Miller was given a contract with RKO at the age of thirteen (she had told them she was eighteen), and remained there until 1940.
The following year, Miller was offered a contract at Columbia Pictures, where she bumped friend Lucille Ball from the throne as "Queen of the B-Movies". She finally hit her mark (starting in the late 1940s) in her roles in MGM musicals such as Kiss Me, Kate, Easter Parade, and On the Town.
Miller was famed for her speed in tap dancing; she claimed to be able to tap 500 times per minute. She was known as well, especially later in her career, for her distinctive appearance, which reflected a studio-era ideal of glamor: massive black bouffant hair, heavy makeup with a slash of crimson lipstick, and fashions that emphasized her lithe figure and long dancer's legs.
In 2001 she took her last role, playing Coco in auteur director David Lynch's critically acclaimed Mulholland Drive. Her last stage performance was a 1998 production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies, in which she played the hardboiled survivor Carlotta Campion and received rave reviews for her rendition of the anthemic "I'm Still Here."
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Ann Miller has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6914 Hollywood Blvd.
She died at the age of 80 from lung cancer, and was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Shaking the Blues Away
Ann Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody believes that trouble won't stay
If you shake the blues away
When they hold up a Bible way down south
Everybody with care and troubles to spare
Tries to shake it all away
If you are blue it's easy to
Shake off your cares and troubles
Tellin' the blues to go
They may refuse to go but, as a rule
They'll go if you'll shake 'em away
Like thе voodoos do listenin' to
A voodoo melody they shakе their bodies so
To and fro with every shake
A lucky break
Provin' that there's a way
To chase your cares away if you would lose
Your weary blues shake 'em away
Shake 'em away
Shakin' the blues away unhappy news away
If you are blue it's easy to
Shake off your cares and troubles
Provin' that there's a way
To chase your cares away if you would lose
Your weary blues shake 'em away
Shake 'em away ah
Shake 'em away
The song Shakin' The Blues Away by Ann Miller With The Mel-Tones And The Lyttle Sisters is an upbeat, lively tune that encourages listeners to shake off their worries and blues. The opening lines of the song state that shaking away the blues is a simple task that can be achieved with ease. The repetition of "shake" throughout the song is used to reinforce this idea and get the message across to listeners that they can overcome their troubles by exerting some physical energy and shaking them away.
The second verse of the song encourages listeners to follow in the footsteps of voodoos, who listen to a special voodoo melody and shake their bodies to and fro. The idea of the voodoo melody is used to emphasize the power of music to uplift and motivate people. The third verse emphasizes that there is a way to chase away blues and worries, and encourages listeners to simply shake them away. The song ends with the repeated refrain of "shake 'em away," emphasizing the idea that listeners can take control of their emotions and shake off their worries.
Overall, the lyrics of Shakin' The Blues Away encourage listeners to be proactive in dealing with their troubles and not let themselves be weighed down by negativity. The message of the song is to take charge of your emotions and shake off any blues that may come your way.
Line by Line Meaning
Shaking the blues away, unhappy news away
Ease your worries and troubles by shaking off the sadness
Telling the blues to go, they may refuse to go
It's not always easy to get rid of sadness and bad news
But as a rule, they'll go if you'll Shake them away
However, you often can get rid of sadness and bad news by simply shaking them off
Do like the voodoos do, list'ning to a voodoo melody
Listen to a certain type of music, like the voodoo melody
They shake their bodies so, to and fro
People move their bodies back and forth as they dance to the music
With every shake, a lucky break
With every movement of your body, you can feel a little better
Proving that there's a way to chase your cares away
This dance is providing proof that there is a way to get over your worries
If you would lose your weary blues Shake 'em away
If you would like to get rid of your bad feelings, simply shake them off
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@garymeise673
I have always been in love with Ann Miller but until I saw this video even I had not a clue how unbelievably phenomenal her talent is. There is seriously no one that compares to Ann Miller
@Justin.Martyr
Who just kept Skipping through this & then==>
ONLY Watched AnnMiLLer Parts???? May 20, 2023.
I want this 64-year OLd AnnMiLLer, to Be My Kingdom ReWard
for ALL Eternity in the Kingdom!!!! Eugene, Oregon.
How Many of you LOVE this OLder Ann MiLLer even MORE
Than You Loved the Younger Ann MiLLer & I Love them BOTH!!!
I Even Love Ann MiLLer, 'Off Camera' just Being HerSeLf!!!
@threelittlebirds3361
Dear Ann was 64 in this video - what an amazingly talented and kind woman she was.
I’m sure she’s dancing around us, tapping away, as we watch this video 💕
@dandelionstars6700
She is so talented!! Can you believe she was 63 or 64 here?!
@Justin.Martyr
Who just kept Skipping through this & then==>
ONLY Watched AnnMiLLer Parts???? May 20, 2023.
I want this 64-year OLd AnnMiLLer, to Be My Kingdom ReWard
for ALL Eternity in the Kingdom!!!! Eugene, Oregon.
How Many of you LOVE this OLder Ann MiLLer even MORE
Than You Loved the Younger Ann MiLLer & I Love them BOTH!!!
I Even Love Ann MiLLer, 'Off Camera' just Being HerSeLf!!!
@thebeatnumber
I always wonder why they didn't think of inviting her to make guest appearances on the Golden Girls. She would have been perfect in that episode where Dorothy, Rose and Blanche had to do a kind of Broadway song and dance number.
@misplacedstoic
While I’m not a dancer, I’ve always marveled at great dancers, and Ann Miller is among my favorites. She deserves all the flowers.
@scottvincent1783
Incredible! What an absolutely wonderful woman. Talent, looks, legs, and a beautiful intelligent personality all rolled into one … with a big dash of humbleness. What’s not to love? Just wish this kind of star quality existed today ❤
@rgraz4929
This woman was magical. Saw her on Broadway in Sugar Babies in '81. UNWORLDLY TALENT.
@nocount1
This is incredibly unique! I don't think anyone has been able to witness a record of a star of her era and caliber sweating, working, thinking and commenting at rehearsal!