Childhood and rise to success
Born to Solomon and Anna Stein Shore, Jewish immigrants from Russia, she lived in Winchester, Tennessee. When she was two years old, she was stricken with polio (infantile paralysis), a disease that was not handled well at the time. Thankfully, her parents cared enough to provide intensive care for her, and she recovered and overcame the disease. However, she suffered from having a slightly deformed foot and limp, which did not physically impede her. She performed at a night club when she was only 14 years old.
When her mother died unexpectedly of a heart attack, Dinah went to Vanderbilt University, where she participated in many events and activities. She graduated from the university in 1938. She decided to get back into pursuing her career in singing, so she went to New York to audition for orchestras and radio stations. In many of her auditions, she sang the popular song "Dinah." When disc jockey Martin Block could not remember her name, he called her the "Dinah girl," and soon after the name stuck, becoming her stage name. She eventually was hired as a vocalist at radio station WNEW, where she sang with Frank Sinatra. She also recorded and performed with the Xavier Cugat orchestra. Eventually, she got her recording contract with RCA Victor records in 1940.
Career in the 1940s and 1950s
While recording on RCA Victor's Bluebird label, she released her first recording, "Yes, My Darling Daughter" and it became a major hit for her. Dinah's singing came to the attention of Eddie Cantor, and he signed her as a regular on his popular radio show, "Time to Smile", in 1940. Dinah credits him for teaching her self-confidence, comedic timing and the ways of connecting with an audience.
She was a featured vocalist on The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street and soon became a successful radio and music star with her own radio show in 1943, "Call to Music". Also in 1943, she appeared in her first movie, "Thank Your Lucky Stars". The movie starred Eddie Cantor, and she soon went to another radio show, "Paul Whiteman Presents". During this time, America had been actively involved in World War 2 and Dinah became a popular favorite with the troops, similar to the popularity of Bing Crosby. She was having major record hits, like "I will Walk Alone" and "Blues In the Night", one of her first of many number-one hits to come. To support the troops overseas, who adored her singing, she participated in USO tours to Europe. She met a young actor ready to go into military service named George Montgomery. They married on December 3, 1943. Despite their marriage, Montgomery soon went into service. When he returned from the service, they settled in San Fernando, California. In 1948, their first child was born, a daughter named Messina, and they also adopted a son in 1954 named John David and then moved to Beverly Hills.
Dinah continued appearing in radio shows throughout the 1940s. She performed in radio shows like "Birds Eye-Open House" and "Ford Radio Show". One of her most popular recordings was "Baby It's Cold Outside" with Buddy Clark. The song was covered by many other artists, Ella Fitzgerald for example. Other hits followed this success like "Buttons and Bows" and "The Gypsy". She was a regular with Jack Smith on his radio show on CBS, which ran for 15 minutes. She went into many more movies. As an actress, Shore appeared in many musical films, such as "Belle of the Yukon" and "Up in Arms" (both in 1944), and "Till the Clouds Roll By" (1946). She was also featured in numerous TV movies and series. She lent her musical voice to two Disney films: "Make Mine Music" (1946) and "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947). In early 1946, she moved to another label, Columbia Records. In 1950 she made her television show debut on "The Ed Wynn Show" and also made a guest appearance on Bob Hope's first television show. After being on many other people's television shows, she got her own, "The Dinah Shore Show" in 1951. She did two fifteen minute shows a week for NBC. She won her first Emmy for the show in 1955. The show was sponsored by Chevrolet automobiles. The sponsor's theme song ("See the USA in your Chevrolet") became the singer's signature piece. She continued to appear in Chevrolet advertising through the 1950s.
Later career
From 1970 through 1980, Shore hosted two daytime programs, "Dinah's Place" (1970-1974) on NBC and "Dinah!" (later "Dinah and Friends") in syndication from 1974 through 1980. On her show "Dinah!", she once had the misfortune of interviewing the comedian Andy Kaufman in his Tony Clifton guise. He took deliberate offense at her questions and eventually tipped a pan of eggs over her head. This happened live on the air in front of a huge TV audience and Shore's producers cut to an impromptu commercial as Kaufman was escorted out of the studio.
TV screenshot image
Shore, with her Dixie drawl and demure manner, was always identified with the South, and guests on her shows often commented on it.
Shore won nine Emmys, a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe.
Shore guest starred on "Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special", calling Pee-wee on his picturephone and singing "The 12 Days of Christmas". Throughout the special, Pee-wee walks past the picture phone, only to hear her going past the original 12 days ("...on the 500th day of Christmas...")
Personal life
Shore was married to actor George Montgomery from 1943 to 1962 and had a daughter, Melissa Ann (known today as Melissa Montgomery-Hime, executor of the Dinah Shore Trust and the owner of the rights to most of Shore's television series). Shore later adopted a son, John David 'Jody' Montgomery. After her divorce from Montgomery, she briefly married Maurice Smith. In the early 1970s, Shore had a long and happy public romance with actor Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years her junior. The relationship gave Shore an updated, sexy image, and took some of the pressure off Reynolds in maintaining his image as a ladies' man.
Death and legacy
Dinah Shore died in Beverly Hills, California of ovarian cancer at age 77 (5 days before her 78th birthday). Her ashes were divided and she has two burial sites. Half were interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California and the other half interred at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City) near her beloved second home in Palm Springs, California.
Shore's legacy resonates posthumously, with a 1998 album featuring the arrangement skills of Andre Previn combined with the re-releasing of some of her classic recordings like 'April in Paris', and 'My Funny Valentine', garnering moderate success.
New Fangled Tango
Dinah Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cha-cha happy, but I'm lazy
I don't dig that frantic turpsichord
When I trip the light fantastic
I don't wanna be gymnastic
That's not what a dancing floor is for
With a very minimum amount of movement
Let the other couples push and shove
What I got in mind I think you're gonna love
I got a new-fangled tango
And there's nothing to it
You just sort of stand there
And just sort of do it
You stand close together
There's no wasted motion
A new fangled tango
An old fashioned motion
The floor may be crowded
But that doesn't matter
It's not necessary to move
Don't move, why move
It may be crowded
But that's all the better
It's just like romancing, while dancing
Who's dancin'
You start off with one step
And cling to each other
And you know how one step
Can lead to another
Oh, there's nothing wrong with
A waltz or fandango
But oh, what can come from
A new fangled tango
You cling to your partner
And sway to the rhythm
You can't lose your partner
'Cause you're right there with him
You don't have to be worry
About fast or slow steps
The nice part about it
In this dance, you don't need steps
You don't have to worry
If your dancing won't do
It's not what you do do
It's more what you don't do
You don't need a waltz
Or a fancy fandango
You just need a man
And a new fangled tango
Forget the fandango
Give up the mambo
Do the tango
In Dinah Shore's song "New Fangled Tango," the singer describes a new dance that she has come up with as an alternative to the popular dances of the time, such as the mambo and cha-cha. She declares herself as someone who is "lazy" and doesn't enjoy the "frantic" nature of those dances, so she has created a dance with "a very minimum amount of movement." The new fangled tango involves standing close together and swaying to the rhythm, rather than complicated footwork or acrobatic moves. The singer emphasizes that it's not necessary to move at all - the dance is all about connecting with your partner and enjoying the moment. She describes it as an "old fashioned motion," harkening back to a simpler time.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's mambo crazy
Everyone is obsessed with the Mambo dance style
Cha-cha happy, but I'm lazy
While others are excited about the Cha-cha, I am too lazy to keep up
I don't dig that frantic turpsichord
I do not like the fast, frantic sounds of the typical dance music that is played with a harpsichord
When I trip the light fantastic
When I dance elegantly and gracefully
I don't wanna be gymnastic
I do not want my dance moves to be acrobatic
That's not what a dancing floor is for
I believe dance floors are meant for more graceful and elegant moves
What I got in mind is a big improvement
I have a new dance style in mind that I think is an improvement over what is popular currently
With a very minimum amount of movement
This new dance style involves very little physical movement
Let the other couples push and shove
I do not want to compete with other couples on the dance floor
What I got in mind I think you're gonna love
I believe people will love my new dance style
I got a new-fangled tango
I have created a new style of tango dance
And there's nothing to it
My new dance style is very easy to learn and do
You just sort of stand there
The main move involved in this dance is just standing close to your partner
And just sort of do it
The dance involves very little actual movement beyond just standing close to your partner
You stand close together
The couples stay very close to each other throughout the dance
There's no wasted motion
The dance style involves no unnecessary movement
A new fangled tango
My new dance style is a modern version of the classic tango
An old fashioned motion
The dance style is reminiscent of old-fashioned dances
The floor may be crowded
Even if the dance floor is very crowded with other dancers
But that doesn't matter
It does not affect the dance itself
It's not necessary to move
You do not need to move much to do this dance
Don't move, why move
The motion involved in this dance is so minimal that it hardly qualifies as movement at all
It may be crowded
Even if there are many other couples on the dance floor,
But that's all the better
It may even enhance the romantic atmosphere of the dance
It's just like romancing, while dancing
This dance style is very romantic in nature
Who's dancin'
It is less about the act of dancing itself and more about the romance shared between the couples performing the dance
You start off with one step
The dance is based on a single, simple step that is repeated throughout
And cling to each other
The couples stay very close throughout the dance and hold onto each other
And you know how one step
As couples perform this single step together
Can lead to another
It can easily and naturally flow into other steps or movements as desired
Oh, there's nothing wrong with
While there is nothing inherently wrong with a classic waltz or fandango dance style
A waltz or fandango
Classic dance styles involving more complex movements
But oh, what can come from
The potential for romance and beauty in this simple, minimal dance style is limitless
A new fangled tango
This new version of the tango dance style, with very little actual movement
You cling to your partner
The dance involves the couples holding onto each other very closely
And sway to the rhythm
The couples move slightly in time with the music
You can't lose your partner
Couples stay very close and do not have much room to move away from each other
'Cause you're right there with him
The couple is so close together that they can feel each other's every movement
You don't have to be worry
The dance requires so little actual movement that there is little to worry about
About fast or slow steps
Partners do not need to worry about being coordinated enough to perform complex dance steps quickly or slowly
The nice part about it
One of the benefits of this dance style
In this dance, you don't need steps
There are so few 'steps' to perform in this dance that the emphasis is instead on holding your partner and feeling the music together
If your dancing won't do
If you are not a great dancer in typical dance styles,
You don't have to worry
You do not need to be a great dancer to perform this dance
It's not what you do do
The point of the dance is not about your moves as much as it is about the romance you share with your partner
It's more what you don't do
Instead of lots of complex dance moves, the focus is on not moving too much in order to be as close to your partner as possible
You don't need a waltz
While other dances like the waltz are popular,
Or a fancy fandango
Or more complex dances like the fandango
You just need a man
All you need to perform this dance is a partner
And a new fangled tango
And the desire to dance using this new, minimalistic style of tango
Forget the fandango
Put aside more complex dance styles for a time
Give up the mambo
Put aside the mambo dance style for a time
Do the tango
Try out this new, minimalistic tango style instead
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD KARR, MATT DUBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Walsh
Good but Lena Horne's version is perfection.