Merrill's recording career has spanned six decades and she is popular with fans of jazz in Japan and Italy (where she lived for many years) as well as in her native United States. She has recorded and performed with some of the most notable figures in the American jazz scene.
Youth and early career in the states
Merrill was born in 1930 to Croatian immigrant parents. She began singing in jazz clubs in the Bronx at the age of fourteen. By the time she was sixteen, Merrill had taken up music full time. In 1952, Merrill made her recording debut when she was asked to sing "A Cigarette For Company" with the Earl Hines Band; the song was released on their Xanadu album. Etta Jones made her debut on the same album.
At this time she was married to musician Aaron Sachs. They divorced in 1956.
As a result of the exposure she received from "A Cigarette for Company" and two subsequent singles recorded for the Roost record label, Merrill was signed by Mercury Records for their new EmArcy label.
In 1954, Merrill recorded her first (and to date most acclaimed) LP, an eponymous record featuring legendary jazz trumpet player Clifford Brown and bassist/cellist Oscar Pettiford, among others. It was to be one of Brown's last recordings, as he was killed in a car accident just two years later. The album was produced and arranged by Quincy Jones, who was then just twenty-one years old. The success of Helen Merrill prompted Mercury to sign her for an additional four-album contract.
Merrill's follow-up to Helen Merrill was the 1956 LP, Dream of You, which was produced and arranged by bebop arranger and pianist Gil Evans. Evans' work on Dream of You was his first in many years. His arrangements on Merrill's laid the musical foundations for his work in following years with Miles Davis.
Success abroad
After recording sporadically through the late 1950s and 1960s, Merrill spent much of her time touring Europe, where she enjoyed more commercial success than she had in the United States. She settled for a time in Italy recording an album there, and doing live concerts with jazz notables Chet Baker, Romano Mussolini, and Stan Getz. Merrill returned to the U.S. in the 1960s, but moved to Japan in 1967 after touring there. Merrill developed a following in Japan that remains strong to this day. In addition to recording while in Japan, Merrill became involved in other aspects of the music industry, producing albums for Trio Records and hosting a show on a Tokyo radio station.
Later career
Merrill returned to the US in 1972 and has continued recording and regular touring since then. Her later career has seen her experiment in different music genres. She has recorded a bossa nova album, a Christmas album and a record's worth of Rodgers and Hammerstein, among many others.
Two albums from Merrill's later career have been tributes to past musical partners. In 1987, Merrill and Gil Evans recorded fresh arrangements of their classic Dream of You; the new recordings were released under the title Collaboration and became the most critically acclaimed of Merrill's albums in the 1980s.
In 1987 she co-produced a CD "Billy Eckstine sing with Benny Carter" and sing in duet with Mr.B two ballads.
In 1995 she recorded Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown as a tribute to the late trumpeter.
One of Merrill's millennium released recordings draws from her Croatian heritage as well as her American upbringing. Jelena Ana Milcetic, a.k.a. Helen Merrill (2000), combines jazz, pop and blues songs with several traditional Croatian songs sung in Croatian.
Helen Merrill has been married three times, first to musician Aaron Sachs, second time to UPI vice president the late Donald J Brydon, and third to arranger-conductor the late Torrie Zito. She has one child, a son, Allan P Sachs, also a singer, who is professionally known as Alan Merrill.
Anything Goes
Helen Merrill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we've often rewound the clock
Since the Puritans got a shock
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today
Any shock they should try to stem
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking.
But now, God knows,
Anything goes.
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words
Writing prose.
Anything goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like,
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose.
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
Truding in nudist parties in
Studios.
Anything goes.
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Then I suppose
Anything goes.
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Produce his shows,
Anything goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
And that gent today
You gave a cent today
Once had several chateaux.
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Lack baby clo'es,
Anything goes.
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Then Anna shows
Anything goes.
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
Now turns a handspring landing up-
On her toes,
Anything goes.
Just think of those shocks you've got
And those knocks you've got
And those blues you've got
From that news you've got
And those pains you've got
(If any brains you've got)
From those little radios.
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Anything goes.
The song "Anything Goes" from the musical of the same name was written by Cole Porter in 1934. The lyrics speak to the changing norms and morals of society, with references to the Puritan colonizers of America and how their values would be incompatible with contemporary culture. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the theme of change and shock, suggesting that even the Puritans would be surprised by how society has evolved. The chorus asserts that today, "Anything goes," meaning that there are no longer any strict social or moral codes that dictate how people should behave.
The lyrics of the song take the form of a list of examples of things that were once frowned upon but are now accepted, such as the display of bare legs and the use of four-letter words in literature. The verses also touch on the growing divide between the rich and poor, with references to the wealthy Vanderbilt and Whitney families struggling to afford clothes for their babies, while the lower classes can still ride in cheap "jitneys." The repeated refrain of "Anything goes" reinforces the message that there is no limit to what is acceptable in modern society.
Line by Line Meaning
Times have changed
The world is not the same as it once was
And we've often rewound the clock
We have gone back in time to reminisce on how things used to be
Since the Puritans got a shock
Since the time the Puritans were surprised by the changes in society and culture
When they landed on Plymouth Rock
When they first arrived in America
If today
In modern times
Any shock they should try to stem
Anything that is surprising or unexpected
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Instead of coming to America
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
They would be surprised and overwhelmed by the changes in society
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
In the past, a quick view of a woman's leg was considered scandalous
Was looked on as something shocking.
People were scandalized by even innocent displays of sexuality
But now, God knows,
Nowadays
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
Good authors too who once knew better words
Authors who used to be more refined in their language
Now only use four-letter words
Now use coarse language
Writing prose.
Composing literature
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
If driving fast cars you like,
If you have an interest in fast cars
If low bars you like,
If you enjoy dive bars
If old hymns you like,
If you prefer traditional religious music
If bare limbs you like,
If you enjoy nudity
If Mae West you like,
If you are a fan of Mae West
Or me undressed you like,
If you enjoy seeing me naked
Why, nobody will oppose.
No one will object or stand in your way
When ev'ry night the set that's smart is in-
When every night the fashionable people are attending
Truding in nudist parties in
Invading nudist parties
Studios.
Recording studios
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
When Missus Ned McLean (God bless her)
When wealthy and influential people can do as they please
Can get Russian reds to "yes" her,
Can persuade Russian political leaders to do her bidding
Then I suppose
Then anything is possible
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
When Rockefeller still can hoard en-
When extremely wealthy people can keep all of their money hidden away
Ough money to let Max Gordon
Enough money to finance Max Gordon's productions
Produce his shows,
To fund theatrical productions
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
The world has gone mad today
The world is in a state of craziness
And good's bad today,
What is considered good is now bad
And black's white today,
What is considered black is now considered white
And day's night today,
The normal cycle of day and night has been reversed
And that gent today
That person today
You gave a cent today
You gave a penny today
Once had several chateaux.
Once owned several large estates
When folks who still can ride in jitneys
When people who can only afford to ride in cheap vehicles
Find out Vanderbilts and Whitneys
Discover that even the wealthy and titled are struggling
Lack baby clo'es,
Do not have enough clothes for their babies
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
If Sam Goldwyn can with great conviction
If Sam Goldwyn can convincingly teach
Instruct Anna Sten in diction,
Teach Anna Sten how to speak properly
Then Anna shows
Anna demonstrates
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
When you hear that Lady Mendl standing up
When you find out that Lady Mendl, an upper class lady,
Now turns a handspring landing up-
Can now perform a gymnastic maneuver with ease
On her toes,
Balancing on the tips of her toes
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
Just think of those shocks you've got
Think about all of the surprises you have encountered
And those knocks you've got
And all of the setbacks you have experienced
And those blues you've got
And all of the sadness you have felt
From that news you've got
From hearing the latest news
And those pains you've got
And all of the discomfort you have had
(If any brains you've got)
(If you have any intelligence at all)
From those little radios.
From listening to small radios
So Missus R., with all her trimmin's,
So someone like Mrs. R, with all of her luxurious accessories,
Can broadcast a bed from Simmons
Can advertise a bed manufactured by Simmons
'Cause Franklin knows
Because even the President knows
Anything goes.
Anything is acceptable or permissible
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind