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.
Seven Lonely Days
Georgia Gibbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Ever since the time you told me we were thru
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
Oh, my darlin' you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
There's no use in denyin' I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin' me blue
Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
Seven letters, too, I filled with my fears
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
Oh, my darlin you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Now, there's no use in denyin' I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin' me blue
Last week was the last time I cried for you
Cried and cried for you
Georgia Gibbs's song Seven Lonely Days is a poignant reflection of the pain and heartache that comes with a break-up. The lyrics speak to the loneliness that follows the end of a relationship, with seven days and nights representing a full week of misery without the companionship of a loved one. The singer of the song is clearly still deeply in love and grieving the loss of her partner. The repetition of the phrase "Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you" reinforces the intense emotional turmoil that she is experiencing.
Throughout the song, the singer describes the different ways in which she has been expressing her sadness. She has cried for seven days straight and filled seven handkerchiefs with tears. She has also written seven letters full of her fears and regrets about the relationship. Despite the pain that her former partner has caused her, she still mourns the loss of their love and feels deeply hurt by their separation.
Overall, Georgia Gibbs's Seven Lonely Days is a deeply touching and emotional song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and sadness. The lyrics capture the essence of what it feels like to be alone and grieving after the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Seven lonely days make one lonely week
After you left, each day felt lonely and uneventful. Seven days of this isolation made one long and lonely week.
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Without you, the nights felt even emptier and colder. Seven nights of this loneliness made me feel like a completely different and isolated person.
Ever since the time you told me we were thru
From the moment you told me we were over and done, I have been struggling to come to terms with how I feel and how to move on.
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
For those seven days that followed, I cried and cried thinking about you and how much I missed you. The pain was unbearable.
Oh, my darlin' you're cryin', boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
I see now that you're also upset and crying. As sad as it may be, this brings me some comfort knowing that I am not alone in my pain.
There's no use in denyin' I cried for you
I admit that I cried and shed tears for you. It is pointless to try and hide or deny these feelings.
It was your favorite pastime, makin' me blue
It seems like it was your pleasure to make me unhappy and upset. Seeing me cry and hurt was something you enjoyed or at least didn't try to prevent.
Last week was the last time I cried for you
Now, after all this time, I am finally able to let go of my pain and tears. The last week was the final time I allowed myself to cry over you and mourn what we had.
Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
During those seven days, I cried so much and so hard that I ended up filling seven blue handkerchiefs with my tears. It was a physical reminder of my emotional pain.
Seven letters, too, I filled with my fears
In addition to the tears, I also wrote seven letters filled with my deepest fears and worries. The act of writing them down helped me to confront and process them.
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
In hindsight, it is clear that causing pain and sadness for your partner is never worth it. The short-term satisfaction or revenge is not worth the long-term damage to the relationship.
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Kanjian Music
Written by: Alden Shuman, Earl Shuman, Marshall R Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Filius Flitwick
Seven lonely days make one lonely week
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Ever since the time you told me we were through
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
Oh, my darlin’ you’re cryin’, boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
There’s no use in denyin’ I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin’ me blue
Last week was the last time I cried for you
Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
Seven letters, too, I filled with my fears
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
Jax Gallagher
I love this woman's voice.
Zuzanna Wisniewska
I'm listening in 2022.
Jim
The ability to carry a melody without a lot of studio trickery.
bazthehandyman
Fantastic voice.
Corrie121
Thank you for sharing all these fabulous Georgia Gibbs recordings. They are so enjoyable.
My Space
This was the best version by Georgia Gibbs, takes you down memory lane.
Mark Gallagher
Gegorgia was one of the most underrated singer of her time. She get's a lot of flack from music critics today because she covered a lot of "Black" recordings. What they don't take into account is that was the common practice back then. She just did what her Record Company gave her. Pat Boone did te same thing in his early years.
mazay83
She had quite a voice... Thanks for posting
Tango Bango
I remember this song when I was about thirteen years old. My Mom always had music on the radio or her phonograph. Great memories.
Filius Flitwick
Seven lonely days make one lonely week
Seven lonely nights make one lonely me
Ever since the time you told me we were through
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you
Oh, my darlin’ you’re cryin’, boo-hoo-hoo-hoo
There’s no use in denyin’ I cried for you
It was your favorite pastime, makin’ me blue
Last week was the last time I cried for you
Seven hankies blue I filled with my tears
Seven letters, too, I filled with my fears
Guess it never pays to make your lover blue
Seven lonely days I cried and I cried for you