Lee was a musical prodigy and by the time she was two she would hear songs on the radio once and be able to whistle the complete tune. She was five years old when she started to gain wider attention when she won a local singing contest sponsored by the elementary schools. At age 11, she was offered a recording contract with Decca Records and released the song “Dynamite,” leading to her lifelong nickname, “Little Miss Dynamite.”
Lee was popular in the UK very early in her career, and her 1961 rockabilly release “Let’s Jump the Broomstick” did not chart in the US, but went to #12 in the UK. Her biggest hits during this time include a rockabilly version of the country classic “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” “Sweet Nothin’s,” “I Want to Be Wanted,” “All Alone Am I,” and “Fool #1.”
In 1960, she recorded her signature song, “I’m Sorry,” which hit number one on the Billboard pop chart and was her first gold single. Her last top-10 single on the pop charts was 1963’s “Losing You,” while she continued to have other chart songs such as her 1966 song “Coming On Strong” and “Is It True?” in 1964.
During the early 1970s, Lee re-established herself as a country music artist, and earned a string of Top 10 hits on the country charts. Her biggest selling track of her career is, oddly enough, a Christmas song: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” It was released in 1958, but it sold only 5,000 copies. However, it eventually sold over five million copies and remains a perennial radio favorite each December. In December 2023, Lee became the oldest artist to ever top the Hot 100, when "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" topped the chart 65 years after its release.
Over the ensuing years, Lee has continued to record and perform all around the world, previously cutting records in four different languages. She is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 1992, she recorded a duet with Willy DeVille; Chuck Berry also wrote a song about her. Lee has been married to Ronnie Shacklett since 1963, and they have two daughters and three grandchildren. She is the second recipient of the Jo Meador-Walker Lifetime Achievement award.
Throughout her career, Brenda Lee has released 41 studio albums, 12 compilation albums, and over 100 singles. She has had numerous top twenty hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Country, and AC charts in the US, UK, and Canada.
All Alone Am I
Brenda Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
No use in holding other hands
For I'd be holding only emptiness
No use in kissing other lips
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
No other voice can say the words
My heart must hear to ever sing again
The words you used to whisper low
No other love can ever bring again
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
The lyrics to Brenda Lee's song "All Alone Am I" tell the story of heartbreak and loneliness after a breakup. The first verse sets the scene of being surrounded by people but feeling completely alone, with only the sound of one's own heartbeat to keep them company. The second verse expresses the futility of trying to replace a lost love with someone else's touch or kiss, as only thoughts of the departed lover will be present in those moments. The final verse speaks to the impossibility of finding someone new who can truly replace the one who is gone - nobody else can speak the same words or offer the same kind of love.
These lyrics convey a deep sense of sadness and longing, and highlight the struggle of attempting to move on from a past love. The repetition of the refrain, "All alone am I ever since your goodbye," drives home the point that the singer is truly alone, despite any external distractions. The line, "No other voice can say the words my heart must hear to ever sing again," speaks to the fundamental importance of a certain person in the singer's life, as they are the only one who can truly make them feel complete.
Line by Line Meaning
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
I have been alone since you left me.
All alone with just a beat of my heart
I am alone, and all I have is the sound of my heart beating.
People all around but I don't hear a sound
There are people around me, but I do not hear anything.
Just the lonely beating of my heart
The only thing I can hear is the sound of my lonely heart beating.
No use in holding other hands
There is no point in holding someone else's hand.
For I'd be holding only emptiness
I would be holding nothing, as no one can replace you.
No use in kissing other lips
Kissing someone else's lips is pointless.
For I'd be thinking just of your caress
I would only be thinking of how you used to touch me.
No other voice can say the words
No other voice can say the words that my heart needs to hear.
My heart must hear to ever sing again
My heart needs to hear those words to be able to love again.
The words you used to whisper low
I need to hear the words you used to whisper to me softly.
No other love can ever bring again
No other love can bring back the feelings that you gave me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MANOS HADJIDAKIS, ARTHUR ALTMAN, IOANNIS IOANNIDIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Theodoros Antonopoulos
Beautiful voice of Brenda Lee and lyrics by Arthur Altmann. The English adaptation of the original song was recorded in 1962. The composer was the Greek Manos Hatzidakis, which has won the Oscar prize of music at 1960. He wrote this music as a soundtrack of a retro style Greek film back in 1959. The story of the film refers in a erotic romance of a greek woman spy, when Nazi Germans have occupied Athens. It is the Greek version of the original film "Casablanca". The singer was the actress Jenny Karezi. The greek title of the song is "Mi ton rotas ton urano" means "Don't ask the sky". After the film, the song was performed by the singer Mary Lo ( ΜΑΙΡΗ ΛΩ). Here are the Greek lyrics:
...Word after word and we forget ourselves.The pain took us and the night caught up with us.Wipe the tear away with your handkerchief and I shall drink the sun through your lips...
CHORUS: "Don't ask the sky, don't ask the sky, the cloud and the moon.
Your dark gaze, has taken something from the night"
...Whatever found us and whatever made us sad. It hit us sneakily like a knife.Wipe the tear away with your handkerchief and I shall drink the sun through your lips...
C: Don't ask the sky,
Don't ask the sky
The cloud and the moon
Your dark gaze, has taken something from the night...
https://youtu.be/CUBtfHYG7i8
https://youtu.be/OVj5ylgZjA4
atika k
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
No use in holding other hands
For I'd be holding only emptiness
No use in kissing other lips
For I'd be thinking just of your caress
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
No other voice can say the words
My heart must hear to ever sing again
The words you used to whisper low
No other love can ever bring again
All alone am I ever since your goodbye
All alone with just a beat of my heart
People all around but I don't hear a sound
Just the lonely beating of my heart
Richard L Sendell Jr
Here I sit at 1AM in my 78 year and crying for the loss of my wife of 50 years. No words can express the feeling this song gives to a lonely old man
Rosemarie Wagas
I am sorry for your loss.
Mel Shingara
So sorry, but imagine! You had these movies, songs, romance was still around, men treated women like a lady 😊
Richard Ortiz
2021
Richard Ortiz
2021
Richard Ortiz
Indlc
Calf
Terry Cieri
Brenda Lee was a great vocalist and a huge influence on my singing career. This was a favorite song of mine . The lyrics are haunting .
Donald Oliver
Hi Terry, How are you doing?
maria victoria salita
She's very beautiful! She looks like a movie star.
Lumina999
Is! She's still alive and 78 years old.