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'm Alone Because I Love You
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me, do you love me too?
I'm confessin' that I need you,
Honest I do, need you every moment.
In your eyes I read such strange things,
But your lips deny they're true,
Will your answer really change things
Making me blue?
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
Saying "can't we still be friends"
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
All in life on you depends.
Am I guessin' that you love me,
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
The lyrics of Kay Starr's song "I'm Confessin' That I Love You" are a declaration of love from the singer to their love interest. The singer confesses their love by expressing their feelings toward the recipient, stating that they need them every moment, and asking whether they too share the same level of affection. However, the singer is uncertain whether their love interest feels the same way, as they read conflicting emotions in their eyes that are not reconciled with their spoken language. The singer is also expressing their fear of rejection and abandonment, hoping that their love interest will not leave them and that their entire life would depend on them. In the end, the singer repeats their confession of love, indicating that it is a repetition of a longstanding feeling, and begs for a reciprocal confirmation of love.
The lyrics capture the mood of uncertainty and fear that is typical of new and unrequited love. The singer is unsure of their worth and legitimacy in the eyes of the love interest, and are fearful of losing them. It is a mix of vulnerability and courage, as the singer puts their heart on the line, hoping for a positive response. The lyrics portray the complexities of human emotions, where what we feel is not always what we say, and our vulnerabilities can be masked by our counteractions.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm confessin' that I love you,
I am admitting that I have feelings of love for you.
Tell me, do you love me too?
I am curious to know if you also love me in the same way.
I'm confessin' that I need you,
I am admitting that I cannot exist without you in my life.
Honest I do, need you every moment.
I truly need you with me every minute of every day.
In your eyes I read such strange things,
I notice some unusual things in the way you look at me.
But your lips deny they're true,
However, when you speak, you say the opposite of what your eyes seem to convey.
Will your answer really change things
I wonder if your response will significantly affect my emotional state.
Making me blue?
Cause me to become dejected and sad.
I'm afraid some day you'll leave me,
I have a fear that one day you will abandon me.
Saying "can't we still be friends"
You may suggest that we remain friends after the relationship ends.
If you go, you know you'll grieve me,
If you leave, I am certain I will feel a great deal of anguish.
All in life on you depends.
Everything I value in life is tied to my relationship with you.
Am I guessin' that you love me,
I am attempting to determine if you have feelings of love for me.
Dreaming dreams of you in vain,
I often imagine being with you, but it seems unlikely to happen.
I'm confessin' that I love you, over again.
I am reaffirming my love for you once more.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Al J Neiburg, Doc Daugherty, Ellis Reynolds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind