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.
I'll Take Romance
June Christy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While my heart is young and eager to fly
I'll give my heart a try
I'll take romance
I'll take romance
While my arms are strong and eager for you
I'll give my arms their cue
So, my lover when you want me call me
In the hush of the evening
When you call me in the hush of the evening
I'll rush to my first real romance
While my heart is young and eager and gay
I'll give my heart away
I'll take romance
While my arms are strong and eager for you
I'll give my arms their cue
I'll take romance
So, my lover when you want me call me
In the hush of the evening
When you call me in the hush of the evening
I'll rush to my first real romance
While my heart is strong and eager and gay
I'll give my heart away
I'll take romance
I'll take romance
I'll take romance
The lyrics to June Christy's song, "I'll Take Romance," speaks about a young heart that is ready and willing to fall in love. The singer of the song is eager to experience the feeling of love, and to "give [their] heart away." They want to make the most of their youth and passion, and take advantage of the fact that they still have "strong arms" and an "eager heart."
The opening lines, "I'll take romance / while my heart is young and eager to fly," express the idea that the singer wants to seize the moment and not let youth and passion slip away. They are ready to take a leap of faith and give love a try. The line, "while my arms are strong and eager for you," suggests that the singer is confident and ready to embrace love fully.
The final lines of the song repeat the theme of wanting to rush to their first real romance, and give their heart and arms to the experience. This song is a celebration of the idea of love and encourages listeners to embrace it fully, especially when they are young and passionate.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll take romance
I am willing to embrace the joy and excitement of love and all its possibilities.
While my heart is young and eager to fly
I am ready to experience love with all the passion and enthusiasm of youth.
I'll give my heart a try
I will allow myself to be vulnerable and open to the possibility of love.
I'll take romance
I am committed to pursuing a romantic relationship.
While my arms are strong and eager for you
I am physically and emotionally ready to embrace the person I love.
I'll give my arms their cue
I am ready to hold and embrace the person I love.
So, my lover when you want me call me
I am eager and willing to be there for the person I love.
In the hush of the evening
At a quiet and peaceful time when we can connect and be together.
When you call me in the hush of the evening
I will be there for you when you need me, at a time when we can be close and intimate.
I'll rush to my first real romance
I will pursue a genuine and passionate romantic relationship with all my heart and soul.
While my heart is young and eager and gay
I am open and ready to experience the joys and pleasures of love with a light and carefree spirit.
I'll give my heart away
I will wholeheartedly and unreservedly give my love to the person I care about.
I'll take romance
I am committed to reclaiming the magic and excitement of love in my life.
I'll take romance
I will embrace the thrill and adventure of love, no matter what comes my way.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind