Early life
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Carrie McDonald. Her father is identified as vaudeville drummer Eddie Carson by the official biography of her estate. She was of mixed ethnic background: Native American/African American. She descended from Apalachee Indians and Black slaves in South Carolina.[4] She started her career as a busker, dancing in the street as a child. She entered vaudeville joining the St. Louis Chorus at 15. She then headed toward New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, performing at the Plantation Club and in the chorus of the popular Broadway revues Shuffle Along (1921) and The Chocolate Dandies (1924). She performed as the last dancer in a chorus line, a position in which the dancer traditionally performed in a comic manner, as if they were unable to remember the dance, until the encore, at which point they would not only perform it correctly, but with additional complexity. Although she was later to claim that she went unnoticed in America, she was billed as "the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville."
On October 2, 1925, she opened in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, where she became an instant success for her erotic dancing and for appearing practically nude on stage. After a successful tour of Europe, she reneged on her contract and returned to France to star at the Folies Bergère, setting the standard for her future acts. She performed wearing only high heels and a skirt made of bananas; she was often accompanied by her pet leopard, Chiquita, who was adorned with a diamond collar. The leopard frequently escaped into the orchestra pit, where it terrorized the musicians, adding yet another element of excitement to the show.
Rise to fame
After a short while she was the most successful American entertainer working in France—whereas in the U.S., she would have suffered from the racial prejudices common to the era. Ernest Hemingway called her "the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." In addition to being a musical star, Baker also starred in several successful films, among them Zouzou (1934) and Princesse Tamtam (1935).
Upon marrying her manager Giuseppe Pepito Abatino—a Sicilian stonemason who passed himself off successfully as a Sicilian count—Baker transformed her stage and public persona into a sophisticated cultural figure. (The marriage was reportedly a publicity stunt and not legally binding.)
At this time she also scored her greatest song hit "J'ai deux amours" (1931) and became a muse for contemporary authors, painters, and sculptors including Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Pablo Picasso.
She was so well-known and popular that even the Nazis, who occupied France during World War II were hesitant to cause her harm. In turn, this allowed Baker to show her loyalty to her adopted country by participating in the Underground. After the war, Baker was awarded the Croix de Guerre for her underground activity.
Yet despite her popularity in France, she was never really able to obtain the same reputation at home. Upon a visit to the United States in 1936, she starred in a failed version of the Ziegfeld Follies (being replaced by Gypsy Rose Lee later in the run); her personal life similarly suffered, and she went through six marriages, some legal, some not. During this time, when Baker returned to the United States, she was allegedly at a dinner party and began to speak in French as well as English with a French accent. An African-American maid was reputed to tell her, "Honey, you is full of shit. Speak the way yo' mouth was born". She had the woman fired.[citation needed]
In 1973, Josephine Baker opened at Carnegie Hall to a standing ovation. She wept openly onstage in response to the warm welcome.
Civil rights involvement
Though based in France, she supported the American Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s, and protested racism in her own unique way, adopting twelve multi-ethnic orphans, whom she called her "Rainbow Tribe." She also integrated several places in the United States and worked with the NAACP.[citation needed] For some time she lived with all of her children and an enormous staff in a castle (Les Milandes in the Dordogne) in France. (Baker had only one child of her own, stillborn in 1941, an incident that precipitated an emergency hysterectomy.)
On tours of the United States, she refused to perform in segregated nightclubs, and her insistence on mixed audiences helped to integrate shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nevertheless, her career was on a downturn and she was near bankruptcy until she was bailed out and given an apartment by her close friend, Princess Grace of Monaco, another expatriate American living in Europe.
During her life, she was also a great figure of the French freemasonry,[citation needed] fighting for freedom, civil rights, equality and against racism in France and other countries.
Death
On April 8, 1975, her fortunes seemed to be turning to the better when she was the star of a retrospective show at Club Bobino in Paris, Joséphine, celebrating her fifty years in the theater. The show opened to rave reviews. She died of a cerebral hemorrhage less than a week later at the age of 68 and was cremated. She was found lying peacefully in her bed surrounded by newspapers with glowing reviews of her performance.
She became the first American-born woman to receive French military honors at her funeral, which was held at L'Église de la Madeleine. Paris came to a standstill on the day of her funeral and 20,000 filled the streets to watch her procession. She was interred at the Cimetière de Monaco. "Place Josephine Baker" in the Montparnasse Quarter of Paris was named in her honor. She has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
Marriages and relationships
Josephine Baker went through six marriages:
* Foundry worker Willie Wells (1919, divorced)
* Pullman porter William Howard Baker (1921, divorced)
* Giuseppe Pepito Abatino (1926, publicity stunt, not legally binding)
* French sugar magnate Jean Lion (1937-1940, divorced)
* French orchestra leader Jo Bouillon (1947, separated 1957, eventually divorced)
* American artist Robert Brady (1928-1986, married 1973, also not legally binding, separated 1974).
