Shirley Luster was born in Springfield, Illinois, and moved with her family to Decatur, Illinois, when she was three years old. She began to sing with the Decatur-based Bill Oetzel Orchestra at thirteen. While attending Decatur High School she appeared with Oetzel and his society band, the Ben Bradley Band, and Bill Madden's Band. After high school she moved to Chicago, changed her name to Sharon Leslie, and sang with a group led by Boyd Raeburn. Later she joined Benny Strong's band. In 1944, Strong's band moved to New York at the same time Christy was quarantined in Chicago with scarlet fever.
In 1945, after hearing that Anita O'Day had left Stan Kenton's Orchestra, she auditioned and was chosen for the role as a vocalist. During this time, she changed her name once again, becoming June Christy.
Her voice produced successful hits such as "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy," the million-selling "Tampico" in 1945, and "How High the Moon". "Tampico" was Kenton's biggest-selling record. When the Kenton Band temporarily disbanded in 1948, she sang in nightclubs for a short time, and reunited with the band two years later in 1950.
Beginning Sept. 28, 1959, Christy began a five-week road tour of 38 performances called "Road Show". The all-star billing: Stan Kenton and his orchestra, June Christy, The Four Freshmen. Capitol recorded highlights on October 10 at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana, for a two-disc LP, reissued in 1991 on CD.
From 1947, she started to work on her own records, primarily with arranger and bandleader Pete Rugolo. In 1954, she released a 10" LP entitled Something Cool, recorded with Rugolo and his orchestra, a gathering of notable Los Angeles jazz musicians that included her husband, multi-instrumentalist Bob Cooper and alto saxophonist Bud Shank. Something Cool was re-released as a 12" LP in 1955 with additional selections, and then entirely rerecorded in stereo in 1960 with a somewhat different personnel. Christy would later say that the album was "the only thing I've recorded that I'm not unhappy with." Something Cool was also important in launching the vocal cool movement of the 1950s, and it hit the Top 20 Charts, as did her third album, The Misty Miss Christy.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Christy appeared on a number of television programs, including the short-lived CBS show Adventures in Jazz (1949), Eddie Condon's Floor Show (1949), The Jackie Gleason Show (1953), The Tonight Show (1955), The Nat King Cole Show (1957), Stars of Jazz (1958), The Steve Allen Show (1959), The Lively Ones (1963). and The Joey Bishop Show (1967). She also appeared on the first sponsored jazz concert on television, The Timex All-Star Jazz Show I (December 30, 1957), which also featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McRae, Duke Ellington and Gene Krupa.
Christy embarked on dozens of concert tours, playing in Europe, South Africa, Australia and Japan. She toured to such an extent that eventually it began taking a toll on her marriage. She began to pull back from touring in the early 1960s.
R.M. Cook and Brian Morton, writers of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, appreciated the singer's body of work: "Christy's wholesome but particularly sensuous voice is less an improviser's vehicle than an instrument for long, controlled lines and the shading of a fine vibrato. Her greatest moments—the heartbreaking 'Something Cool' itself, 'Midnight Sun,' 'I Should Care'—are as close to creating definitive interpretations as any singer can come."
Christy semi-retired from the music business in 1969, in part due to her battle with alcoholism.
In 1972, she sang at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York City, where she was reunited with the Kenton Orchestra. She also performed at a handful of jazz festivals during the late 1970s and 1980s, playing with a band of all-star West Coast jazz musicians led by Shorty Rogers, as well as taking part in a number of world tours.
Christy returned to the recording studio in 1977 to record her final solo LP, Impromptu. She recorded an interview for a Paul Cacia produced an album in 1987 called "The Alumni Tribute to Stan Kenton" on the Happy Hour label. A number of other Kenton the alumni-Shorty Rogers, Lee Konitz, Jack Sheldon, among them, plus Mort Sahl - interspersed their tunes with reminiscences of the man and the years on the road.
Christy toured one final time in 1988, again with Shorty Rogers. Her final performance was sharing the stage with Chet Baker.
Christy died at her home in Sherman Oaks, California of kidney failure on June 21, 1990, at the age of 64. Her remains were cremated and scattered off the coast of Marina Del Rey.
Can't Help Loving That Man
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love my mister man and I can't tell you why
Dere ain't no reason why I should love dat man
It must be sumpin' dat de angels done plan
De chimbley's smokin'
De roof is leakin' in
But he don't seem to care
He can be happy
I even loves him when his kisses got gin
Fish got to swim and birds got to fly
I got to love one man till I die
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
Tell me he's lazy
Tell me he's slow
Tell me I'm crazy, maybe, I know
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
When he goes away
Dat's a rainy day
And when he comes back dat day is fine
The sun will shine
He can come home as late as can be
Home without him ain't no home to me
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
He can come home as late as can be
Home without him ain't no home to me
Can't help lovin' that man the way I do,
Oh Can't help lovin' that man of mine
The lyrics of June Christy's song "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" portray a deep and inexplicable love for a man. The singer confesses that she can't rationalize her love for him, as there is no logical reason for her to feel that way. Perhaps, she suggests, it's something that the angels have planned. She goes on to describe their living conditions, which are not ideal, but he doesn't seem to care. He can find happiness in just a sip of gin, and even when he's intoxicated, she loves him unconditionally.
The chorus emphasizes the idea that she can't help but love this man, as if it's an instinctual response to something beyond her control. She acknowledges that others may criticize him for being lazy or slow, and they may even say she's crazy for loving him, but she cannot deny her feelings. When he's away, she feels the weight of his absence, and when he returns, everything feels right again. The song ends by reiterating her love for him and the fact that her home is not complete without him.
Overall, the lyrics of "Can't Help Lovin' That Man" suggest a love that is beyond reason and explanation. The singer seems to be under his spell, unable to resist the magnetic force of their connection. Despite any flaws or challenges, she loves him deeply and unconditionally.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh listen, sister
Listen closely, sister
I love my mister man and I can't tell you why
I have an inexplicable love for my man
Dere ain't no reason why I should love dat man
There's no logical explanation for why I love him
It must be sumpin' dat de angels done plan
Perhaps it was fate or divine intervention that brought us together
De chimbley's smokin'
The chimney is smoking
De roof is leakin' in
The roof is leaking
But he don't seem to care
But he doesn't seem to mind
He can be happy
He can find happiness
With jes' a sip of gin
With just a small amount of gin
I even loves him when his kisses got gin
I still love him even though he kisses me with the smell of gin on his breath
Fish got to swim and birds got to fly
Just as it's natural for fish to swim and birds to fly, it's natural for me to love one man
I got to love one man till I die
I have to continue loving him until the end of my life
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I cannot resist my love for him
Tell me he's lazy
You can say he's lazy
Tell me he's slow
You can say he's slow
Tell me I'm crazy, maybe, I know
You might think I'm crazy, but I understand
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I cannot resist my love for him
When he goes away
When he leaves me
Dat's a rainy day
It's a gloomy day
And when he comes back dat day is fine
But when he returns, the day becomes bright and happy once more
The sun will shine
The sun will shine again
He can come home as late as can be
He can come home extremely late
Home without him ain't no home to me
Without him, my home does not feel like a home
Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I cannot resist my love for him
He can come home as late as can be
He can come home extremely late
Home without him ain't no home to me
Without him, my home does not feel like a home
Can't help lovin' that man the way I do,
I cannot resist my love for him, as strong as it may be
Oh Can't help lovin' that man of mine
I cannot resist my love for him
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEROME KERN, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind