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 have becomes ignited
You just begin 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 begin 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 begin 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 begin 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 Kay Starr song, "Comes a-Long a-Love," is a charming and upbeat number that celebrates the joy and excitement of falling in love. The song describes how sudden and transformative the experience of falling in love can be. The lyrics convey the intoxicating feeling of being swept off one's feet and the way that love can infuse every aspect of life with a newfound sense of purpose and meaning.
The song begins by describing the sudden arrival of love, which seems to come out of nowhere but instantly lights up one's world. The singer describes how this love makes one feel happy, excited, and invited, and how it has the power to ignite one's dreams and passions. The lyrics suggest that falling in love is not just a personal experience, but one that has a ripple effect on the world around us, making us feel more positive and optimistic.
As the song progresses, the lyrics explore the many ways that falling in love can change us. We begin to sing and hear music in everything, and we become more spontaneous and joyful in our actions. The song suggests that love has the power to lift us out of our everyday problems and make us feel more confident and positive about our lives.
The chorus of the song repeats the idea that falling in love suddenly is a transformative experience that inspires us to live fully and love more deeply. It suggests that no matter how down we might feel, love has the power to make us sparkle and bubble with happiness, and to make everything in our lives seem brighter and more meaningful.
Overall, "Comes a-Long a-Love" is a sweet and uplifting song that celebrates the transformative power of love. It captures the sense of wonder and excitement that comes with falling in love, and suggests that this experience has the power to change our lives in profound ways.
Line by Line Meaning
Comes along a love suddenly
Love appears unexpectedly and quickly
Brother are you happy and excited
Asks if you are filled with joy and enthusiasm
Everywhere you go you feel invited
You are welcomed wherever you go
Every dream you have becomes ignited
Your hopes and aspirations are aroused
You just begin to live
Your life begins anew
Comes along a love
Love comes unexpectedly and quickly
Though you never sang you're always singing
Even if you never sang before, you are singing now
Chimes you never heard begin a-ringing
Unfamiliar sounds of joy are heard
Night and day you're heart is highland flinging
You are filled with happiness both day and night
You live and you love
You are experiencing life and love
I don't care how Blue you're feeling now
The singer is unconcerned with your sadness
You sparkle and you bubble
You are full of life and energy
See each bluebird double
You see joy everywhere you look
Petty little things no longer phase you
Small problems no longer bother you
Everyone around you seems to praise you
People notice positive changes in you
You discover things that just amaze you
You find wonder in everyday things
And really love
You are truly in love
The day you live
You are truly living every day
Well you're in trouble
You are in trouble when you fall in love
Coz mister You're really in love
You are truly and deeply in love
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: AL SHERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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