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 Want a Kiss
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And hated to let you go
How many, how many, I wonder,
But I really don't want to know.
How many lips have kissed you,
And set your soul aglow
How many, how many, I wonder,
So always make me wonder,
Always make me guess.
And even if I ask you,
Darlin' don't confess.
Just let it remain your secret,
But darlin' I love you so.
No Wonder, no wonder I wonder.
Though I really don't want to know.
In Kay Starr's song "I Really Don't Want To Know," the singer is reflecting on their lover's past relationships and experiences. They ask questions like "how many arms have held you and hated to let you go?" and "how many lips have kissed you and set your soul aglow?" The singer is curious about their lover's previous romantic experiences but then quickly backpedals, stating that they really do not want to know. Despite their curiosity, they ultimately admit that they would prefer to live in ignorance of their lover's past, remaining blissfully unaware of any potentially painful truths.
Essentially, the song is a lament of the insecurities and uncertainties that come with being in a relationship. It highlights the push and pull between wanting to know everything about one's partner and fearing the potential emotional repercussions of such knowledge. The lyrics also emphasize the importance of keeping certain secrets within a relationship, as some things are better left unknown. It is a bittersweet and poignant ballad about love, trust, and the struggle to open oneself up to another person completely.
Line by Line Meaning
How many arms have held you
I'm curious about how many people have embraced you.
And hated to let you go
They probably didn't want to end the moment they had with you.
How many, how many, I wonder,
I can't stop asking myself how many individuals made the most of their time with you.
But I really don't want to know.
I'm afraid that learning the actual number might hurt me.
How many lips have kissed you,
I'm interested to know how many people have locked lips with you.
And set your soul aglow
Their kiss probably made you feel alive.
So always make me wonder,
Please keep me guessing about your past.
Always make me guess.
Don't give me a straight answer if I ask.
And even if I ask you,
And in case I do ask you something...
Darlin' don't confess.
...please don't tell me the truth.
Just let it remain your secret,
Keep it to yourself, even if it means I'll never find out.
But darlin' I love you so.
I love you too much to handle the truth about your past.
No Wonder, no wonder I wonder.
I'm not surprised that my mind is constantly inquisitive.
Though I really don't want to know.
Despite my curiosity, I'd rather not know.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Howard Barnes, Don Robertson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jednagales4680
The wheel of fortune
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way?
Will this be my day?
Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic of
A kiss and a sigh
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or even fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or even fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping sometime
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
@fabianpuga5953
La rueda de la fortuna
va dando vueltas
¿La flecha señalará mi camino?
¿Será este mi día?
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
por favor no me pases
Déjame saber la magia de
un beso y un suspiro
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
No soñaré con ganar, fortuna o incluso fama
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
Estaré anhelando, anhelando
Por la llama preciosa del amor
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
Estoy esperando de alguna manera
Si alguna vez me sonríes
Por favor déjalo ser ahora
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
No soñaré con ganar, fortuna o incluso fama
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
Estaré anhelando, anhelando
Por la llama preciosa del amor
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
espero alguna vez
Si alguna vez me sonríes
Por favor déjalo ser ahora.
@ilovemusicmovies
The wheel of fortune
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way
Will this be my day
Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic
Of a kiss and a sigh
While the wheel is spinning
Spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning
Winning fortune or fame
While the wheel is turning
Turning, turning, turning
I'll be ever yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
@sauquoit13456
In the March 29th, 1952 issue of Billboard Magazine, "Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr reached #1 on the magazine's Most Played Juke Box Records chart, and for the next thirty-five consecutive weeks the #1 spot was held by a female artist:
"Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr {for 10 weeks*}
"I Went To Your Wedding" by Patti Page {for 10 weeks}
"Kiss of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs {for 6 weeks}
"Half As Much" by Rosemary Clooney {for 4 weeks*}
"Auf Wiedershe'n" by Vera Lynn {for 4 weeks}
"Guy Is A Guy" by Doris Day {for 1 week}
"You Belong To Me" by Jo Stafford {for 1 week}
* Denotes non-consecutive weeks at #1...
@johnathanhardin3989
My grandfather played this on a jukebox at a restaurant and asked my grandmother to dance with him to this song. They married a year later. That’s all it took.
@griffonsarcade
that's adorable
@robinmiller3296
Ohh, that's beautiful 😍 ❤
@karlwithak.
Dang she was an easy woman.
@darkelectrick
@@karlwithak. atleast its not like now where you need to 6figures be 6 ft and crap tons of things that make it difficult just to get one lame ass girl who probably isnt worth it nowadays
@ishents1
Grandad was a playa with damn good taste.
@geoffm9944
Kay Starr made this an unforgettable and memorable song of the 1950’s! She had a powerful and very distinctive voice! It brings back memories of a decade when there was a galaxy of superb female singers.
@nevittwoods1730
and good night clubs up west
@waynedecarlo8538
I agree with you , she is one of the best.
@CZECHMATE650
The greatest generation