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.
Don't Meddle In My Mood
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My heart is all out of line
It's just like being without food
To be without that baby of mine
It's all my fault anyhow
If I had the drive I'd have my sweet baby now
So please go away and let me brood
Don't meddle in my mood
I know you mean to be kind
Please don't think I'm rude
But I'm nearly out of my mind
Say, I've been here since early dawn
Cryin my heart out 'cause my sweet baby's gone
So please go away and let me brood
And just don't meddle in my mood
I know you mean to be kind
I'm nearly out of my mind
Say, I've been here since early dawn
Cryin my heart out 'cause my sweet baby's gone
So please go away and let me brood
And just don't meddle in my doggone mood
Don't meddle in my mood
The song "Don't meddle in my mood" by Kay Starr is a plaintive expression of a woman who has been left by her lover or partner. She is heartbroken and deeply affected by the departure of the person she loved, to the extent that she feels like she is without food. The song is essentially an appeal to those around her to let her be and not interfere with her feelings, as she tries to come to terms with the loss that she has suffered.
Kay Starr's sorrowful voice expresses the intense emotion of the moment, her voice breaking as she sings "I'm nearly out of my mind." The lyrics reveal her inner pain and torment as she tries to cope with a situation that she feels is beyond her control. Kay Starr acknowledges that it is all her fault, but she also acknowledges that she is helpless in the face of the situation. In essence, the song speaks to the universality of heartbreak and the deep emotional pain that it can cause.
In conclusion, "Don't meddle in my mood" is a poignant and moving song that captures the raw emotion of heartbreak. It is a song to listen to alone, where one can fully experience the depth of emotion and the pain that Kay Starr is expressing in her performance.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't meddle in my mood
I need time to be alone and feel my emotions without any interference or distractions from anyone else.
My heart is all out of line
I'm feeling confused and disoriented due to the absence of my lover.
It's just like being without food
Being separated from my lover feels as essential as going hungry without sustenance.
To be without that baby of mine
Not having my lover with me is unbearable and causing me immense heartache.
It's all my fault anyhow
I know that my actions or lack thereof led to my lover leaving me and I regret it deeply.
If I had the drive I'd have my sweet baby now
I know that if I had put in the effort to keep my lover, they would still be with me.
Please don't think I'm rude
I appreciate your concern, but I need space to deal with my emotions and thoughts by myself right now.
Say, I've been here since early dawn
I've been struggling with these intense emotions for a long time and it's taking a toll on me.
Crying my heart out 'cause my sweet baby's gone
I'm experiencing extreme sadness and heartbreak because my lover left me.
And just don't meddle in my doggone mood
Please, I'm begging you to respect my need for solitude and not disturb my state of mind.
Writer(s): Morrison
Contributed by Kaelyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Trombonology
Kay sang from the heart and, even on bluesy, woeful material, communicated a love for singing.
@swingman5635
Late 40s-early 50s Kay is the best,imo.
@David1953cro
Wow! ❤️