Her musical career began in earnest when she was discovered in 1930 by Columbia Records vice president Ted Collins, who became her longtime partner and manager and who put her on the radio in 1931. She sang the controversial top twenty song of 1931, "That's Why Darkies Were Born". She starred in the 1932 movie Hello Everybody!, with co-stars Randolph Scott and Sally Blane, and in 1943 she sang "God Bless America" in the wartime picture This is the Army. Irving Berlin had written the song in 1938 for her, and it is considered "the second National Anthem" of the United States. Its popularity and constant airplay led Woody Guthrie to pen the original version of "This Land Is Your Land" in protest at the Berlin tune's unquestioning complacency.
Kate began making records in 1926; among her biggest hits were "River, Stay 'Way From My Door" (1931), "The Woodpecker Song" (1940), "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1941), "Rose O'Day" (1941), "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (1942), "There Goes That Song Again" (1944), "Seems Like Old Times" (1946), and "Now Is the Hour" (1947). Her theme song was "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain", the lyrics of which she helped write. She greeted audiences with "Hello, everybody!" and signed off with "Thanks for listenin'."
Her oversized figure made her the occasional butt of derision from fellow performers and managers. Despite the occasional ridicule, Smith was a major star of radio, usually backed by Jack Miller's Orchestra. She began in 1931 with her twice-a-week NBC series, Kate Smith Sings (which quickly expanded to six shows a week), followed by a series of shows for CBS: Kate Smith and Her Swanee Music (1931-33), sponsored by La Palina Cigars; The Kate Smith Matinee (1934-35); The Kate Smith New Star Revue (1934-35); Kate Smith's Coffee Time (1935-36), sponsored by A&P; and The Kate Smith A&P Bandwagon (1936-37).
For eight years (1937-45), The Kate Smith Hour was a leading radio variety show, offering comedy, music and drama with appearances by top personalities of films and theater. The nationwide audience was introduced to comedy by the show's resident comics, Abbott and Costello and Henny Youngman, while a series of sketches led to The Aldrich Family as a spin-off in 1940. She continued into the 1950s on the Mutual Broadcasting System, CBS, ABC and NBC, doing both music and talk shows.
An unusual part of her career began on December 11, 1969, when the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team played her rendition of "God Bless America" before the game. Philadelphia beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-3. The team would begin to play the song before home games every once in a while, and the perception developed that the team was more successful on these occasions, so the tradition grew.
Kate Smith, who never married, died of diabetes at the age of 79 in Raleigh, North Carolina, several years after converting to Roman Catholicism. (from Wikipedia)
Ridin
Kate Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Future all planned,
No more clouds in the sky,
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
Someone I love,
Mad for my love,
So long, Jonah goodbye!
Floating on a starlit ceiling,
Doting on the cards I'm dealing,
Gloating because I'm feeling
So hap-hap-happy I'm slap-happy!
So ring bells, sing songs,
Blow horns, beat gongs,
Our love never will die,
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
Someone I love,
Mad for my love,
So long, Jonah goodbye!
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
Floating on a starlit ceiling,
Doting on the cards I'm dealing,
Gloating because I'm feeling
So hap-hap-happy I'm slap-happy!
So ring bells, sing songs,
Blow horns, beat gongs,
Our love never will die,
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
The song "Ridin' High" by Kate Smith is a happy and upbeat tune that celebrates the joy of being in love and feeling on top of the world. The lyrics are simple yet effective, describing a life that is all planned out and full of happiness. The first verse sets the tone, declaring that life is great and the future looks bright. It seems that all the problems of the world have disappeared, leaving only sunshine and clear skies. Continuing on, the second verse describes a love affair that is mad and passionate. The singer's lover is so in love with them that they say goodbye to their old life and welcome a new future full of joy and happiness.
The chorus is the driving force of this song, encouraging listeners to ring bells, sing songs, and beat gongs to celebrate the beautiful love they have found. The singer's happiness becomes almost surreal, floating on a starlit ceiling, and doting on the cards they are dealing. They feel so happy that they become slap-happy, gleefully boasting about their good fortune. The chorus is repeated at the end of the song, emphasizing the endless energy and excitement that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
Life's great, life's grand,
I am extremely happy and content with my life at the moment.
Future all planned,
I have everything mapped out in my life for the foreseeable future.
No more clouds in the sky,
There are no longer any obstacles or problems in my life that would bring me down.
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
I am feeling incredible and on top of the world.
Someone I love,
I have a special person in my life who means a lot to me.
Mad for my love,
This person is head over heels in love with me, just as I am with them.
So long, Jonah goodbye!
I am ready to leave past relationships behind and focus on what I have in the present.
Floating on a starlit ceiling,
I feel as though I am suspended in the sky and the stars are shining above me.
Doting on the cards I'm dealing,
I am cherishing every positive thing that comes my way and not dwelling on the negative.
Gloating because I'm feeling
I am being prideful because I am experiencing so much joy and happiness.
So hap-hap-happy I'm slap-happy!
I am so happy that I feel as though I could slap someone in sheer delight.
So ring bells, sing songs,
Let's celebrate and make some noise in honor of how joyous I am feeling.
Blow horns, beat gongs,
Make even more noise and commotion to amplify my already elevated spirits.
Our love never will die,
The love between myself and my beloved will withstand any challenge or obstacle.
How'm I ridin'? I'm ridin' high!
I am overjoyed and absolutely thrilled about how my life is currently.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@williamcooper177
Knockout performance is right! What a voice and vivacious personality!
@donnacooper274
Kate's not only in great voice, spirit, but very pretty and slim!
@Trefoile
Thank you for your channel. Ms. Smith was one of the greatest singers of all time. I have just about everything available by her (if not everything available by her) on CD. This has always been one of my favorite recordings of hers. I never saw this television performance. Do you know what variety show this was?
@Bijoushow
Trefoile Thanks for your comment! Kate Smith was a timeless singer. I would tell you what show this clip was from, but I have to be careful with the copyright rules on YouTube. I'll give you a hint: the most popular variety show in the '50s, and it ran for over twenty years. I'm glad you enjoy this channel!
@Trefoile
Hello, Everybody: Kate Smith! Thank you for your response. I had a feeling it was the variety show you are talking about. :) What tipped me off was the sponsor's name on the curtain, but I wanted to verify if I was correct.
@joshmagner1519
Ed Sullivan - 1956.
@user-wb9yb3yw4b
Að hjóla hátt.