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.
Here Iâll Stay
Kay Starr Lyrics
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Where I'll find a field of gold,
But here I'll stay with you;
And they say there's an isle deep with clover,
Where your heart wears a snile all day through.
But I know well they're wrong,
And here I'll stay with you.
For that land is a sandy illusion,
It's the theme of a dream gone astray;
And the world others woo
I can find loving you,
And so here I'll stay.
For that land is a sandy illusion,
It's the theme of a dream gone astray;
And the world others woo
I can find loving you,
And so here I guess I'll stay.
In Kay Starr's song "Here I'll Stay," the singer is presented with the idea of a far-off land where there is a field of gold and an isle deep with clover, both of which seem idyllic and tranquil. However, the singer chooses to stay with the person they are singing to and declares their devotion to them. The singer recognizes that the idea of this far-off land is just an illusion, a dream gone astray. The person they love is the only thing that matters, and they choose to stay with them instead of chasing after an unattainable fantasy.
The lyrics convey a sense of contentment and a longing for a simple life with the one they love. The singer is not impressed by grandiose visions of far-off lands and treasures, recognizing that what they have is better than anything they could ever dream of having. The repetition of the phrase "here I'll stay" emphasizes the singer's resolve to remain with the person they love, no matter what.
Overall, "Here I'll Stay" is a romantic and sentimental song that emphasizes the importance of love and devotion over material possessions and grandiose fantasies.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a far place, I'm told,
I have heard about a distant place,
Where I'll find a field of gold,
Where supposedly there is a place with vast resources,
But here I'll stay with you;
Nevertheless, I prefer to stay here with you,
And they say there's an isle deep with clover,
Some people say there is an island covered in clovers,
Where your heart wears a smile all day through.
A place where happiness and bliss are constant,
But I know well they're wrong,
However, I know that these statements are untrue,
And I know where I belong,
I am aware of where my heart truly belongs,
And here I'll stay with you.
Therefore, I am happy staying here with you,
For that land is a sandy illusion,
That distant place is nothing but a mirage or illusion,
It's the theme of a dream gone astray;
It is just a dream that will never turn into a reality,
And the world others woo
Even though others might try to win my heart with promises of a better future,
I can find loving you,
I have love and contentment being with you,
And so here I'll stay.
Therefore, I will remain here by your side.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALAN JAY LERNER, KURT WEILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind