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.
Just in Time
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life was serene, I knew where I was at
"There's no hope for him," my dearest friends would mutter
I was something dragged in by the cat. Then
Just in time, I found you just in time
Before you came my time was running low
I was lost, the losing dice were tossed
Now you're here and now I know just where I'm going
No more doubt or fear, I found my way
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
The song "Just in Time" by Kay Starr depicts the transformation of a man's life from being hopeless and lost to feeling found and loved. The opening line of the song is striking, as it describes the man as "resting comfortably, face down in the gutter," which is a metaphor for his state of being. He was complacent and defeated, accepting his fate as predetermined by his circumstances. His friends had given up on him, and he was resigned to a life of misery. However, just in the nick of time, the man meets someone who changes his life. The chorus of the song, "Just in time, I found you just in time," captures the moment of transformation, as the man's life is saved from despair by the arrival of his love interest.
The lyrics of the song are a celebration of the transformative power of love. The man feels like he had "Nowhere to go" before his love interest arrived in his life. However, with her, he feels like he knows exactly where he's going. The contrast between his previous state and the newfound happiness makes it clear that he owes his new lease on life to his partner. The verses of the song build up to the chorus, emphasizing the contrast between the messiness of the man's past and the promise of his future with the woman: "I was lost, the losing dice were tossed, my bridges all were crossed."
Line by Line Meaning
I was resting comfortably, face down in the gutter
I was in a state of hopelessness and despair.
Life was serene, I knew where I was at
I was resigned to a life of misery and had given up on finding happiness.
"There's no hope for him," my dearest friends would mutter
Even my closest friends had given up on me and believed that I was beyond help.
I was something dragged in by the cat. Then
I was completely helpless and had no control over my life.
Just in time, I found you just in time
Just when I was giving up hope, you came into my life.
Before you came my time was running low
I was running out of options and opportunities.
I was lost, the losing dice were tossed
I was on the verge of failure and defeat.
My bridges all were crossed, nowhere to go
I had burned all my bridges and had no other options.
Now you're here and now I know just where I'm going
Now that you're in my life, I have a sense of direction and purpose.
No more doubt or fear, I found my way
You have given me confidence and have helped me overcome my fears and doubts.
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
Your love came to me when I needed it most, and you found me just when I had given up hope.
And changed my lonely life that lovely day
You have transformed my lonely and bleak life into one full of love and happiness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FRANK NOVAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind