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.
Takes Two to Tango
Betty Carter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be a man or a mouse by yourself
You can act like a king on a thrown
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes two to tango two to tango
Two to really get the feeling of romance
Two to tango two to tango do the dance of love
Take a nap or nip by yourself
You can get into debt on your own
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
You can get very old by yourself
Catch a fish or a cold by yourself
Dig a ditch or strike it rich all by yourself
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
You can fight like a champ by yourself
You can lick any stamp by yourself
You can be very brave on the phone
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
It takes two, I say two
Darling it always takes two
I'm with you
The lyrics of Betty Carter's song "Takes Two to Tango" explore the idea that while one person can do many things independently, there are certain experiences in life that require two people. The first verse emphasizes the idea that one can be independent and self-reliant, but the chorus repeatedly emphasizes the importance of having a partner to experience true romance and the dance of love. The second verse further illustrates the idea that while one can do many things alone, having another person in one's life brings experiences like love, companionship, and shared hardships.
Overall, the song celebrates human connection and the importance of having someone to share life's experiences with. While it may feel empowering to be able to do things alone, the real richness of life comes from sharing those experiences with others.
Line by Line Meaning
You can haunt any house by yourself
You have the ability to scare people alone
Be a man or a mouse by yourself
You alone have the power to control your bravery, either be courageous or timid
You can act like a king on a thrown
You can sit alone on a chair and pretend to be a king
There are lots of things that you can do alone
There are many activities that can be done solo
But it takes two to tango two to tango
However, to experience romance, it requires the participation of another person
Two to really get the feeling of romance
Two individuals are necessary to create a genuine emotional experience of love
Two to tango two to tango do the dance of love
Two people are required to perform the romantic Tango dance, as well as the dance of expressing love and affection
You can sail on a ship by yourself
You can captain a boat alone
Take a nap or nip by yourself
You alone can take a quick sleep or enjoy a small drink
You can get into debt on your own
It is possible to incur a financial deficit alone
You can get very old by yourself
You can age alone
Catch a fish or a cold by yourself
You can fish for food or catch a cold solely on your own
Dig a ditch or strike it rich all by yourself
You have the capacity to work hard and accumulate wealth independently
You can fight like a champ by yourself
You have the prowess to excel in combat unaccompanied
You can lick any stamp by yourself
You can put stamps on envelopes by yourself
You can be very brave on the phone
You can put up a courageous front while talking on the phone
But it takes
However, in order to achieve genuine romantic fulfillment,
It takes two, I say two
It necessitates two individuals working in unison
Darling it always takes two
Addressing a romantic partner, it is always essential for two people to take part
I'm with you
I am your partner in this romantic partnership
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: AL HOFFMAN, DICK MANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@itsmeathena6706
You can haunt any house by yourself
Be a man or a mouse by yourself
You can act like a king on a thrown
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes two to tango two to tango
Two to really get the feeling of romance
Two to tango two to tango do the dance of love
You can sail on a ship by yourself
Take a nap or nip by yourself
You can get into debt on your own
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
You can get very old by yourself
Catch a fish or a cold by yourself
Dig a ditch or strike it rich all by yourself
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
You can fight like a champ by yourself
You can lick any stamp by yourself
You can be very brave on the phone
There are lots of things that you can do alone
But it takes
It takes two, I say two
Darling it always takes two
I'm with you
@aiyachristian
casino literally might have the best soundtrack of all time. so much amazing music in that movie
@queenofspades8219
Yes I just watched it for the 1000 time I love this song because of that movie 🍿 🪩 💃🏽
@beatleszilla
"The sheriff's a real cowboy out here....even the cop's not afraid to bury someone out in the desert."
@WeiAkuIrzuan
This is 😲 my reaction the first time I heard that line
@tucko11
What do you think about me moving out here ?
@P4boot
Look at this place, it’s made outta money! And the best part is nobody gonna know what we’re doing, nobody is here to see us!
@Anonymous-Joker74
@tucko11 🚬✋🏼 I gotta tell you,It’s no joke out here..Straight off the bat they don’t like guys like us …🚬✋🏼👀
@laciewilson3700
😂😂 that’s my movie
@flyyygirl87
Of course I'm here after watching Casino for the millionth time!
@gregodonnell1570
Can’t beat a scorsese soundtrack. Quentin is a close 2nd but marty just has the best taste in music 😂 casino is better than goodfellas also,yeah i said it.