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.
The Hula-Hoop Song
Georgia Gibbs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hula hoop, hula hoop, anyone can play from three to a hundred and ten
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
From LA to New York, from Georgia to Duluth
Everyone is playing with the hula hoop
ared ones and the green ones, yellow, white, and blue
Young and old, rich or poor, are spinning them, too
Hula hoop, hula hoop, everyone is playin with the hula hoop
Look at them spin, trying to win
Anyone can play from three to a hundred and ten
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
Oh, what fun to see them run and to see them play
Tryin to keep the hula hoop from, ah, slippin away
Now if they flop when they should sway, it would fall to the ground
Then again, once again, the hoop spins around
and round
Hula hoop, hula hoop, everyone is playin with the hula hoop
Look at them spin, trying to win
Anyone can play from three to a hundred and ten
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
Hula hoop, hula hoop, everyone is playin with the hula hoop
Look at them spin, trying to win
Anyone can play from three to a hundred and ten
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
The Hula Hoop Song by Georgia Gibbs is all about the craze that swept the world in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The song celebrates the fun and excitement associated with the hula hoop, which anyone can play – from the young to the old, rich or poor. The lyrics paint a picture of people all over the world, in LA, New York, Georgia and Duluth, spinning their hula hoops in all colours – from red and green, to yellow, white and blue. It's a simple pleasure that brings joy to people of all ages and backgrounds.
The song is full of enthusiasm for the hula hoop, describing how people try to keep it spinning and stop it from slipping away. If they don't sway enough, the hoop may fall to the ground, but then again, it spins round and round, providing endless fun for everyone playing with it. The song's repetitive refrain reinforces the idea that anyone can play with the hula hoop, from young children to centenarians. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from – the hula hoop is something that brings people together and creates a sense of community.
Overall, The Hula Hoop Song captures the excitement and sense of fun that the hula hoop craze brought to people around the world. It's a testament to the power of simple pleasures to bring joy to people's lives, regardless of their differences.
Line by Line Meaning
Hula hoop, hula hoop, anyone can play the hula hoop
The Hula Hoop is a universal game that anyone can play.
Hula hoop, hula hoop, anyone can play from three to a hundred and ten
Age is just a number when it comes to playing the Hula Hoop, as anyone from young to old can join in the fun.
hoop-hoop hoop-hoop
The repetitive sound of twirling the Hula Hoop around the waist.
From LA to New York, from Georgia to Duluth
People from all over the United States are playing the Hula Hoop, from the West Coast to the East Coast, and even in smaller towns like Duluth, Georgia.
Everyone is playing with the hula hoop
The Hula Hoop is a popular game enjoyed by many, regardless of age or background.
red ones and the green ones, yellow, white, and blue
There are many colors of Hula Hoops available, including red, green, yellow, white, and blue.
Young and old, rich or poor, are spinning them, too
The Hula Hoop is an activity that brings people from all walks of life together, regardless of their age or socioeconomic status.
Hula hoop, hula hoop, everyone is playin with the hula hoop
The Hula Hoop is a game that many people are enjoying.
Look at them spin, trying to win
People are determined to keep the Hula Hoop spinning around their waist without it falling to the ground.
Oh, what fun to see them run and to see them play
Watching people play with the Hula Hoop can be entertaining and enjoyable.
Tryin to keep the hula hoop from, ah, slippin away
One of the main challenges of playing with the Hula Hoop is trying to keep it from falling to the ground.
Now if they flop when they should sway, it would fall to the ground
If a person loses their rhythm and control over the Hula Hoop, it will likely fall to the ground.
Then again, once again, the hoop spins around and round
Even if the Hula Hoop falls to the ground, the game can easily be picked back up and the fun will continue.
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC. , Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CARL A JR MADURI, DONNA JEANE KOHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MikeBlitzMag
Georgia Gibbs did some great work for Morris Levy at Roulette. Her single, The Hucklebuck for the label (which was covered by many) is arguably the definitive version.
AltoonaYourPiano
My mom told me that she used to have this record as a kid back in the 50's and play it all the time, but she lost this record and many others to a house fire that happened later on (thankfully the house wasn't a total loss, just part of the attic, but the record was in the attic). Now that I found this, I wish I could show it to her, but she passed away in March 2021.
Nunofurdambiznez
Never knew this song existed til this very minute - and I'm 60 years old!
GeoProf
Me, too and I"m in my early 70s.
John Reall
@Ellen Sheppard Me too. Reliving our childhoods.
eaunan
@Ellen Sheppard Me too! 😂💛💯
Nunofurdambiznez
@Ellen Sheppard Yes ma'am, exactly right!
Ellen Sheppard
Me too...Watching Recolection Road about 1950's Toys & Outside Fun-Life in America...You too?
Ethel Newberry
I never heard this song before, and I was a teen in the 1950's...But I do remember The Hucklebuck song.