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.
Eyes for You
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't see anyone but you
Sha bop sha bop
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
The song "Eyes for You" by Kay Starr is a beautiful love song that captures the essence of devotion and love. The lyrics are sweet and romantic, and they describe how the singer's love is blind to everything else in the world except for the one person they love. The song is a declaration of unconditional love and the feelings that come with it.
The first verse talks about how the singer's love is blind, and they can't see anyone else but their beloved. The "sha bop sha bop" in the lyrics is an expression of the singer's emotions, which can't be put into words. The second verse continues to express the depth of the singer's love, saying that they don't know if it's cloudy or bright outside because they only have eyes for their lover. The third verse goes on to say that the moon may be high, but they can't see anything else in the sky because the only thing they see is their lover.
The lyrics then describe that the singer doesn't know whether they're in a garden or on a crowded avenue because all they can see is their lover. Even though millions of people may be passing by, they all disappear from view because the singer's eyes are only on their beloved. The song ends on a beautiful note, with the singer saying they only have eyes for their lover, and nothing else matters.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
My feelings for you are so strong, it's as if I can't see anyone else.
I can't see anyone but you
You are the only one I am truly focused on and interested in, no one else catches my eye.
Sha bop sha bop
N/A
Are the stars out tonight
I am not sure of the state of the world outside because my attention and love is only focused on you.
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I am completely unaware of the atmospheric surroundings as all my attention is on you.
I only have eyes for you dear
My attention and love is only fixed on you, dear.
The moon may be high
The physical world around us may continue to move and change, but I don't see any of it because you have captured all of my attention.
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I am entirely unaware of the world outside because I am so focused on you and love you entirely.
I don't know if we're in a garden
I am so entranced by you that I am unable to sense the world around us and have no idea where we might be.
Or on a crowded avenue
Even if we were in a bustling place with many distractions, I would still only have eyes for you and be entranced by you.
You are here and so am I
We are both here, together, which makes me incredibly happy and content.
Maybe millions of people go by
Even if the world outside is abuzz with many people, I am completely unaware of them because I am entirely focused on you.
But they all disappear from view
All other individuals and distractions melt away when in your presence because I am enraptured by you.
And I only have eyes for you
You are incredibly special to me, and the only one I am entirely focused on and obsessed with is you.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind