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 the World on a String
Kay Starr Lyrics
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I'm sitting on a rainbow
Got the string around my finger
What a world, what a life, I'm in love
I've got a song that I sing
I can make the rain go
Any time I move my finger
Life's a wonderful thing
As long as I hold the string
I'd be a silly so-and-so
If I should ever let her go
The song "I've Got the World on a String" by Kay Starr is an optimistic and upbeat song that describes the feeling of being in love as a way of having control over one's world. The lyrics highlight the singer's immense happiness and contentment as they state that they have the world on a string, are sitting on a rainbow, and have a string around their finger. This imagery suggests that the singer is in complete control of their life and everything is going their way due to their newfound love. They also express their ability to make the rain go simply by moving their finger, which might represent the ease with which they find love is becoming their life. The lyrics convey an image of being in love as a magical and almost mystical experience that gives the singer a sense of power and joy.
The song also emphasizes that the singer is unwilling to let go of their newfound love. They sing about the wonderful life they have due to their love, and how they would be a 'silly so-and-so' if they ever let go. This suggests that the singer values the feeling of being in love more than anything else, and is willing to do anything to preserve it.
In essence, the lyrics of "I've Got the World on a String" suggest that being in love has the power to transform people and their world in a positive way. It also implies that holding onto love is important because it can change one's life for the better.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got the world on a string
I have everything going my way
I'm sitting on a rainbow
I am experiencing pure joy and happiness
Got the string around my finger
I am completely in control of my life and success
What a world, what a life, I'm in love
I am amazed by the beauty of the world and my own life, all because I am in love
I've got a song that I sing
I have my own unique way of expressing myself through my music
I can make the rain go
I have the power to influence the world around me and make it a better place
Any time I move my finger
I hold the key to my own success and can make anything happen with my own actions
Lucky me, can't you see, I'm in love
I feel so lucky to be in love and it brings me immense joy
Life's a wonderful thing
Life is full of opportunity and beauty
As long as I hold the string
I know that as long as I stay focused and work hard, I can continue to have success and happiness
I'd be a silly so-and-so
I would be foolish to let go of the control and success I have in my life
If I should ever let her go
If I were to lose the love of my life, I would feel lost and out of control
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind