Helen O'Connell joined the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1939 and achieved her best selling records in the early forties with "Green Eyes", "Amapola", and "Tangerine". In each of these Latin-influenced numbers, Bob Eberly crooned the song which Helen then reprised in an up-tempo arrangement. Helen won the 1940 Metronome magazine poll for best female vocalist. She was one of the first "girls" on NBC's The Today Show, and at one point had her own television show.
Helen retired from show business upon her first marriage in 1943. Helen had four daughters and eight grandchildren. When the first marriage failed, she embarked on a solo career in 1951, achieving some chart success and becoming a regular television performer. Helen has married a total of four times.
She co-hosted the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants with Bob Barker from 1972 to 1980.
In her last marriage, she was married to arranger/conductor/composer Frank De Vol when she died in San Diego, California from a battle with hepatitis C resulting in primary liver cancer (hepatoma).
Blue and Broken Hearted
Helen O'connell Lyrics
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But I admit that I changed my mind.
I go to sleep and I dream about you,
And through the day you can always find me;
Blue because we're parted,
Blue and broken hearted;
There was a time I was jolly,
Blue and oh, so lonely,
True, I want you only.
We made a blunder,
And lots of times I wonder, dear,
If you're blue too.
I'm blue and oh, so lonely,
True, I want you only.
We made a blunder,
And lots of times I wonder, dear,
If you're blue too.
The lyrics to this song, Blue and Broken Hearted by Helen O'Connell, speak of a love that was lost and the emptiness that remains. The opening lines, "I used to think I could live without you, but I admit that I changed my mind," suggest that the singer was confident in her ability to move on after the relationship ended, but has since come to realize that she still loves and misses the person.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses her sadness and loneliness, which is emphasized by the use of the color blue. She sings, "Blue because we're parted, blue and broken-hearted," showing how the loss of her love has left her feeling down and melancholy.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Blue and oh, so lonely, true, I want you only," emphasizing the singer's desire for her lost love. She also acknowledges that the breakup was a mistake, singing "We made a blunder, and lots of times I wonder, dear, if you're blue too."
Overall, the lyrics to this song speak to the universal experience of love and loss, and the pain that can come from a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to think I could live without you,
I once believed that I could cope without you being in my life,
But I admit that I changed my mind.
However, I must confess that I have since altered my opinion on the matter.
I go to sleep and I dream about you,
At night, I drift off to sleep and my mind conjures up thoughts and visions of you.
And through the day you can always find me;
During daylight hours, it's likely that you'll come across me somewhere as I go about my business.
Blue because we're parted,
I'm feeling down, dejected and sad because we are no longer together,
Blue and broken hearted;
My heart is shattered and I am feeling utterly miserable.
There was a time I was jolly,
In the past, I used to be happy-go-lucky and cheerful,
You know the reason I'm melancholy!
However, you know precisely why I'm now plagued by melancholy and introspection.
True, I want you only.
I'm telling you the truth when I say that I only want you.
And lots of times I wonder, dear,
Many times, I find myself pondering the subject, my dear,
If you're blue too.
And I wonder whether you are experiencing a similar sadness to the one that's engulfing me right now.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STANLEY MARVIN CLARKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind