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've Got My Love To Keep Me warm
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(do do-do do do do-do)
The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
For I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Oh, what do I care if icicles form?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
The snow is snowing, the wind is blowing
But I can weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
I can't remember a worse December
Just watch those icicles form!
What do I care if icicles form?
Oh-ho-ho, I've got my love to keep me warm
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
So I will weather the storm!
What do I care how much it may storm?
Oh, I've got my love to keep me warm
Kay Starr's song "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a beautiful love song that tells the story of a couple who is weathering the storm, both literally and figuratively. The song opens with the sound of a piano and drums, and then the singer comes in with the words "The snow is snowing, and the wind is blowing, but I can weather the storm!" The main message of the song is that as long as the couple has love, they can survive anything. Despite the cold and harsh weather around them, they have each other, so they are strong and secure.
Throughout the song, the singer talks about the cold December weather, and how it is the worst she has ever experienced. She mentions how the icicles are forming, but says that she doesn't care because she has her love to keep her warm. She then sings about taking off her overcoat and gloves because she is "burning with love," and her heart is on fire. Finally, she sings that she can weather any storm as long as she has her love.
The overall tone of the song is warm and comforting, with a sense of love and security that comes from being with someone you care about. The melody is sweet and gently upbeat, with a hint of a jazzy sound that makes it fun and engaging. The lyrics are simple, yet emotive, and the song is nicely structured, with each verse building on the previous one, leading to a satisfying conclusion.
Line by Line Meaning
The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing
It's snowing and windy outside
But I can weather the storm!
I can handle it
What do I care how much it may storm?
It doesn't matter how bad the storm is
For I've got my love to keep me warm
Because I have love in my life, I feel warm and comforted
I can't remember a worse December
This December has been particularly bad
Just watch those icicles form!
Even though icicles are forming, I'm not worried
Oh, what do I care if icicles form?
I don't care that icicles are forming
Off with my overcoat, off with my glove
I'm taking off my warm clothes
I need no overcoat, I'm burning with love!
I don't need warmth from clothes because I have love
My heart's on fire, the flame grows higher
My love is increasing
So I will weather the storm!
I can handle any hardship because of my love
Oh-ho-ho, I've got my love to keep me warm
My love is keeping me warm and happy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Irving Berlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nemo8262
lol retail workers unite
@bellequeen4070
lol that's exactly what brought me here
@ChefBoyRCyrano
When I worked at Macy’s this was one of the songs in rotation during the holidays.
@TheBMSpro
I work at VS lol it’s my favourite song on the playlist lol
@rlwells6475
🤣Lmaooo facts that how I know this Ish ... it's 🔥🔥
@hiteqmanga839
Jos a bank lol
@howtobloved
it's funny to see I'm not the only retail worker who looks up songs from their job
@kimayers6700
Yep! Dicks Sporting Goods!
@nkyoung2002
Macy's represent too!
@InMyJelloLife
Nikki Young yes I was gonna day Macy’s! 🤣