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.
It's The Talk Of The Town
Dakota Staton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were more than sweethearts,
It's so hard to understand.
Don't know why it happened,
Don't know how it started,
Why should we be strangers,
After all we planned.
I can't show my face,
Can't go anyplace,
People stop an' stare,
It's so hard to bear,
Everybody knows you left me,
It's the talk of the town
Every time we meet,
My heart skips a beat,
We don't stop to speak,
'Though it's just a week,
Everybody knows you left me,
It's the talk of the town
We send out invitations,
To friends and relations,
Announcing our weddin' day
Friends and our relations,
Gave congratulations,
How can you face them?
What can you say?
Let's make up sweetheart,
We can't stay apart,
Don't let foolish pride,
Keep you from my side,
How can love like ours be ended?
It's the talk of the town
How can you face them?
What can you say?
Let's make up sweetheart,
We can't stay apart,
Don't let foolish pride,
Keep you from my side,
How can love like ours be ended?
It's the talk of the town, hm
It's the talk of the town.
The lyrics to Dakota Staton's song "It's The Talk Of The Town" narrate a love story that has come to an end, leading to the heartache and awkwardness that come with moving on. The singer expresses the difficulty in comprehending the sudden end of the love affair, and how it has led to them being reduced to strangers despite all the plans they had made together. The pain of this situation is exacerbated by the fact that everyone knows about the breakup and talks about it when they see the singer. The song is about the way in which love can suddenly end, leaving people with shattered hearts and the struggle to accept that the world keeps going on.
The lyrics suggest that the lovers had big plans for their future and were even sending out invitations for their wedding, expressing the depth of their connection. However, the plans were shattered, and now the singer is left with the bitter memory of what they had intended to do together. The song is filled with sadness and the desire to reconcile, as the singer tries to appeal to the lover to put aside their pride and reconsider the love they once shared.
Line by Line Meaning
We were more than lovers,
Our relationship was deeper than just a physical connection.
We were more than sweethearts,
Our bond was stronger than just a romantic affiliation.
It's so hard to understand.
I can't comprehend why our relationship fell apart.
Don't know why it happened,
I'm clueless as to what led to our separation.
Don't know how it started,
I'm unsure when our relationship began to deteriorate.
Why should we be strangers,
I don't see why we should be unknown to each other now.
After all we planned.
Considering everything we had envisioned for our future together.
I can't show my face,
I'm too ashamed to face the public.
Can't go anyplace,
I feel like I can't leave my house due to embarrassment.
People stop an' stare,
Others look at me with pity or curiosity.
It's so hard to bear,
It's difficult to endure the emotional pain and public scrutiny.
Everybody knows you left me,
The reason for my heartbreak has become public knowledge.
Every time we meet,
Whenever we cross paths.
My heart skips a beat,
I still have strong feelings for you and get excited when I see you.
We don't stop to speak,
We avoid interacting with each other.
'Thou it's just a week,
Even though only a short amount of time has passed since we separated.
We send out invitations,
We invited people to our wedding ceremony.
To friends and relations,
Our close friends and family members.
Announcing our weddin' day
Informing others about the date of our upcoming wedding.
Gave congratulations,
Others congratulated us on our engagement and upcoming nuptials.
How can you face them?
How can you confront those who offered congratulations on our relationship?
What can you say?
What explanation can you give them for why our relationship fell apart?
Let's make up sweetheart,
Let's reconcile our relationship, my dear.
We can't stay apart,
We can't continue to be separated.
Don't let foolish pride,
Don't allow your ego to keep us apart.
Keep you from my side,
Don't let your pride prevent us from reuniting.
How can love like ours be ended?
I can't imagine our love coming to an end.
It's the talk of the town
Our separation has become a topic of conversation among the public.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: AL J NEIBURG, JERRY LEVINSON, MARTY SYMES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EXQUISITESOUNDS
This is from her Manny Albam produced and arranged LP on the Groove Merchant label "I Want A Country Man". Although Manny was one of the best and most respected arrangers in the business, these were not the most complimentary charts for her magnificent voice. Far too busy, confining and confrontational, they had the unintended effect of putting her in a box. In addition to placing her in a total blues setting and context limiting her options, she was forced to come out swinging and fight claw, and spit her way out as opposed to exquisitely painting her way as is her normal approach. It should have been a flawless session for Dakota because these were the Crème de la Crème" of jazz musicians who all loved, adored and respected her. They all (including Manny) wanted so much to create a magnificent pallet for her remarkable voice and continue the great effort by Groove Merchant to revitalize her career.
Dakota was a master of dynamics, nuance, mood and swing. She does not need clutter, noise, distraction or dissonance. She doesn't need a canvas created for her, she will use her phenomenal voice to paint it herself. Ultimately Manny's sessions were more about the arrangements and music as opposed to the voice and her as the artist first. She had to compete with the music instead of being allowed to luxuriate in it, which ultimately was a disservice to her.
However being the consummate pro that she was, she nevertheless produced some of the most powerful, emotional buzz saw, cutthroat jazz renditions of the blues ever recorded by anyone. She absolutely trounced an entire orchestra beneath her feet forcing it to submit to her sheer raw power. The pure energy and projection of her voice was indeed a force of nature. She showed she was not only a singer but a total musician and master of the blues who would not be obstructed or impeded by any obstacle regardless of the size of the challenge. She was always going to meet it master it and come out on top forcing everything and everyone to get out of her way. Good G-d, what a magnificent voice and artist she was, ultimately producing one of the strongest blues Lps ever recorded!
Clark Palmer
who is the woman in the picture? It certainly isn't Dakota. On another note. Thank you for posting this. I am disappointed that there is not more of Dakota's music available on Youtube. I have some old 33 lps that I would like to upload and share with her fans, but I do not have the equipment to convert them to a format that wuld allow me to do so. One song I would love to share is her take on "Let It Be Me." It is a fanstastic rendition.
Layla Maria
I'm a fan of Dakota Staton, but sorry the woman of the picture is another of the greatest, the awesome Ernestine Anderson, I recommend you all listen to her too.
Layla Maria
Absolutely Wonderful!! brilliant!!! I love Dakota Staton, but I'm afraid the woman in the picture is Ernestine Anderson.
joanna richards
@rayclarkpalmer Yes, it is Ms Staton in her late 50's. early 60's. She was indeed a singer of the highest caliber. They just do not have singers and music like that anymore. A few like Anita (whatever her name is) tried to be jazz singers, but did not make the cut. Not talking about Anita O'Day.
Clark Palmer
@joanna38100 Thanks for your response. It made me laugh. I think the Anita you are referring to is Anita Baker (I could never get into her vooice or signing style; too low a register for me). Glad to find another Dakota Station fan. She had class
joanna richards
@rayclarkpalmer Yes, the days of Ella, Dakota and Sarah are long gone along with good jazz. People today do not know what they missed and certainly are not making the effort to research popular music beyond their music in the 80's and 90's. The Grammy's have become a joke and the music too ghastly to listen to. I feel sorry for Nat and Frank and all the others not being able to RIP because they are spinning in their graves.
MrMusicismagic
... thank you !
Richard Williams
Did you notice the photo shown is of Ernestine Anderson .. not Miss Staton
Clark Palmer
@EXQUISITESOUNDS Hello Exquisitesounds. Thanks for proving that I am not crazy (or near sighted). Despite Mr.Musicismagic claims I am still convinced that the picture is not of Dakota Station. The hair style alone made me suspicious. Thanks. Oh, Mr. Musicismagic, please continue to post any Dakota music you can find. I am still trying to find a way to post her rendition of "Let it be me" but I don't have the software to transfer my vinyl 33rpms to digital. :)