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.
My Favorite Things
Betty Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites, when the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
The song "My Favorite Things" by Betty Carter is a beautiful and melodic expression of joy and comfort through the things we love. The lyrics describe a list of simple things that bring the singer happiness, ranging from objects like raindrops on roses, kettles, mittens, and paper packages, to more abstract concepts like silver white winters and girls in white dresses. The song is united by the idea that these things, however different they may seem, have the power to create joy and comfort for the singer in difficult times.
The first verse describes physical objects that are pleasing to the senses, such as raindrops and whiskers, and the second verse includes more sensory experiences like the sound of bells, the taste of schnitzel, and the visual image of geese flying under the moon. The final verse, with the imagery of snowflakes and white dresses, has a dreamlike quality that contrasts with the concrete items in the earlier verses. Overall, the song is a reminder to cherish the often-overlooked moments and experiences that bring us joy.
In the final lines of the song, the singer acknowledges that life is not always easy and that sadness is an inevitable part of the human experience. But rather than dwell on the negatives, the singer chooses to focus on the positive, referencing their favorite things in order to lift their spirits. The song's message is a timeless one, reminding listeners to seek out and appreciate the small moments of happiness in life, even in the midst of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
I find joy in simple things such as raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Things that bring me warmth and comfort such as bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens are some of my favorite things
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
Packages wrapped in brown paper with strings tied around them make me happy and are some of my favorite things
These are a few of my favorite things
These simple and comforting things bring me happiness
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
I enjoy things such as cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
I find joy in sounds such as doorbells and sleigh bells, and the taste of schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
I marvel at the sight of wild geese flying with the moon on their wings
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
I find beauty in the sight of girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
The feeling of snowflakes resting on my nose and eyelashes is a favorite sensation of mine
Silver white winters that melt into springs
I love the transition of silver white winters melting into springs
When the dog bites, when the bee stings
Even when bad things happen like getting bitten by a dog or stung by a bee
When I'm feeling sad
When I'm feeling down
I simply remember my favorite things
Thinking about my favorite things brings me comfort
And then I don't feel so bad
And helps to lift my mood
Contributed by Zachary J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mikerophone235
Ive never, ever seen someone who can sing a song and transform it the way Betty Carter can. Genius
@jameswise6110
Why am I, at the age of eighty-four, just now learning about this fabulous voice ???
@absentmindstate
Better late than never ! Thanks to the internet I have found her at 21 years old
@ThePublicHealthHeaux
πβ€ great question!!! She and sooo many of there should be better known!!!
But at any rate WELCOME!!!
@GarthAstrology
Long Live Betty Carter and John Hicks!
@carlossander6576
I remember seeing Betty Carter sing at my favorite speakeasy Steve Paul's The Scene in N.Y.C. in 1969
@carlossander6576
She was fantastic!
@Cosmic_Messenger
WOW!!!!
@davidholiday4494
one of the most magnificent singers that ever lived
@dynasticlight1073
YES for surety is ...