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.
Heart
Kay Starr Lyrics
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Can't you see the damage you have done
You have driven him/her away forever
Jealous Heart, now I'm the lonely one.
I was part of everything he planned for
And I know he loved me at the start
Now he hates the sight of all I stand for
Jealous Heart, why did I let you lead me
When I knew the end would bring me pain
Now he's gone, he's gone and found another
Oh, I'll never see my love again.
Through the years his memory will haunt me
Even though we're many miles apart
It's so hard to know he'll/she'll never want me
'Cause he/she heard your beating Jealous Heart.
Many times I trusted you to guide me
But your guiding only brought me tears
Why oh why must I have you inside me
Jealous Heart, for all my lonely years.
The lyrics of Kay Starr's song Jealous Heart speak to the pain and regret of a broken heart caused by jealousy. The song speaks to the heart as a separate entity, something that can cause damage and lead the singer into destruction. The first two lines of the song serve as a plea to the Jealous Heart to stop beating, to stop causing harm, and to stop driving the singer's love away. The singer expresses the pain of loneliness and the realization that the Jealous Heart is to blame for driving the love away forever.
The second verse reveals that the singer was once included in everything her love planned for and that he loved her at the start. However, the Jealous Heart took hold, and now he hates everything she stands for because of it. The singer questions why she ever let the Jealous Heart lead her, knowing it would bring pain in the end. And now, her love has found someone else, and she will never see him again.
The last verse conveys that the memories of the singer's love will haunt her throughout the years, even though they are miles apart. The pain of knowing that her love will never want her again because of the Jealous Heart is overwhelming. In the final line of the song, the singer speaks directly to the Jealous Heart, questioning why it must be inside her and causing loneliness throughout the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Jealous Heart, Oh, Jealous Heart stop beating
The singer wants her heart to stop being jealous.
Can't you see the damage you have done
The singer is blaming her heart for driving away her loved one.
You have driven him/her away forever
The singer believes that her jealous heart has caused her loved one to leave and never come back.
Jealous Heart, now I'm the lonely one.
The singer is now alone and suffering because of her heart's jealousy.
I was part of everything he planned for
The singer was a significant part of her loved one's plans and life.
And I know he loved me at the start
The singer is confident that her loved one had genuine feelings for her in the beginning.
Now he hates the sight of all I stand for
The singer's loved one has grown to resent her for her actions, probably caused by her jealous heart.
All because of you, old Jealous Heart.
The singer's blaming her heart for ruining her chance at love.
Jealous Heart, why did I let you lead me
The singer regrets letting her jealous heart dictate her actions.
When I knew the end would bring me pain
The singer was aware that her actions would lead to her loved one leaving her and cause her pain.
Now he's gone, he's gone and found another
The singer's loved one has moved on and found someone else.
Oh, I'll never see my love again.
The singer believes that she has lost her loved one forever.
Through the years his memory will haunt me
The singer's loved one will always be a part of her memories.
Even though we're many miles apart
Although the singer is separated from her loved one, the memories remain strong.
It's so hard to know he'll/she'll never want me
The singer is coming to terms with the fact that her loved one will never want her back.
'Cause he/she heard your beating Jealous Heart.
The singer believes that her heart's jealousy is the reason her loved one no longer wants her.
Many times I trusted you to guide me
The singer relied on her heart to guide her in love and relationships.
But your guiding only brought me tears
The singer's heart's guidance resulted in tears and heartbreak.
Why oh why must I have you inside me
The singer is questioning why she has to deal with her jealous heart inside of her.
Jealous Heart, for all my lonely years.
The singer has been dealing with her jealous heart for a long time, leading to a life of loneliness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jenny Lou Carson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind