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.
I'll Always Be In Love With You
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll always be in love with you.
Although you find more fish in someone else's dish
I'll always be in love with you.
I can't do any more, I tried so hard to please
But let me thank you for those tender memories
I'll always be in love with you.
In Kay Starr's song "I'll Always Be In Love With You," the lyrics express a love that is unwavering and enduring, even in the face of distance and the possibility of finding new love. The first verse begins by acknowledging the potential for separation, as the lyrics state "Sweetheart if you should stray a million miles away." Yet despite this potential distance and the fact that the subject of the song may find "more fish in someone else's dish," the singer states that she will always be in love with them.
The second verse addresses the singer's efforts to maintain the relationship, expressing that she did her best to please her love before recognizing that it was not enough. Despite this, she expresses gratitude for the tender memories they shared and wishes her love happiness, while acknowledging that for her, the love she feels will endure.
Overall, the song is a declaration of love that is uncompromising and steadfast, even in the face of challenges and change. Its lyrics evoke a sense of devotion and loyalty that transcends distance and time.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweetheart if you should stray a million miles away
My dearest, even if you happen to venture far away from me, to the ends of the earth and beyond,
I'll always be in love with you.
I promise to forever hold you in my heart and love you deeply, no matter the distance or time apart.
Although you find more fish in someone else's dish
Even if you discover other romantic interests and options,
I'll always be in love with you.
My feelings for you will remain unwavering and steadfast, never faltering or fading away.
I can't do any more, I tried so hard to please
I have done all that I can to win your affections and make you happy,
But let me thank you for those tender memories
Despite any disappointments or shortcomings, I am grateful for the cherished moments we shared together.
I wish you happiness, as for me sweetheart I guess
As for your future, I hope that it is filled with joy and contentment,
I'll always be in love with you.
But for myself, my love for you will persist unabated, remaining an unshakable part of my being.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bud Green, Herman Ruby, Sam Stept
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind