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.
Too Close for Comfort
Dakota Staton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be wise, be smart, behave my heart
Don't upset your cart when she's so close
Be soft, be sweet, but be discreet
Don't go off your feet
She's too close for comfort
Too close, too close to know just when to say when
Be firm and be fair, be sure, beware
On your guard, take care
When there's such temptation
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
She's much too close for comfort
Doo-ba-um-doody-doo-ba, doo-doo-doo
Be wise, be fair, be sure, beware
Put on your old thinking cap, boy
'Cause if you don't look out, you
Will find that you are much too
Too close for comfort
Go ahead, and for a mishap, boy
The first thing that you know she
Will have you up that old tree
She's too close for comfort
Too close, too close, ah, too close
Ba-doo-da..(etc)
Be firm and be fair, be absolutely sure, beware
On your guard, take care
When there is such temptation
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
She's much too close for comfort now
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for cover
She's much too close for comfort now
One thing leads to another
Too late to run for mother
She's much too close for comfort now
Be wise, be fair, be sure, be there, behave, beware
She's too close, too close, for comfort now
The song "Too Close for Comfort" by Dakota Staton is a warning to someone who is too close to a woman who is tempting them. The lyrics stress the importance of being wise, smart, and careful when in the presence of this woman. The singer advises the listener to "behave" and "beware" of their actions, so as not to upset their emotional "cart." The chorus emphasizes the danger of getting too close to the woman, warning that "one thing leads to another" and it will be "too late to run for cover", as it is "much too close for comfort."
Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency and warning that if the listener is not careful, they will fall into temptation and face the consequences of their actions. The lyrics advise the listener to put on their "old thinking cap" and be on their guard. The song uses repetition and catchy rhythms to drive home its message.
Line by Line Meaning
Be wise, be fair, be sure, be there, behave, beware
Be smart, be just, be confident, be present, be proper, be cautious
Be soft, be sweet, but be discreet
Be gentle and kind, but keep things private
She's too close for comfort
She's too near and it's causing discomfort
Too close, too close for comfort, no, not again
She's too near and it's making me uncomfortable, and it's happened before
Too close, too close to know just when to say when
She's too close for me to determine the appropriate time to back off
Be firm and be fair, be sure, beware
Be strong and just, be certain, be cautious
On your guard, take care,
Be vigilant and cautious
When there's such temptation
When there is such a strong desire
One thing leads to another
One action leads to another
Too late to run for cover
It's too late to take evasive action
Doo-ba-um-doody-doo-ba, doo-doo-doo
N/A
Put on your old thinking cap, boy
Think hard, boy
'Cause if you don't look out, you
Because if you're not careful, you
Will find that you are much too
Will realize you're much too
Too close for comfort
Too near and uncomfortable
Go ahead, and for a mishap, boy
Go ahead and make a mistake, boy
The first thing that you know she
The first thing you know, she
Will have you up that old tree
Will have you in trouble
Too close for comfort
Too near and uncomfortable
Too close, too close, ah, too close
Too near and causes discomfort
Ba-doo-da..(etc)
N/A
Be absolutely sure
Be completely certain
One thing leads to another
One action leads to another
Too late to run for cover
It's too late to take evasive action
She's much too close for comfort now
She's uncomfortably close now
One thing leads to another
One action leads to another
Too late to run for cover
It's too late to take evasive action
She's much too close for comfort now
She's uncomfortably close now
One thing leads to another
One action leads to another
Too late to run for mother
It's too late to ask for help
She's much too close for comfort now
She's uncomfortably close now
She's too close, too close, for comfort now
She's too near and it's making me uncomfortable now
Lyrics © BOCK IP LLC, BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George David Weiss, Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind