.
@poetcomic1
When Anita sings it always seems likes its 3 o'clock in the morning in the big city.
@cameronadair4135
That’s because it is 3am lol
@Johnnycdrums
I like that.
@stephenvincent4989
Another 3am comment while listening to the superlative Ms. O’Day not just a Jazz great an additional instrument to the band.
@duetforherbivores
what a great compliment!
@Lightningslick
I saw her live at The Blue Note,in NYC, on Tuesday, January 12, 1982. She had seen her better days by then, could not hold notes like she used to, but it was a pleasure seeing a jazz goddess art work.
@Janster59
Ah! My 23rd bday....my spirit was somewhere there......
@Johnnycdrums
+Keith Nicholson ; Saw her at the Blue Note in the Fall of 87' (Buddy died in April) with "The Buddy Rich Ghost Band". She was fantastic she did most of her tunes from her time with Gene Krupa and her other big band arrangements. The band was exceptionally strong as they knew they had a lot to live up to. Looking back at it you'd think it would be some ad-hoc jazz session, but it was really, really really, well put together. She wasn't weak and had no intonation problems that I could detect.