As a session musician, Kaye was the bassist on many Phil Spector and Brian Wilson productions in the 1960s and 1970s. She played guitar on Ritchie Valens' La Bamba and is credited with the bass tracks on several Simon & Garfunkel hits and many film scores by Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. One of the most popular albums Carol contributed to was the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds.
Kaye was born in Everett, Washington to professional musicians Clyde and Dot Smith. She grew up in poverty near the Port of Los Angeles and in 1949, at the age of fourteen began teaching guitar professionally. Throughout the 1950s, Kaye played bebop jazz guitar in dozens of nightclubs around Los Angeles with many noted bands including Bob Neal's jazz group, Jack Sheldon backing Lenny Bruce, Teddy Edwards and Billy Higgins. By her own account, Kaye got into lucrative studio work "accidentally" in late 1957 with Sam Cooke.[citation needed] A few years later, when a bass player failed to show for a session at Capitol Records in Hollywood, she was asked to fill in on what was then often called the Fender bass. She was a member of the famed "Wrecking Crew" studio musicians, who played on almost all hit records recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s.
Throughout the 1960s, she played bass on a significant percentage of records that appeared on the Billboard Hot 100, though almost wholly unknown to the general public at the time. Kaye played bass on many of the Beach Boys hit recordings, including Good Vibrations, Help Me, Rhonda, Sloop John B, and California Girls. She worked on Brian Wilson's ill-fated but legendary Smile project (and was present at the Fire session in late November 1966 when Wilson reportedly asked the studio musicians to wear toy fire hats). Kaye's work also appears extensively on well-known television and film soundtracks from the 1960s and early 1970s.
She worked under most of the leading producers and musical directors in Los Angeles during that era, including Brian Wilson, Michel Legrand, Phil Spector, Elmer Bernstein, Lalo Schifrin, David Rose, Dave Grusin, Ernie Freeman, Hugo Montenegro, Leonard Rosenman, John Williams, Alfred Newman, David Axelrod and Lionel Newman. Kaye played the bass tracks on several of the Monkees hits, did soundtrack work (including sound effects on bass guitar) for a young Steven Spielberg and tracks for Quincy Jones whose 2001 autobiography Q noted, "... women like... Fender bass player Carol Kaye... could do anything and leave men in the dust."
Kaye performed on several American television themes including the Quinn Martin produced Cannon, The Streets of San Francisco, Mission: Impossible, M*A*S*H, Kojak, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, The Love Boat, McCloud, Mannix, It Takes a Thief, Peyton Place and the Cosby Show. She is credited with performing on the soundtracks of Hawaii Five-O, The Addams Family and The Brady Bunch along with Ironside, Room 222, Bonanza, Wonder Woman, Alias Smith & Jones, Run for Your Life and Barnaby Jones.
Beginning in 1969, she wrote How To Play The Electric Bass, the first of many bass tutoring books and DVD courses. She gave lessons to thousands of students, including John Clayton, Mike Porcaro, Alf Clausen, David Hughes, Tony Sales, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Roy Vogt and David Hungate. Kaye retired from studio work during the 1970s because of arthritis. She later became active again as a session musician, live jazz performer, and teacher of bass and guitar, giving seminars and interviews.
Kaye played 12-string guitar on Frank Zappa's album Freak Out!. She also played on a few songs for his next album but declined to continue, saying she found some of the lyrics offensive. Kaye later said Zappa was good-natured and understanding about her qualms and they remained on friendly terms.
Kaye played on hundreds of commercially released recordings and soundtracks. These lists represent only a small fraction of her recorded performances.
-Electric bass credits:
Credits for recorded singles on bass
Soul Reggae (Charles Kynard)
Andmoreagain (Love)
Homeward Bound (Simon and Garfunkel)
California Girls, Sloop John B, Help Me, Rhonda, Heroes and Villains (The Beach Boys)
Natural Man (Lou Rawls)
Come Together (Count Basie)
Feelin' Alright (Joe Cocker)
I Think He's Hiding (Randy Newman)
Games People Play (Mel Tormé)
Cantaro (Gene Ammons)
Wait 'Til My Bobby Gets Home (Darlene Love)
Goin' Out Of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You (The Lettermen)
Go Little Honda (The Hondels)
Hikky Burr (Quincy Jones & Bill Cosby & TV theme)
I'm a Believer (The Monkees)
Indian Reservation (Paul Revere & the Raiders)
In the Heat of the Night, I Don't Need No Doctor, America The Beautiful, Understanding (Ray Charles)
It Must Be Him (Vikki Carr)
Little Green Apples (O.C. Smith)
Midnight Confessions (The Grass Roots)
Mission: Impossible Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
Mannix Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
Out of This World (Nancy Wilson)
Wichita Lineman ... Don Bagley played bass on Wichita Lineman. Carol Kaye played percussion. See link to contract for session work - http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/afmcontracts/Campbell,Glen_WichitaLineman.pdf and Rhinestone Cowboy (Glen Campbell)
River Deep - Mountain High (Ike & Tina Turner)
Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Simon and Garfunkel)
Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
Somethin' Stupid (Frank and Nancy Sinatra)
These Boots Are Made for Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra)
This Diamond Ring (Gary Lewis & the Playboys)
The Twelfth of Never (Johnny Mathis)
The Way We Were (Barbra Streisand)
Soul & Inspiration bass, You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' guitar (The Righteous Brothers)
Carry On (JJ Cale) - JJ Cale Styles Book
Album credits on bass
Selected highlights include:
Pet Sounds (The Beach Boys)
Light My Fire (Gábor Szabó and Bob Thiele)
Music from Mission: Impossible (Lalo Schifrin, 1967)
Song of Innocence (David Axelrod, 1968)
Songs of Experience (David Axelrod, 1969)
Release of an Oath (The Electric Prunes, 1968)
There's a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin' On (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
More Mission: Impossible (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Mannix (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Bullitt (soundtrack) (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
Dirty Harry (score by Lalo Schifrin, 1971)
Northern Windows (Hampton Hawes)
Big Man (Cannonball Adderley)
Reelin' with the Feelin' (Charles Kynard)
Cameo (Dusty Springfield, 1972)
Hugo In Wonder-land (Hugo Montenegro)
Your Good Thing (Lou Rawls)
You've Made Me So Very Happy (Lou Rawls)
The Funky Organ-ization of Henry Cain (Henry Cain)
The Zodiac : Cosmic Sounds
Pride (Pride) (1970)
Thumbs up (Ray Pizzi, Carol Kaye, Mitch Holder)(1999)
Picking Up On The E-String (Carol Kaye) (1995)
Freak Out! (Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention)1965
Absolutely Free (Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention) 1966
Cosmic Brotherhood (Bill Plummer, 1968)
-Recorded credits on guitar:
Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals)
Danke Schoen (Wayne Newton)
Johnny Angel (Shelley Fabares)
La Bamba (Ritchie Valens)
Let's Dance (Chris Montez)
Needles and Pins (Jackie DeShannon)
The Beat Goes On (Sonny & Cher)
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling (The Righteous Brothers)
The Birds and the Bees (Jewel Akens), with a Leslie speaker effect
Mannix Theme (Lalo Schifrin)
The Daily Planet (Love)
Better Days
Carol Kaye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh child things it's get brighter
Better days x 4
Keep your head up
Better days x 4
Keep your head up
Never knew father
He got shot hustling
She stated acting much older
Her mother couldn't control her
Losing direction
Started sex'n-no protection
And now she's expecting
A life she wasn't ready for
She*s feeling rejected
And her futures unsure
And if you want
Run out there on your own
Don*t give up sunshine
There will be better days
(keep your head up)
Gotta keep movin' on
To raise a child alone
Don*t give up sunshine
There will be better days
(keep your head up)
Are you down with full time
On weekend stripping
So you met baller, but ain't down, but trick*n
Gonna have to put your kid through school
Guess you hit snotty love for you
And you know your wrong girl
You gotta believe
And now you're expecting
A life you wasn't ready for
You're feeling rejected
And her futures unsure
And if you want
Run out there on your own
Don*t give up sunshine
There will be better days
(keep your head up)
Gotta keep movin' on
To raise a child alone
Don*t give up sunshine
There will be better days
(keep your head up)
The lyrics of Carol Kaye's song "Better Days" are a message of hope and encouragement to people going through difficult times. The first verse talks about how things are going to get easier and brighter. The chorus repeats the phrase "Better days" several times, urging listeners to keep their heads up and to keep moving forward, even when things seem impossible.
The second verse tells the story of a young woman growing up in Brooklyn without a father. She starts to act out and loses her way, getting pregnant unexpectedly. She feels rejected and unsure of her future, but the song reminds her that there will be better days if she keeps her head up and keeps moving forward. The third verse tells a similar story of a woman who turns to stripping to support her child, but still faces adversity and uncertainty about her future.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh child things are going to get easier
Life is tough right now, but it won't always be this way. Things will get better.
Ooh child things it's get brighter
There is hope for the future. The situation will improve and become more positive.
Better days x 4
The future will be better and more positive than the current situation.
Keep your head up
Even when things are tough, try to stay positive and keep pushing forward.
She grew up in Brooklyn the Eastside and Fulton street
The person singing the song is telling a story about a woman who grew up in a specific area of Brooklyn known as the Eastside and Fulton Street.
Never knew father
The woman being described did not have a father figure in her life.
He got shot hustling
The woman's father died as a result of being involved in illegal activities.
She stated acting much older
The woman began acting more grown up than her age as a result of her difficult upbringing.
Her mother couldn't control her
The woman's mother was unable to effectively parent her, leading to behavioral issues.
Losing direction
Despite her challenges, the woman felt aimless and uncertain about her future.
Started sex'n-no protection
The woman started having sex without using any form of protection.
And now she's expecting
The woman is now pregnant.
A life she wasn't ready for
The woman is feeling unprepared for the responsibilities of motherhood.
She*s feeling rejected
The woman feels like she has been let down or abandoned by others in her life.
And her futures unsure
The woman is uncertain about what the future holds for herself and her child.
And if you want
This line represents the beginning of the chorus and therefore does not need a separate explanation.
Run out there on your own
You may have to face challenges alone, but it is important to keep moving forward.
Don*t give up sunshine
The singer is using an affectionate term to encourage the listener to not give up hope, despite difficulties.
Gotta keep movin' on
The singer is emphasizing the importance of continuing to push forward, even when it feels difficult or exhausting.
To raise a child alone
The woman being described is facing the challenging responsibility of raising a child by herself.
Are you down with full time
This line is the beginning of a new verse and does not need a separate explanation.
On weekend stripping
The woman being described may work as a stripper on the weekends in order to make ends meet.
So you met baller, but ain't down, but trick*n
The woman may have met a wealthy man who wants to be with her, but she is hesitant to get involved with someone who may not have her best interests in mind.
Gonna have to put your kid through school
The woman being described is determined to provide a good education for her child, which may require financial sacrifices.
Guess you hit snotty love for you
The woman may have found love, but the singer suggests that this love may not be genuine or reliable.
Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dantihon
Gold ! ! !
@gustavoalmanzar5240
Colombia la bella carol ere lamejor.
@lilianebeeckman2901
🎧hear that groove ! 🐤 twitty...