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.
Easy
Dakota Staton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In thinking such a thing could be
That you could ever care for me
I'm sure you hate to hear
That I adore you, dear
But grant me
Just the same
For love
You'd be so easy to love
So easy to idolize
All others above
So worth the yearning for
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
We'd be so grand at the game
So carefree together
That it does seem a shame
That you can't see
Your future with me
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
The song "Easy" by Dakota Staton is a timeless classic that explores the theme of unrequited love. The lyrics are a stirring confession of love from someone who knows that it is futile to hope for a reciprocal emotion. She acknowledges that the object of her affection could never care for her in return, but asks for a chance nonetheless. The opening lines "I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time in thinking such a thing could be" set the tone for the rest of the song, which combines a sense of longing with a resigned acceptance of reality.
The songwriter uses vivid metaphors to describe how easy it would be to fall in love with this person. She says that he or she would be "so easy to idolize, all others above." The object of her affection is portrayed as so captivating that it is worth the yearning and the effort to keep the flame of love alive. The second stanza continues in this vein, painting a picture of how great they would be together if only the other person could see it. The final lines sum up the theme of the song perfectly: "Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love."
In conclusion, "Easy" is a poignant love song that captures the universal experience of loving someone who doesn't love you back. Despite the painful realization that this person will never return their feelings, the songwriter finds solace in expressing her love and recognizing how easy it would be to fall for them.
Line by Line Meaning
I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
I realize that I'm wasting valuable time with someone who doesn't care about me.
In thinking such a thing could be
I was foolish to believe that you would ever have feelings for me.
That you could ever care for me
I had false hopes that you could ever care about me in the same way that I do for you.
I'm sure you hate to hear
I am certain that hearing my confessions of love annoys you.
That I adore you, dear
Despite knowing that you do not reciprocate my feelings, I cannot help but adore you.
But grant me
Please just hear me out.
Just the same
Even though we cannot be together, I will continue to feel the same way about you.
I'm not entirely to blame
Though my feelings are one-sided, it is not entirely my fault.
For love
Because I am in love.
You'd be so easy to love
You are the type of person who would be easy to love.
So easy to idolize
I cannot help but idealize and admire you.
All others above
You surpass all others in my eyes.
So worth the yearning for
Even though I cannot have you, you are worth the pain of yearning.
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
You are so amazing that it would be worth it to work hard to keep our relationship strong.
We'd be so grand at the game
If we were together, we would make a great team in love.
So carefree together
We would be happy and relaxed in each other's company.
That it does seem a shame
It is unfortunate that we cannot be together despite our compatibility.
That you can't see
It's a pity that you are not aware of the potential of our relationship.
Your future with me
We could have a bright future together if only you would consider it.
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
You would be very easy to love because of your wonderful qualities.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Anthony Stone
I remember she would hold court in the late 70's at a funky club in Chelsea NYC on cold winter nights -----I am glad I lived then thank you Dakota
Sharon G
Great voice. I miss you, Ray and Mom...! My brother and my Mom loved her voice.
QT Allen Andrews
That was refreshingly beautiful.
EXQUISITESOUNDS
@yangyin09u This was arranged by the great Manny Albam and was recorded with his big band on Dakota's "I Want A Country Man" LP on the Groove Merchant Label. She did three LPs for Groove Merchant including Ms. Soul and Madame Foo Foo with Groove Holmes which was by far the best of the Three. Sincerely yours, Exquitesounds
yangyin09u
Wow such a great song! @ssou02 Do you know anything about it? When it was recorded? Who's playing with Dakota. Who wrote the song? Thanks!
yangyin09u
@inasez Thanks man , didn't know B B wrote it. ..did the google thing; "Make It Easy On Yourself" is ..written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David which was first a hit for Jerry Butler in 1962 and has since been a Top 40 single for the Walker Brothers - a #1 UK hit - and Dionne Warwick." Still would love to know who's the arranger and musicians on Dakota's interpretation here are?
Cynthia Farden
Break my heart you divine diva Got to see you in clubs 5 or 6 times in NYC Thank god
inasez
@yangyin09u This song is by Burt Bacharach. Dionne Warwick sang the first and most famous version of this song. Quite a few artists have covered this song over the years. I truly adore this interpretation by Dakota Staton tho.
Mona Clifton
A woman’s angst,but what is life living for,if not love? Married to my husband for almost forty three years,and still passionate for our love 💗!!!
yangyin09u
@inasez if you're a Dionne Warwick fan , I found this interesting note on 'Song Facts' about, Make It Easy On Yourself --- "This was originally recorded by The Isley Brothers as "Are You Lonely?," but their version wasn't released for almost 40 years. The song was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, and was apparently promised to Dionne Warwick, who was furious when Bacharach and David reneged on their word and gave it to Jerry Butler.