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.
Come Home Again
Helen Merrill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the ocean wild and wide
To where your heart has ever been
Since first you were my bonnie bride.
The roses all have left your cheek.
I've watched them fade away and die
Your voice is sad when e'er you speak
And tears bedim your loving eyes.
[Chorus]
Oh! I will take you back, Kathleen
to where your heart will feel no pain
and when the fields are fresh and green
I'll take you to your home again!
I know you love me, Kathleen, dear
Your heart was ever fond and true.
I always feel when you are near
That life holds nothing dear, but you.
The smiles that once you gave to me
I scarcely ever see them now
Though many, many times I see
A dark'ning shadow on your brow.
[Chorus]
To that dear home beyond the sea
My Kathleen shall again return.
And when thy old friends welcome thee
Thy loving heart will cease to yearn.
Where laughs the little silver stream
Beside your mother's humble cot
And brightest rays of sunshine gleam
There all your grief will be forgot.
[Chorus]
The song "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" is a poignant love song about trying to bring back the happiness to someone's life that they once knew. The song is sung by a male character who is trying to comfort his wife, Kathleen, as she is going through a difficult time. As he sings to her, he speaks to her about the home that she left behind and how he would take her back there if he could. He reminds her of the beauty of the fields and the streams, the joy of her family and the love that they once had. He sings of the pain that he sees in her eyes and the sorrow in her voice, but he promises to bring her back to a place where she can find happiness and feel no pain.
The song is a beautiful representation of love and devotion that one person can have towards another. The singer shows his commitment towards his wife, and his willingness to stand by her through all the difficult times. He understands the struggles that she is going through and is willing to do all that it takes to bring the happiness back into her life. The song is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, love can prevail, and a commitment to someone can make all the difference.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll take you home again, Kathleen
I will bring you back to your homeland, Kathleen.
Across the ocean wild and wide
We will travel across a vast and dangerous sea.
To where your heart has ever been
I will take you to the place where you have always felt comfortable and happy.
Since first you were my bonnie bride.
Ever since you became my beautiful wife.
The roses all have left your cheek.
Your rosy cheeks have become pale and lifeless.
I've watched them fade away and die
I have observed your health and beauty deteriorate over time.
Your voice is sad when e'er you speak
Your voice is filled with sorrow whenever you talk.
And tears bedim your loving eyes.
Your loving eyes are now constantly filled with tears.
Oh! I will take you back, Kathleen
I promise to take you back to your homeland, Kathleen.
to where your heart will feel no pain
I will take you to a place where you will be able to live without suffering.
and when the fields are fresh and green
When the grasslands are green and lush.
I'll take you to your home again!
I will bring you back to your original home once again.
I know you love me, Kathleen, dear
I know that you truly love me, my dear Kathleen.
Your heart was ever fond and true.
Your heart has always been pure and faithful.
I always feel when you are near
I always feel a sense of joy when you are by my side.
That life holds nothing dear, but you.
You are the most precious thing in my life.
The smiles that once you gave to me
The happy expressions you once showed me.
I scarcely ever see them now
I rarely see those smiles anymore.
Though many, many times I see
Although I have seen you many times.
A dark'ning shadow on your brow.
However, I have noticed a shadow of sadness on your face.
To that dear home beyond the sea
I will take you to that beloved home over the sea.
My Kathleen shall again return.
You, my beloved Kathleen, shall return once again.
And when thy old friends welcome thee
And when your old friends welcome you.
Thy loving heart will cease to yearn.
Your loving heart will finally be at peace.
Where laughs the little silver stream
Where the small, glittering river flows with joy.
Beside your mother's humble cot
Next to your mother's simple house.
And brightest rays of sunshine gleam
Where the radiant sunlight sparkles.
There all your grief will be forgot.
There, you will forget all your sorrows.
Oh! I will take you back, Kathleen
Once again, I vow to bring you back to your homeland, Kathleen.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WESTENDORF THOMAS, ROBERT GORDON-WALKER, THOMAS WESTENDORF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind