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.
Honey
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They hold a world of charms,
A place to nestle when I am lonely.
A cosy Morris chair,
Oh, what a happy pair!
One caress,
Happiness
Seems to bless my little honey.
I love you more each day;
When years have passed away,
You'll find my love belongs to you only;
'Cause when the world seems wrong,
Then I know that I belong
Right in my honey's lovin' arms.
I love your lovin' arms,
They seem to hold a world of charms,
A place to nestle when I am lonely.
A cosy Morris chair,
Oh, what a happy pair!
One caress,
Happiness
Seems to bless my little honey.
I love you more each day;
When years have passed away,
You'll find my love belongs to you only;
'Cause when the world seems wrong,
Then I know that I belong
Right in my honey's lovin' arms.
Oh, when the world seems wrong,
Then I know that I belong
Right in my honey's lovin' arms.
The lyrics to Kay Starr's song "Honey" is a beautiful portrayal of love and affection for one's significant other. The song starts with the singer expressing their love for their partner's arms, calling them a world of charms that provides comfort when they are feeling lonely. The lyrics, "A cosy Morris chair, Oh, what a happy pair! One caress, Happiness, Seems to bless my little honey," highlights the joy and contentment that the singer experiences in the arms of their loved one.
The song's chorus reiterates the strong emotions that the singer feels for their partner, stating that their love grows stronger each day, and will continue to belong to their partner even after years have passed. The singer finds solace in their partner's arms, describing it as the only place they belong when the world seems wrong.
The lyrics to "Honey" are a beautiful representation of a strong and loving relationship, where one finds joy, comfort, and contentment in their partner's presence. It is a heartwarming ode to a loving relationship that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
I love your lovin' arms,
The singer loves her partner's embrace.
They hold a world of charms,
The embrace feels magical and comforting.
A place to nestle when I am lonely.
The embrace is where she finds comfort and companionship when she is alone.
A cosy Morris chair,
The chair they sit in together is comfortable and welcoming.
Oh, what a happy pair!
The singer and her partner are happy and content together.
One caress,
Even a small touch from her partner brings her happiness.
Happiness
Being with her partner brings her joy and contentment.
Seems to bless my little honey.
Her partner is her little honey, and their love brings her blessings.
I love you more each day;
The singer's love for her partner grows stronger every day.
When years have passed away,
Even as time passes, her love remains strong.
You'll find my love belongs to you only;
The singer's love is devoted to her partner.
'Cause when the world seems wrong,
When everything feels like it's falling apart,
Then I know that I belong
She finds a sense of belonging with her partner.
Right in my honey's lovin' arms.
She feels safe and comforted in her partner's embrace.
Oh, when the world seems wrong,
When life feels difficult or unfair,
Then I know that I belong
She knows that she is meant to be with her partner.
Right in my honey's lovin' arms.
She finds solace and security in her partner's embrace.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Ruby, Joseph Meyer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind