Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist… Read Full Bio ↴Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit, "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to Islam as interpreted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Born in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she attended George Westinghouse High School and studied music at the Filion School of Music in Pittsburgh. Later she performed regularly in the Hill District, a jazz hotspot, as a vocalist with the Joe Westray Orchestra, a popular Pittsburgh orchestra. She next spent several years in the nightclub circuit in such cities as Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. While in New York, she was noticed singing at a Harlem nightclub called the Baby Grand by Dave Cavanaugh, a producer for Capitol Records. She was signed and released several singles, her success leading her to win Down Beat magazine's "Most Promising Newcomer" award in 1955. In 1958, Staton wed Talib Dawud, a black Antigua-born Ahmadi Muslim trumpeter and noted critic of Elijah Muhammad. She subsequently converted to Islam and used the name Aliyah Rabia for some time. The marriage ultimately ended in divorce.

She released several critically acclaimed albums in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including: The Late, Late Show (1957), whose title track was her biggest hit, In the Night (1957), a collaboration with pianist George Shearing, Dynamic! (1958) and Dakota at Storyville (1961), a live album recorded at the Storyville jazz club in Boston. In the mid-1960s Staton moved to England, where she recorded the album Dakota ′67. Returning to the US in the early 1970s, she continued to record semi-regularly, her recordings taking an increasingly strong gospel and blues influence. She suffered a stroke in 1999, after which her health deteriorated. Staton died in New York City aged 76 in 2007.

Don't Explain
Dakota Staton Lyrics

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Hush now don't explain
I know you raise Cain
I'm glad you're back
Don't explain

Quiet, don't explain
You mixed with some dame
Skip that lipstick

Don't explain

You know that I love you and what love endures
All my thoughts are of you
For I'm so completely yours
Cry to hear folks chatter, and I know you cheat
But right and wrong don't matter when you're with me sleep

Hush now, don't explain
You're my joy and pain

My life's yours love
Don't explain

Overall Meaning

The song "Don't Explain" by Dakota Staton is a melancholic ballad about a woman singing to her lover, asking him not to explain his cheating and to stay with her despite his infidelity. The lyrics portray a woman who is aware of her boyfriend's unfaithful ways, but chooses to ignore it and accept him as he is. She asks him not to explain his actions, telling him that she knows he "raises Cain," which implies that he causes trouble and makes mistakes, but she's just happy he's back with her now. She tells him to be quiet and not to explain his affair with another woman, saying that it doesn't matter to her.

The lyrics also reveal that the woman is deeply in love with her partner, and that she's willing to endure all the pain that comes with his cheating because she can't imagine life without him. She sings that her thoughts are always about him, and that she belongs to him completely. She also hints that she's aware of what people say about them and she knows that he cheats, but in her eyes, it doesn't make any difference. The song touches on themes like love, infidelity, heartbreak, and acceptance, and Dakota Staton's soulful voice brings the lyrics to life in a powerful way.

Line by Line Meaning

Hush now don't explain
Be silent, no explanation is needed

I know you raise Cain
I know you cause trouble

I'm glad you're back
I'm happy that you're here

Don't explain
Don't provide a reason

Quiet, don't explain
Stay silent, no justification necessary

You mixed with some dame
You were with another woman

Skip that lipstick
Don't try to hide the evidence

Don't explain
No excuses necessary

You know that I love you and what love endures
I love you despite any difficulties

All my thoughts are of you
You're always on my mind

For I'm so completely yours
I belong to you completely