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)
When I Lost You
Kate Smith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I lost the heavens so blue,
I lost the beautiful rainbow,
I lost the morning dew.
I lost the angel who gave me
summer the whole winter through,
I lost the gladness that turned into sadness
The lyrics to Kate Smith's song "When I Lost You" express the profound sense of loss and despair that can come from losing someone you love. The singer describes losing all the beautiful and joyful things associated with their relationship - the sunshine, the heavens, the rainbow, and the morning dew. These were all things they enjoyed together, but now they have lost them as a result of losing the person they loved.
The second verse describes losing an "angel" who brought a sense of summer to the singer's life even during the cold winter months. They also describe losing the "gladness" that was a part of their life when they were with this person, which has now turned into "sadness." The sense of loss and longing is palpable throughout the song, and the lyrics paint a vivid picture of how deeply the singer has been affected by this loss.
Overall, "When I Lost You" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the heartbreak of losing someone you love. Through its vivid imagery and heartfelt lyrics, the song speaks to anyone who has ever experienced the pain and sadness of losing a significant other.
Line by Line Meaning
I lost the sunshine and roses
I lost the bright and positive aspects of life
I lost the heavens so blue
I lost the sense of something divine or remarkable
I lost the beautiful rainbow
I lost the symbol of hope and optimism
I lost the morning dew
I lost the freshness and purity of life
I lost the angel who gave me
summer the whole winter through
I lost the person who brought happiness and joy into my life consistently
I lost the gladness that turned into sadness
When I lost you.
I lost my happiness and it turned into sorrow when I lost you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: ROBERT BERKELEY DAVIS, RICHARD FREDERICK STANNARD, JULIAN GALLAGHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind