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.
Comes-A-Long A-Love
Kay Starr Lyrics
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Brother are you happy and excited
Comes along a love suddenly
Everywhere you go you feel invited
Comes along a love suddenly
Every dream you had becomes ignited
You just began to live
Comes along love
Comes along a love suddenly
Though you never sang you're always singing
Comes along a love suddenly
Chimes you never heard began a'ringing
Comes along a love suddenly
Night and day you're heart is highland flinging
You live and you love
Comes along love
I don't care how
Blue you're feeling now
You sparkle and you bubble
See each bluebird double
Comes along a love suddenly
Petty little things no longer phase you
Comes along a love suddenly
Everyone around you seems to praise you
Comes along a love suddenly
You discover things that just amaze you
You just began to live
Comes along love
I don't care how
Blue you're feeling now
You sparkle yes you bubble
Look out you gotta whole lotta trouble
Comes along a love suddenly
Petty little things no longer phase you
Comes along a love suddenly
Everyone around you seems to praise you
Comes along a love suddenly
You discover things that just amaze you
You just began to live
And really love
The day you live
Oh well you sparkle
You bubble
Well you're in trouble
Coz mister
You're really in love
The lyrics to Kay Starr's song "Comes A-Long A-Love" express the transformative power of love. The song's central message is that, when love comes along, it can change one's perspective on life and imbue it with newfound joy and meaning. This theme is conveyed throughout the song through effusive, upbeat lyrics that describe the many ways in which love can lift the soul.
The first verse of the song sets the tone, portraying love as a sudden and surprising force that can change one's mood in an instant. The repeated phrase "Comes along a love suddenly" emphasizes the idea of love as a sudden and unexpected arrival, and the ensuing lyrics describe the ways in which love can elevate one's spirits: suddenly, everything feels inviting; every dream becomes ignited; and life itself takes on new meaning.
The second verse builds on this idea, depicting love as a force that brings music and celebration into one's life. The lyrics describe how even people who have never sung before will suddenly find themselves singing, and how the chimes that were once ignored now ring clearly. The imagery of "heart is highland flinging" suggests a sense of pure, unbridled joy that comes from experiencing love.
Line by Line Meaning
Comes along a love suddenly
Love comes into your life unexpectedly
Brother are you happy and excited
You feel happy and enthusiastic when you find love
Everywhere you go you feel invited
You feel welcomed wherever you go
Every dream you had becomes ignited
Your dreams become more meaningful and exciting
You just began to live
You feel like life has just begun
Though you never sang you're always singing
You feel happy and inspired even if you don't actually sing
Chimes you never heard began a'ringing
You notice and appreciate things you didn't before
Night and day you're heart is highland flinging
You feel joyful and carefree all the time
I don't care how
Blue you're feeling now
You sparkle and you bubble
See each bluebird double
No matter how sad you were before, you feel happy and uplifted now
Petty little things no longer phase you
You don't let small things bother you anymore
Everyone around you seems to praise you
Other people notice and appreciate how much in love you are
You discover things that just amaze you
You find wonder in things in a new and exciting way
You just began to live
And really love
The day you live
Oh well you sparkle
You bubble
Well you're in trouble
Coz mister
You're really in love
You feel like life and love have really just begun, and you're so happy and carefree that you might get into trouble
Writer(s): Al Sherman
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daria Wells
The lyric "you sparkle, you bubble, you're in a whole lotta trouble" is a throwback to the lyrics, "They sparkle, they bubble, they're gonna get you in a whole lotta trouble" from "Them There Eyes" (1929/30)
philip norris
Kay's first British No. 1 (peaked at 9 in the States).
Alan Fox
interesting fact the first record DJ Alan Freeman play on radio was Kay Starr found out on a episode of this is your life