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.
People Will Say We're in Love
Betty Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.
The song "People Will Say We're In Love" by Betty Carter is a duet between two lovers who are aware of the rumors and gossips that surround their relationship. The lyrics convey their attempt to keep their love hidden, to avoid the judgment of society. The singer expresses her concerns about how people talk behind their backs and try to link her name with her partner's. She suggests a list of practical things they could avoid doing to deter the rumors from becoming stronger.
The first verse talks about the neighbors who constantly chatter behind their doors about the couple's relationship. The singer acknowledges the fact and suggests that they need to give the neighbors a reason to stop the gossip. In the second verse, the singer lists a set of "donts" for her partner to follow to avoid any indication that might fuel the rumors. They include not throwing bouquets, not laughing at jokes too much, and avoiding praising her charm or standing in the rain with her.
The chorus emphasizes the message of the song, saying that people will say they're in love if they engage in certain activities that suggest a romantic relationship, such as sighing, gazing, dancing all night, and holding hands. The singer implies that they must avoid these behaviors, and if they do, people will not question their love.
Overall, the song depicts the struggle of two individuals in love who want to keep their relationship secret to avoid judgment and scrutiny from society.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?
Why do people gossip about us and create false narratives about our relationship?
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
Why are the people around us so obsessed with our romance that they can't stop talking about it?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
I have a plan to dispel all of the rumors and lies that people are spreading about us.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
To avoid giving people more reason to talk, here's a list of things you shouldn't do around me.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't give me flowers or gifts that might be perceived as tokens of your affection.
Don't please my folks too much
Don't try too hard to win over my family or make them like you.
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't go overboard with laughter at my jokes, as it might seem like we have an inside connection.
People will say we're in love!
If you do any of these things, people will assume that we are involved in a romantic relationship.
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Don't stare at me with longing and give away your true feelings.
Your sighs are so like mine
Your expressions of desire mirror my own, but we need to keep them under wraps.
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
We should avoid making eye contact that shows any sort of romantic love.
Don't start collecting things
Don't accumulate sentimental items or memories that might suggest a deeper relationship.
Give me my rose and my glove.
Stick with small gestures of affection such as giving me roses or holding my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
Don't forget that people are watching us and making assumptions about our feelings toward one another.
People will say we're in love.
Anything more affectionate than just simple pleasantries will lead people to assume that we are romantically involved.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't flatter me with compliments because people might assume that you have stronger feelings for me than just friendship.
Don't look so vain with me
Avoid looking too romantically interested or in love when you are with me, which might be a tip-off to others.
Don't stand in the rain with me
Don't share romantic experiences, such as standing together in the rain, which gives off the wrong impression.
Don't take my arm too much
While chivalry is great, we should avoid physical displays of affection such as walking arm in arm, which leads people to believe we are together.
Don't keep your hand in mine
Don't hold my hand too often otherwise it might be construed as though we are in love.
Your hand feels so grand in mine
Your touch is very comforting to me, but we should limit the amount of physical touch we share in public.
People will say we're in love!
Again, any gestures that seem at all intimate will make people assume we are in a romantic relationship.
Don't dance all night with me
Don't dance too close or for too long with me, especially if we are in each other's arms.
Till the stars fade from above.
We don't want people to see us sharing a long and intimate dance, which will only fuel the rumors.
They'll see it's alright with me
If we continue to dance in a platonic way, people will get the message that we are only friends.
People will say we're in love.
But if we do anything that suggests more than friendship, people will be convinced that we are romantically involved.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein Ii, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
boomerang905
I'm believing she is performing with Ray Charles. It's beautifully done.