Carter was born Lillie Mae Jones on 16th May 1929 in Flint, Michigan and grew up in Detroit, where her father led a church choir. She studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory. She won a talent contest and became a regular on the local club circuit, singing and playing piano. When she was sixteen, she sang with Charlie Parker. She later performed with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and toured with Lionel Hampton (from whom she received the nickname "Betty Bebop"), when she perfected her scat singing of bebop.
Her career was eclipsed somewhat during the 1960s and 1970s, though a series of duets with Ray Charles in 1961, including the R&B-chart-topping "Baby, It's Cold Outside", brought her a measure of popular recognition. She recorded for various labels during this period, including Peacock, ABC-Paramount, and Atco, but was rarely satisfied with the resulting product. An episode in which a record company A&R man tried to abscond with a set of her master recordings led her to establish her own record label, Bet-Car, in 1970. Some of her most outstanding recordings were first issued on Bet-Car, including the double album The Audience with Betty Carter (1980). She was well-received at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1977 and 1978. In 1987 Carter signed with Verve Records. She won a Grammy in 1988 for her album Look What I Got! and sang in a guest appearance on The Cosby Show in that year.
She died on 26th September 1998.
IMAGINATION
Betty Carter Lyrics
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Can you tell me what you see
There's a thousand voices whispering
Songs and you're the melody
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
Many, many days our shadows passed
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Set the morning light
And that morning light is you
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The beauty we both can see
You're the dream I prayed would come along
To make my fantasy
Day and night you live inside my heart
You're the flame of love to me
The lyrics to Betty Carter's song Imagination are all about the power of the human imagination, and the joy and ecstasy that can be experienced when we allow ourselves to indulge in our wildest dreams and fantasies. The opening lines of the song, "Magic mirror come and search my heart, Can you tell me what you see?" set the tone for what is to follow, as the singer invites the listener to delve deep into their heart and soul to discover the many voices and songs that reside within. The idea of the "thousand voices whispering" speaks to our complex inner lives and the many thoughts and feelings that we experience on a daily basis. However, amidst all of this chaos and noise, the "you" in the song is the melody that cuts through and brings us back to center.
The song goes on to speak of the power of imagination to conjure up visions of new horizons, and the beauty that can be found in the fantasies that we create. The idea of seeing "what imagination can do" is a potent one, as it suggests that anything is possible if we only dare to dream. The reference to the "flame of love" suggests that this song is not just about the power of imagination in the abstract, but also about the possibility of finding love and connection through the act of dreaming and fantasizing. Ultimately, the song suggests that the magic of the human imagination lies in its ability to reveal to us the beauty and wonder that exists within our hearts and minds.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic mirror come and search my heart
Betty is addressing a magical mirror, asking it to look into her heart.
Can you tell me what you see
She requests the mirror to tell her what it finds inside her heart.
There's a thousand voices whispering, Songs and you're the melody
Betty hears many voices in her head but among them, one stands out like a beautiful melody.
So I imagine my heart with you
Betty escapes from reality and lets her imagination take over by picturing herself being with her love interest.
See what imagination can do
She emphasizes that imagination can create a world full of love and happiness.
It's not hard to conceive
Betty feels that it's easy to believe and think of a happy future with someone you love.
Love ecstasy imagining you with me
When she thinks of being with the person she loves, she feels euphoric and joyful.
Many, many days our shadows passed
Betty refers to a long period of time that she and her love interest have been around each other.
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
During their time together, she has seen a future full of brightness and hope.
Set the morning light
She sets the tone for the future by the positivity emanating from her relationship.
And that morning light is you
She believes that her love interest represents the light of the future she sees in her mind's eye.
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The beauty we both can see
Betty and her love interest can see the beauty in each other, and they feel immense joy imagining being together forever.
You're the dream I prayed would come along
To make my fantasy
Betty has been longing for someone like her love interest to come into her life and give her the happiness she has always imagined.
Day and night you live inside my heart
You're the flame of love to me
Betty has intense feeling for her love interest which can be felt day and night as he is always on her mind and is a spark of passion in her life.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANKA WOLBERT, RONNIE MOERINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind