Ella Mae Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now responsible for her care, he fired her. In 1942, at the age of 17, she joined Freddie Slack's band, with whom in the same year she recorded "Cow Cow Boogie", Capitol Records' first gold single. "Mr. Five by Five" was also recorded by Morse with Slack, and they had a hit recording with the song in 1942 (Capitol 115). She also originated the wartime hit "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet", which was later popularized by Nancy Walker in the film, Broadway Rhythm.
In 1943, Morse began to record solo. She reached #1 in the R&B chart with "Shoo-Shoo Baby" in December for two weeks. In the same year she performed "Cow Cow Boogie" in the film Reveille with Beverly and starred in Universal's South of Dixie and The Ghost Catchers with Olsen and Johnson and How Do You Dooo? with radio's Mad Russian, Bert Gordon. She sang in a wide variety of styles, and she had hits on both the U.S. pop and rhythm and blues charts. However, she never received the popularity of a major star because her versatility prevented her from being placed into any one category of music.
The song "Love Me or Leave Me" as recorded by Morse was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 1922, with the flip side "Blacksmith Blues," which became her biggest hit.
In 1946, "House of Blue Lights" by Freddie Slack and Morse, (written by Slack and Raye) saw them perform what was one of many of Raye's songs picked up by black R&B artists. Her biggest solo success was "Blacksmith Blues" in 1952, which sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The same year her version of "Down the Road a Piece" appeared on Capitol with Slack again on piano accompaniment. Morse also recorded a version of "Oakie Boogie" for Capitol which reached #23 in 1952. Her version was one of the first songs arranged by Nelson Riddle.
Morse ceased recording in 1957, but continued performing until the early 1990s at such clubs as Michael's Pub in New York, Ye Little Club in Beverly Hills, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's Cinegrill and the Vine St. Bar and Grill. She appeared regularly at Disneyland for several years with the Ray McKinley Orchestra, and did a successful tour of Australia shortly before her final illness.
Her music career was profiled in Nick Tosches' 1984 book, The Unsung Heroes of Rock 'N' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1724 Vine Street. Her entire recorded body of work was issued in a deluxe box set by Bear Family Records.
As Morse's musical style blended jazz, blues, and country, she has sometimes been called the first rock 'n' roll singer. A good example is her 1942 recording of the song "Get On Board, Little Chillun", which, with strong gospel, blues, boogie, and jive sounds as a genuine precursor to the later rockabilly/ rock 'n roll songs. Her records sold well to both Caucasian and African-American audiences. As she was not well known at the time of her first solo hits, many people assumed she was African-American because of her 'hip' vocal style and choice of material.
Morse had six children from two marriages, as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and an estranged sister named Flo Handy, who was also a singer.
In 1999 Morse died of respiratory failure in Bullhead City, Arizona, aged 75.
No Love No Nothin'
Ella Mae Morse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just about as solitary
As anyone could be
Of course my life is not so merry
But that's alright with me
No love, no nothin',
No sir! No nothin',
As long as baby must roam,
I promised him I'd wait for him
Till even Hades froze,
I'm lonesome, Heaven knows,
But what I said still goes,
No love, no nothin',
And that's a promise I'll keep,
No fun with no one,
I'm getting plenty of sleep
My heart's on strike
And though it's like an empty honeycomb,
No love, no sir! No nothin',
Till my baby comes home
My heart's on strike
And though it's like an empty honeycomb,
No love, no sir! No nothin',
Till my baby comes home
No sir, I'm waiting
Till my baby comes home.
The lyrics to Ella Mae Morse's song "No Love No Nothin'" express the emptiness and loneliness that the singer feels in the absence of her lover. The song is a plea for love and company, but she also claims to be content with waiting and being alone until her lover returns. She describes herself as solitary and admits that her life may not be Merry, but she is willing to make that sacrifice for her love. She explains that her heart is on strike, and it feels like an empty honeycomb - meaning that it is empty and devoid of love. The singer then reaffirms her promise to wait for her lover and remain celibate until he returns.
The lyrics of "No Love No Nothin'" are a reflection of the post-World War II era in which the song was written. During this time, many couples were separated due to military enlistment or other reasons. The song expresses the loneliness and longing felt by those who had to endure long periods of separation from their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
No love, no nothin'.
I don't want anything if I don't have my love with me.
I'm just about as solitary
I am living in solitude.
As anyone could be
I am as lonely as possible.
Of course my life is not so merry
I am not leading a joyful life.
But that's alright with me
I am okay with it.
No love, no nothin',
Without love, I don't have anything.
Until my baby comes home,
I am waiting for my lover to return home.
No sir! No nothin',
I don't need anything else.
As long as baby must roam,
Even if my lover has to be away from me.
I promised him I'd wait for him
I made a promise to wait for my love.
Till even Hades froze,
I will wait until the end of time.
I'm lonesome, Heaven knows,
I am very lonely, and only Heaven knows how I feel.
But what I said still goes,
I am sticking to my word.
And that's a promise I'll keep,
I will keep my promise.
No fun with no one,
Without my love, I can't have fun with anyone else.
I'm getting plenty of sleep
I am sleeping a lot.
My heart's on strike
My heart is not working.
And though it's like an empty honeycomb,
My heart feels empty.
Till my baby comes home
I will keep waiting for my love to return.
No sir, I'm waiting
I am not doing anything else.
Till my baby comes home.
My only focus is for my love to come back home.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY WARREN, LEO ROBIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Thoman
I'd like to go back in time to the 40s.
The Eggplant That Ate Chicago
Ooh, different title on this one!
T D
:)