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.
Half a Photograph
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it took my breath away;
On that face on that photograph
Was my love of yesterday.
It was only half a picture,
There was still another part,
But somebody tore that picture
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
If you find it you will see
That this half of that photograph
Has a smile that he meant for me!
It was only half a picture,
There was still another part,
But somebody, somebody tore that picture
Like the way he tore my heart!
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
If you find it you will see
That this half of that photograph
Has a smile that he meant for me
The lyrics of Kay Starr's song "Half a Photograph" express the pain of a lost love. The singer describes how she saw half a photograph that stunned her and left her breathless. The person in the photograph is her past love. However, the picture was torn and incomplete, just like how her heart was broken when they separated. The singer claims that she is on the other half of the photograph, waiting for someone to find it, but on this half, she is wearing a smile that her lover gave her.
The half of the photograph that the singer sees reveals the nostalgia and regret she has for the relationship. The picture symbolizes the past and the completeness that she lost when she and her lover parted ways. The potential for lasting happiness that seemed to exist between them has been destroyed. The image of the torn photograph is used to emphasize the depth of her pain and the damage that was done to her heart.
Overall, the lyrics of "Half a Photograph" convey feelings of heartbreak, loss, and yearning. The song paints a picture of a person who has been deeply hurt, yet still holds onto the hope that one day, they will see their loved one again and start anew.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw half of a photograph
Upon seeing just half of a photograph, the singer was greatly moved.
And it took my breath away;
The sight of the photograph was so emotional that it caused the singer to gasp.
On that face on that photograph
The image depicted a person's face.
Was my love of yesterday.
The subject of the photograph was someone the artist loved in the past.
It was only half a picture,
The photograph was incomplete and only showed part of a person's face.
There was still another part,
The other half of the photograph was missing.
But somebody tore that picture
Someone tore the photograph in half, destroying the memory it represented.
Like the way he tore my heart!
The action of tearing the photograph was like the way the artist's heart was torn when the love of yesterday left them.
Somewhere I'm on the other half;
The missing half of the photograph shows the artist's face.
If you find it you will see
If the other half of the photograph is found, it will show the artist's face.
That this half of that photograph
The half of the photograph that the singer has shows the other person's face.
Has a smile that he meant for me!
The smile on the other person's face is directed towards the artist, as if he meant to smile at them.
But somebody, somebody tore that picture
The sadness of the missing half of the photograph is repeated.
Like the way he tore my heart!
The loss of the photograph is like the loss of the singer's lover.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BOB RUSSELL, HAL STANLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
suzieQ195
One of Kay Starr's best!! It lingers in my memory.
David Walsh
I love the voice of Kay Starr. She has a special way with a song. This is a lovely performance of a super song.
Carlos Gil
What a voice!!! so many memories come to my mind, that I cry out of joy. Kay is the best, nothing like her
James Kreinhop
This was one of the few records we had at the weather station on Kume Jima in 1956 when I was just starting out in the AF. Allez vous en was on the other side. We played it over and over and I am still not tired of it.
David Walsh
Kay Starr was simply magic on these yearning ballads. Her voice had a special little catch to it, I found her vocals totally enchanting. A true all time great.
John Galvin
She had style...you've got taste..
Catmadwoman
I love this recording. We had it on 78 and it was played to death by me 8 years old. I still listen to it in my car even now when I'm playing oldies.
John Galvin
It's being able to hear these priceless gems from the past that makes sound recording one of the Wonders Of The World...
michael snellgrove
great recording loved it for years
suzieQ195
Thank you for sharing... these oldies from the 50's and the 40's certainly take me back, many memories, many loved ones that are now gone...