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.
Skylark
Dinah Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have you anything to say to me?
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?
Oh skylark
Have you seen a valley green with spring?
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom covered lane
And in your lonely flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night?
Wonderful music
Faint as a will o' the wisp
Crazy as a loon
Sad as a gypsty serenading the moon
Oh skylark
I don't know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there
Oh skylark
Won't you lead me there?
The song "Skylark" was written by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael in 1941. The lyrics of the song express a deep longing for love and the search for it. The singer asks the skylark if it knows where her love can be found, if there is a meadow in the mist where someone is waiting to be kissed. The skylark is invoked as a wisdom figure, as if it can answer her questions and guide her in her quest for love.
The song is structured as a conversation between the singer and the skylark, with the singer asking a series of questions and the skylark providing answers in its flight. The lyrics create vivid images of the natural world, such as the valley green with spring and the blossom-covered lane. The skylark's flight is described as lonely, but also magical, as it hears the music of the night and leads the singer on her journey.
"Skylark" has been interpreted by many artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Aretha Franklin. The song is considered a classic of the American songbook and has been covered in many different styles, from jazz to country to rock. The lyrics of the song have been praised for their poetic quality and evocative imagery, which capture the longing and yearning for love that is a universal human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Skylark
The singer addresses a bird called the skylark
Have you anything to say to me?
The singer asks the skylark if it has any information to provide
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
The singer asks the skylark to reveal the location of their beloved
Is there a meadow in the mist
The artist inquires whether there is a grassy landscape covered in fog
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?
The artist suggests that their lover is eagerly anticipating their return
Oh skylark
The singer repeats the bird's name, perhaps seeking a response
Have you seen a valley green with spring?
The singer wonders if the skylark has witnessed a fertile dale during the season of rebirth
Where my heart can go a journeying
The artist seeks a destination where they can go on an emotional adventure
Over the shadows and the rain
The artist seeks a place beyond darkness and sorrow
To a blossom covered lane
The artist longs for a path lined with flowers
And in your lonely flight
The singer acknowledges the solitary nature of the skylark's flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night?
The artist asks if the skylark has heard the melodies played after dark
Wonderful music
The singer describes the quality of the nighttime music as outstanding
Faint as a will o' the wisp
The singer provides a simile likening the music to a barely visible light
Crazy as a loon
The singer uses a comparison to a bird known for its erratic behavior to describe the music's wild nature
Sad as a gypsty serenading the moon
The artist describes the melancholy tone of the music as similar to that of a wandering musician singing to the night sky
Oh skylark
The artist addresses the bird once more
I don't know if you can find these things
The singer acknowledges that the skylark may not have the answers to their questions
But my heart is riding on your wings
The singer entrusts their emotions to the bird, hoping it will lead them to the right place
So if you see them anywhere
The artist asks the skylark to alert them in case it comes across the desired locations
Won't you lead me there
The artist requests the skylark for its help in guiding them towards their dreams
Oh skylark
The artist concludes the song with one final address to the bird
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOAGY CARMICHAEL, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sunny Seacat
Skylark
Have you anything to say to me?
Won't you tell me where my love can be?
Is there a meadow in the mist
Where someone's waiting to be kissed?
Oh skylark
Have you seen a valley green with spring?
Where my heart can go a-journeying
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom covered lane
And in your lonely flight
Haven't you heard the music in the night?
Wonderful music
Faint as a will o' the wisp
Crazy as a loon
Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon
Oh skylark
I don't know if you can find these things
But my heart is riding on your wings
So if you see them anywhere
Won't you lead me there
Oh skylark
Won't you lead me there?
TheTourmaline57
she had a lovely voice,and was such a graceful and charming elegant woman.
gossamerwings
I love this song so much, thank you for sharing it! So many people get this and Stardust mixed up for some reason whenever i mention this song. Not many people have this song in their repertoire of songs as I've checked the recordings of so many singers, but they sing Stardust a lot.
Fathered Edward
Full of sentiment and nuance,..... artless and moving beyond words...
Chontene Nathan
A beautifully simple and uncluttered version that lets the song express itself the way it should. I love this song and this version. Thanks!😉
bvoe9843
Love this song, the lyric is poignant, A person looking or searching for his/her lost love. Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer did a first rate job on this one!
Oboy klikk
Precisely.
windstorm1000
absolutely. a classic Mercer song!
burpo
What the heck? I've heard a hundred versions of this song, but this one has a strange precise nuance that I have never found in any before. Thanks for posting!
Anea Marlivana
I love this version by Dinah Shore, but also the recording by k.d. lang is positively gorgeous.
EyeShotFirst
I really like it. My favorite was always Helen Forrest's with Harry James, but this is comparable.