There is also some speculation that Josephine Baker was bisexual. Most notably Josephine was linked with Mexican cultural surrealist Frida Kahlo, who was married to Communist revolutionary artist Diego Rivera. Some believe that one of the lesbian lovers depicted in the film Frida, a simple yet provocative shot of a beautiful black lounge songstress in France, is a portrayal of Baker.
Baker wrote several autobiographies, each containing a different story about her family and career.
Stormy Weather
Josephine Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my gal and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather
I'm weary all the time
Every time
So weary all of the time
When she went away
The blues walked in and then they met me
If she stays away
That old rocking chair's bound to get me
All I do is pray
The lord above will let me
Just walk in that sun again
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy Weather
Since my gal and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all of the time
The lyrics to Josephine Baker's song "Stormy Weather" are filled with sadness, longing, and despair. The song conveys the feeling of being lost and hopeless after a relationship has ended. The opening lines suggest that the singer is experiencing a deep sense of sadness and depression that feels never-ending as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The use of the metaphorical "stormy weather" indicates a turbulent emotional state.
The next lines express the singer's grief at being away from their partner, with the rain symbolizing the tears that are constantly falling. The overall feeling of the song is one of desolation and loneliness, as the singer laments the loss of their loved one. The final lines are a plea to God, asking for the chance to feel happiness and sunshine once again.
Overall, "Stormy Weather" can be interpreted as a reflection of the emotions that come with a difficult breakup, and the pain that comes with being separated from someone you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't know why
I don't understand why
There's no sun up in the sky
The sky is overcast and it is not sunny at all
Stormy weather
The weather is bad and there is a storm going on
Since my gal and I ain't together
It has been bad since my girlfriend and I broke up
Keeps raining all the time
It keeps raining continuously
Life is bare
Life is dull and empty
Gloom and misery everywhere
There is a lot of sadness and unhappiness all around
Stormy weather
The weather is still bad and there is a storm going on
Just can't get my poor old self together
I can't seem to get myself sorted or feel better
I'm weary all the time
I am always tired and exhausted
Every time
Each and every single time
So weary all of the time
I am always so tired and exhausted
When she went away
When my girlfriend left me
The blues walked in and then they met me
I became sad and depressed following the breakup
If she stays away
If she doesn't come back
That old rocking chair's bound to get me
I will be so sad that I will end up sitting and rocking in my chair all day long
All I do is pray
All I can do is to hope and pray
The lord above will let me
God will answer my prayers and grant me this wish
Just walk in that sun again
I just want to be happy again
Can't go on
I cannot continue this way anymore
Everything I had is gone
I lost everything after the breakup
Stormy Weather
The weather is still bad and there is a storm going on
Since my gal and I ain't together
It has been bad since my girlfriend and I broke up
Keeps raining all the time
It keeps raining continuously
Keeps raining all of the time
It keeps raining continuously
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management, S.A. MUSIC
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koheler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bibblesbay3812
Don't know why
There's no sun up in the sky
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Life is bare
Gloom and misery everywhere
Stormy weather
Just can't get my poor self together
I'm weary all the time
The time
So weary all the time
Since he went away, the blues walked in and met me
If he stays away, old rocking chair will get me
All I do is pray the Lord above will let me
Walk in the sun once more
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all the time
I walk around heavy-hearted and sad
Night comes around and I'm still feeling bad
Rain pouring down blinding every hope I had
This pitterin', patterin', beatin' and spatterin'
Drives me mad
Love, love, love, love
This misery is just too much for me
Can't go on
Everything I had is gone
Stormy weather
Since my man and I ain't together
Keeps raining all the time
Keeps raining all the time
@liliangardner
My husband played this song on the piano when we were courting. Now he's gone to the hereafter, but this is still one of our favourite songs. ❤
@Highley1958
What a miracle that her talent could be captured and enjoyed 78 years later.
@ericschaffer3400
Rpm indeed - Who is Judy Garland again? Sputnik...who launched you...get out of my dreams and come back to bed 😉
@Harpsichord25
This is the closest thing to time travel that physics will allow and thank god for it
@wordreet
Stop makin' me feel old!!!!!!! 😂
@theiceman6941
And in such perfect quality.
@princelee3738
She's one of the prettiest woman to ever walk the face of this Earth.💯
@NAJErEa91
There is no voice under the heavens like that of the Black American woman whom GOD has anointed to sing. SMH absolutely beautiful! Its like unbelievable how beautiful her voice is !
@NAJErEa91
Wow just wow SMH just wow
@IronheartvsMiles
The so called 'black american' voice stay trying to sound like pigskins. People born in that part of the world is only great because African DNA. African's started everything, music, writing etc.