Delloreese Patricia Early was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan US… Read Full Bio ↴Delloreese Patricia Early was born on July 6, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan USA, and died on November 19, 2017 in California.

An actress, singer, talk show host, and author, the multi-talented Reese first started singing in church in her hometown of Detroit when she was six years old. By the age of 13, she was touring with gospel great Mahalia Jackson; then, at 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to bring gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas. Reese expanded her musical repertoire as a vocalist with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra and began recording albums, with such hits as "Don't You Know" and "And That Reminds Me" in the 1950s. She appeared extensively as a guest on the top television variety series, logging more than 20 appearances in one year on The Ed Sullivan Show on the CBS Television Network. Reese was nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Female Soloist in Gospel Music in 1987.

Tapping into her other skills, she was host of a television talk show in 1969-1970, then began guest-starring in such series as Sanford and Son, The A-Team, Crazy Like a Fox and Picket Fences. She starred in the CBS Network series Charlie & Co. and The Royal Family. Reese's current projects include a new album based on her 27-city tour with her revue, "Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues," as well as song on the Touched By An Angel Soundtrack. Her best-selling autobiography, "Angels Along the Way," is published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. Reese also starred in the telefilms Emma's Wish, with Joanna Kerns, and The Secret Path, with Ossie Davis.

My Heart Belongs to Daddy
Della Reese Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

While tearing off a game of golf
I may make a play for the caddy
But when I do, I don't follow through
Cause my heart belongs to Daddy

If I invite a some boy some night
To dine on my finnan haddie
It's just a pose, 'cause my baby knows

That my heart belongs to daddy

Yes my heart belongs to Daddy
So I simply couldn't be bad
Yes I'm gonna marry daddy
So I want to warn you, laddie

Gee but I think you are swell
But my heart belongs to daddy

Cause my daddy, oh my daddy
My daddy treats it so well

Overall Meaning

Della Reese’s song My Heart Belongs to Daddy is a playful tune about a woman who is devoted to her father. The lyrics describe how the woman may flirt with other men, but ultimately she won’t follow through because her heart belongs to her daddy. Any attention she gives to other men is just for show to make her father happy. The lyrics use the metaphor of a game of golf and a dine on finnan haddie to drive home the point that while the woman may engage in these activities, her heart belongs to her father.

The song speaks to the idea of a strong father-daughter bond, and the notion that a father can be a powerful presence in a daughter’s life. The lyrics suggest that the woman’s father is so important to her that no other man can compare. The line “Cause my daddy, oh my daddy, my daddy treats it so well” implies that the father is a caring and loving figure who has set a high standard for any other man who may come into his daughter’s life.

Overall, Della Reese’s My Heart Belongs to Daddy is a lighthearted and clever song about the strong bond between a father and daughter that is so powerful that it can deter any other romantic interest.

Line by Line Meaning

While tearing off a game of golf
While playing golf with friends

I may make a play for the caddy
I might flirt with the golf caddy

But when I do, I don't follow through
But I don't take it any further than that

Cause my heart belongs to Daddy
Because I am loyal to my father

If I invite a some boy some night
If I invite a guy over some night

To dine on my finnan haddie
To have dinner with me

It's just a pose, 'cause my baby knows
It's just an act because my partner knows the truth

That my heart belongs to daddy
That I am devoted to my father

Yes my heart belongs to Daddy
Yes, my love belongs to my father

So I simply couldn't be bad
So I wouldn't do anything to betray him

Yes I'm gonna marry daddy
Yes, I'm going to marry someone like my father