Kay Starr was successful in every field of music she tried, jazz, country and pop. But her roots were in jazz, Billie Holiday, considered by many the greatest jazz singer of all time, called Starr "the only white woman who could sing the blues."
She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".
Kay Starr was born on a reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father, Harry, was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems, the family moved to Dallas, Texas.
While her father worked for the Automatic Sprinkler Company, her mother raised chickens, and Kay used to sing to the chickens in the coop. As a result of the fact that her aunt, Nora, was impressed by her singing, she began to sing at the age of seven on a Dallas radio station, WRR, first in a talent competition where she finished third one week and won every week thereafter, then with her own weekly fifteen minute show. She sang pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By the age of ten, she was making $3 a night, a lot of money in the Depression days.
As a result of her father's changing jobs, her family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and she continued performing on the radio, singing "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. It was while she was on the Memphis radio station WMPS that, as a result of misspellings in her fan mail, she and her parents decided to give her the name "Kay Starr". At the age of fifteen, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have; Venuti's road manager heard her on the radio, and suggested her to Venuti. Because she was still in junior high school, her parents insisted that Venuti take her home no later than midnight.
Although she had brief stints in 1939 with Bob Crosby and Glenn Miller (who hired her in July of that year when his regular singer, Marion Hutton, was sick), she spent most of her next few years with Venuti, until he dissolved his band in 1942. It was, however, with Miller that she cut her first record: "Baby Me"/"Love with a Capital You." It was not a great success, in part because the band played in a key more appropriate for Marion Hutton, which was less suited for Kay's vocal range.
After Your;ve Gone
Kay Starr Lyrics
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How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
Don't say that we must part,
Don't break your baby's heart
You know I've loved you for these many years,
Loved you night and day,
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
Someday, when you grow lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you've gone and left me cryin'
After you've gone there's no denyin'
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You're gonna feel bad
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
But baby, think what you're doin'
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
It's gonna drive you to ruin
After you've gone, after you've gone away.
Kay Starr's song "After You've Gone" speaks to the pain and heartbreak that comes with losing someone you love. The lyrics beg for their significant other not to leave them, to not break their heart. The singer tells their lover that they have loved them for many years, day and night, and cannot believe that they are leaving. They warn their lover that after they leave, they will feel sad and miss them, and there will come a time where they regret their decision. However, it will be too late, as the singer will have moved on.
The song is a plea for a lover not to leave, to consider their decision, and to understand the pain their departure will cause. The lyrics are full of emotion and longing, and Kay Starr's powerful vocals add to the intensity of the song. The singer warns their lover that they will regret leaving, but despite this warning, they are resigned to their fate.
Overall, the song is a classic example of a torch song, full of heartbreak and longing. It captures the universal feeling of losing someone you love and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Now won't you listen honey, while I say,
Please pay attention to what I'm about to say, my dear
How could you tell me that you're goin' away?
I can't believe you told me you're leaving.
Don't say that we must part,
Please don't say we have to end our relationship.
Don't break your baby's heart
Please don't hurt me by leaving.
You know I've loved you for these many years,
You are aware that I have loved you for a long time and still do.
Loved you night and day,
I have loved you every moment.
Oh! honey baby, can't you see my tears?
My dear, do you not realize that I am crying for you?
Listen while I say
Pay attention to me while I speak.
After you've gone and left me cryin'
When you have left me crying
After you've gone there's no denyin'
It can't be denied that after you're gone
You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad
You will feel unhappy and melancholic
You'll miss the dearest pal you've ever had
You will long for the closest friend you've ever had.
There'll come a time, now don't forget it
There will be a moment, please do not forget this.
There'll come a time when you'll regret it
There will be a time when you will be sorry.
Someday, when you grow lonely
One day, when you are lonely
Your heart will break like mine and you'll want me only
Your heart will break just as mine has, and you will only want me.
After you've gone, after you've gone away
After you have left, after you have gone away.
You're gonna feel blue, and you're gonna feel sad
You will feel sad and down.
You're gonna feel bad
You will feel terrible.
And you'll miss, and you'll miss,
And you'll long for
And you'll miss the bestest pal you ever had
You'll miss your closest friend you ever had.
But baby, think what you're doin'
My baby, please consider what you're doing.
I'm gonna haunt you so, I'm gonna taunt you so
I will haunt and taunt you.
It's gonna drive you to ruin
It will lead you to destruction.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAVID RAYMOND RICHARD JAMES, JACKIE RAWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind