She moved to New York and became a recording vocalist with Harry James big band in 1937.
Her swing recordings with Harry James included "Jubilee", "I Can Dream Can't I", "That's The Dreamer In Me" and "Song Of The Wanderer".
Helen Humes became one of the vocalists with Count Basie's band in the late 1930s.
Her vocals with Basie's band included "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea".
During the 1940s and 1950s Helen Humes became a solo performer and worked with different bands and other vocalists including Nat King Cole.
In 1950 Humes recorded Benny Carter's "Rock Me to Sleep". She managed to bridge the gap between big band jazz swing and rhythm and blues.
She moved to Hawaii and later to Australia.
Helen Humes died in Santa Monica, California.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Humes"
IMAGINATION
Helen Humes Lyrics
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Imagination is funny.
It makes a cloudy day sunny.
Makes a bee think of honey
Just as I think of you.
Imagination is crazy.
Your whole perspective gets hazy.
What to do, what to do.
Have you ever felt a gentle touch
And then a kiss
And then find it's only your imagination again?
Oh well,
Imagination is so silly.
You go around willy nilly.
For example, I go around wanting you.
And yet I can't imagine that you want me too.
In the song "Imagination," Helen Humes captures the essence of how imagination affects and influences our emotions and perceptions. In the first few lines of the song, Humes suggests that imagination has the power to transform the mundane and the negative into something positive and joyful. Even on a cloudy day, for example, our imagination can bring sunshine and cheer. The metaphor of the bee thinking of honey is used to signify that just as the bee's thoughts are consumed by the desire for nectar, the singer's mind is consumed by thoughts of a loved one.
In the second verse, Humes discusses how imagination can be a fickle and unreliable thing. It has the power to distort our perspective and throw us into confusion. It's as if the world becomes blurry and we start seeing things that aren't really there. Even a simple flower like a daisy, which is supposed to signify clarity and purity, becomes a source of confusion and uncertainty.
In the final verse, Humes touches upon a common human experience - the tendency to indulge in romantic fantasies and to believe in the impossible. The singer goes around "willy nilly," implying that she is driven by her own desires and hopes, but there is no way of knowing if these feelings are reciprocated. Despite this, the song ends on a light-hearted note, acknowledging that imagination can be a silly but fun thing to indulge in.
Line by Line Meaning
Imagination,
Helen Humes begins the song by introducing the topic of imagination.
Imagination is funny.
Helen Humes describes how peculiar imagination can be.
It makes a cloudy day sunny.
Helen Humes highlights the power of imagination to turn around bad moods and make things better.
Makes a bee think of honey
Helen Humes uses this line as an example of how imagination can make someone think of something pleasant, such as a bee thinking of honey.
Just as I think of you.
Helen Humes compares her own thoughts to a bee's thoughts, stating that she is constantly thinking of someone (presumably a romantic partner).
Imagination is crazy.
Helen Humes acknowledges that imagination can have negative consequences.
Your whole perspective gets hazy.
Helen Humes explains how imagination can cloud one's judgment and make them see things differently than they actually are.
Starts you asking a daisy
Helen Humes suggests that imagination can lead to confusion and indecisiveness, causing a person to turn to even the most unlikely sources (such as a flower) for answers.
What to do, what to do.
This phrase serves to emphasize the confusion and uncertainty that imagination can bring about.
Have you ever felt a gentle touch
Helen Humes begins a new verse in which she poses a question to the listener.
And then a kiss
Helen Humes describes a seemingly romantic situation.
And then find it's only your imagination again?
Helen Humes suggests that imagination can sometimes play tricks on a person, making them think that something is real when it is not.
Oh well,
Helen Humes acknowledges the potential downsides to imagination but seems to accept them as a part of life.
Imagination is so silly.
Helen Humes returns to the theme of imagination's foolishness but maintains a lighthearted tone.
You go around willy nilly.
Helen Humes describes a sense of aimlessness or lack of direction often associated with imagination.
For example, I go around wanting you.
Helen Humes uses herself as an example of how imagination can cause a person to have unrequited feelings for someone.
And yet I can't imagine that you want me too.
Helen Humes concludes the song by expressing her own inability to imagine that her romantic interest might have feelings for her as well.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RACHEL ODEN, ALEXANDER BENJAMIN RICHBOURG, ANDREA LYNN ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind