Gibbs was the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish immigrant parents.Her father died when she was six months old, and she spent her first seven years in an orphanage in Worcester, separated from her other siblings.
She revealed a natural talent for singing at a very young age, and was given the lead in the orphanage's yearly variety show. She was reunited with her mother (who had visited her once every other month) when the latter found employment as a midwife. However, her job often forced her to leave her daughter alone for weeks at a time with only a Philco radio for company.
Gibbs began her professional career at the age of thirteen, and was singing in Boston's Raymor Ballroom the following year. She cut her first record with the Hudson-DeLange Orchestra in 1936 (aged 16 or 17). "You don't really know loneliness unless you do a year or two with a one-night band, Gibbs said of her life on the big band circuit. sing until about 2 a.m. Get in a bus and drive 400 miles. Stop in the night for the greasy hamburger. Arrive in a town. Try to sleep. Get up and eat." (Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May 12, 1994.)
She soon found steady work on popular radio shows including Your Hit Parade, Melody Puzzles and The Tim And Irene Show. Gibbs freelanced in the late 1930s and 1940s singing with the bands of Frankie Trumbauer, Hal Kemp, Tommy Dorsey and Artie Shaw. It was with Shaw's band (then billed as Fredda Gibson) that she scored her first hit, Absent Minded Moon (1942).
In 1943, she changed her name to Georgia Gibbs and began appearing on the popular Camel Caravan radio program, hosted by Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore (it was Moore who bestowed the famous nickname "Her Nibs, Miss Georgia Gibbs" upon her). The nickname is a playful reference to her diminutive stature of barely over 5 feet. She was a regular performer on this show until 1947.
Gibbs signed with Majestic Records in 1946, and while she recorded many great records she would have to wait until 1950 for her first hit single, If I Knew You Were Coming, I'd Have Baked A Cake (on the Coral label). During this period she also was the featured singer on tours with comedians Danny Kaye and Sid Caesar. Miss Gibbs had a natural talent for comedy as well, and worked well in support of the immensely popular Kaye. But success as a singer continued to elude her. As noted in a 1952 Time article:
"Georgia," they kept telling her, "you gotta get a sound." Musical soothsayers were trying to get Songstress Georgia Gibbs into line with the latest fashion. Perhaps, they thought, she should sing mechanized duets with herself (like Patti Page), or she might try an echo chamber background (like Peggy Lee). But gimmicks were not Georgia Gibbs's cup of tea. She had a big, old-fashioned voice, a good ear, a vivacious personality, and she knew how to sing from the shoulder. She would stick with plain Georgia Gibbs.
And she eventually had success "sticking with plain Georgia Gibbs". Possessed of a versatile voice, she cut a long list of great records in every category from torch songs to rock-and-roll, to jazz, swing, old fashioned ballads and cha-chas. Her most successful record was Kiss Of Fire which reached the #1 position on the pop music charts in 1952. Kiss of Fire was adapted from the Argentinian tango El Choclo and the lyrics, arrangement and delivery communicate passion on a Wagnerian scale. It immediately became one of the defining songs of the era.
Sultry and throbbing, with a touch of vibrato, Georgia Gibbs' voice is best showcased on romantic ballads and torch songs like Melancholy Baby, I'll Be Seeing You, Autumn Leaves and You Keep Coming Back Like A Song. Yet she could be equally thrilling belting out a red hot jazz numbers like Red Hot Mama and A-Razz-A-Ma-Tazz, or jiving with tunes like Ol Man Mose and Shoo Shoo Baby. Her Swingin' With Her Nibbs album (1956) demonstrated her natural affinity for improvisation as well.
Gibbs continued to be a frequent visitor to the charts throughout the first half of the decade (with over 40 charted songs), and was briefly successful doing rock 'n' roll songs as well. She appeared on many television shows throughout the decade, including the legendary Ed Sullivan show, and hosted one of her own, Georgia Gibbs And Her Million Record Show. She cut her final album, Call Me (1966) and rarely performed after that.
She spent many years being best known for her cover versions of Etta James' The Wallflower (recorded by Gibbs with modified lyrics under the title Dance With Me Henry) and of LaVern Baker's Tweedle Dee (which created some ado due to Ms. Baker's vociferous complaints) and for her novelty number The Hula Hoop Song, which was her last hit, in 1958.
Georgia Gibbs died of leukemia on December 9, 2006, aged 87, at New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
Georgia Gibbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
In Georgia Gibbs's song "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good," the lyrics express a deep infatuation and attachment to a person who may not reciprocate the same feelings. The song conveys a sense of helplessness and vulnerability in the face of unrequited love.
The opening lines, "Though folks with good intentions/ Tell me to save my tears," suggest that there are well-meaning individuals who advise the singer to move on and not invest emotionally in this relationship. However, the singer reveals that she is so deeply enamored with this person that she cannot imagine her life without him. This reveals the intensity of her feelings and the pain she experiences in longing for his love.
The lyrics further depict a sense of dissatisfaction with the way this person treats her. She notes, "Never treats me sweet and gentle/ The way he should," suggesting that she desires a more loving and caring treatment from him. The repetition of the line "I've got it bad/ And that ain't good" emphasizes the inner turmoil and emotional distress she experiences as a result of this unbalanced relationship.
Despite the challenges and disappointments, the singer highlights the moments of joy and connection with her beloved. The lines "But when the fish are jumpin'/ And Friday rolls around/ My man an' I, we gin some/ We pray some, and sin some" suggest that despite their relationship's flaws, they still find solace and companionship in each other's presence. This juxtaposition serves to demonstrate the complex nature of love and the ambivalence that can arise within it.
Overall, "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" delves into the theme of unrequited love and the emotional struggles that come with it. It captures the bittersweet nature of yearning for someone who may not love back in the same way, showcasing the conflicting emotions and vulnerability that emerge from such a situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Though folks with good intentions
Although there are people who genuinely want to help and advise me
Tell me to save my tears
They tell me to hold back my tears and not show my emotions
Well I'm so mad about him
But I am deeply and passionately in love with him
I can't live without him
I cannot imagine my life without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
He never treats me with the tenderness and kindness he should
The way he should
In the way that is expected or deserved
I've got it bad
I am in a difficult and challenging situation
And that ain't good
And it is not beneficial or positive
My poor heart is so sentimental
My heart is easily moved by emotions and feelings
Not made of wood
It is not unfeeling or emotionless
I've got it so bad
I am deeply affected by this situation
And that ain't good
And it is not advantageous or favorable
But when the fish are jumpin'
However, when things are going well
And Friday rolls around
And it's the end of the week
My man an' I, we gin some
My man and I have some drinks together
We pray some, and sin some
We spend time praying and indulging in some sinful activities
He don't love me like I love him
He does not return the same level of love that I have for him
The way he should
In the way that is expected or desired
I've got it bad
I am deeply affected by this situation
And that ain't good
And it is not beneficial or positive
Yes I've got it bad
Indeed, I am in a difficult and challenging situation
And that ain't good
And it is not advantageous or favorable
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind