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.
Jamie Boy
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My Jamie boy, Jamie boy
I see you walkin' by the water, water
Blue water, water
My Jamie boy, Jamie boy
Why are you walking all alone
Somebody
My Jamie boy
Should be holdin' you
My Jamie boy
Somebody I know
[Repeat chorus]
Can't you tell
Who is watching my
Jamie boy
Should be holdin' you
Jamie boy
Somebody I know
[Repeat chorus]
It is I
Who is eager to walk with you
And I am eager to talk with you
I want you so
[Repeat chorus]
Why are you walking all alone
Why are you walking all alone
Why are you walking all alone!
Jamie boy
The lyrics to Kay Starr's "Jamie Boy" are a message of longing and concern from a female narrator to a young man named Jamie. The singer seems to have romantic feelings for Jamie and is worried about him walking alone by the water. She believes that somebody should be with him, holding him, and she wishes that she could be that person. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes her desire to be with Jamie and her confusion about why he is alone.
The use of water in the lyrics adds an interesting layer to the meaning of the song. Water is often associated with emotions and the subconscious, and the blue water that Jamie is walking by could represent his own emotions or the depth of his inner world. The fact that the singer is concerned about Jamie being alone by the water suggests that she may be worried about him being overwhelmed by his own feelings. Additionally, the repetition of Jamie's name adds a personal touch and reinforces the emotional attachment that the singer feels towards him.
Overall, "Jamie Boy" is a poignant and heartfelt message from one person to another. The lyrics convey a sense of longing and concern that will resonate with anyone who has ever wanted to be with someone but couldn't.
Line by Line Meaning
My Jamie boy, Jamie boy
Addressing the person she is singing about, expressing closeness.
I see you walkin' by the water, water
Describing where she saw Jamie boy, expressing the location.
Blue water, water
Stating the type of water is, which is an important detail.
Why are you walking all alone
Asking why Jamie boy is walking without company, expressing concern.
Somebody
Expressing the idea that someone should be with Jamie boy.
Should be with you
Stating that Jamie boy needs and deserves companionship.
My Jamie boy
Repeating the earlier line, expressing closeness once again.
Should be holdin' you
Emphasizing the idea that someone should be walking next to Jamie boy.
Somebody I know
Stating that the singer knows a person who would be appropriate to accompany Jamie boy.
Can't you tell
Asking Jamie boy if he can identify the person who is watching him.
Who is watching my
Expressing the idea that someone is watching Jamie boy.
Jamie boy
Repeating the earlier lines to identify the person being referred to.
It is I
Announcing who is speaking and expressing desire to be with Jamie boy.
Who is eager to walk with you
Stating the desire to accompany Jamie boy.
And I am eager to talk with you
Expressing the desire to converse with Jamie boy.
I want you so
Stating the artist's romantic interest in Jamie boy.
Why are you walking all alone
Repeating earlier line to emphasize the question and express concern.
Why are you walking all alone
Repeating earlier line yet again to emphasize the question and express concern.
Why are you walking all alone!
Adding an exclamation to emphasize the question and express concern, frustration, or alarm.
Jamie boy
Repeating earlier line to identify the person being referred to.
Contributed by Alexander M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.