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.
My Man
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But there's one thing that I've got
It's my man
Cold and wet, tired you bet
But all that I soon forget
With my man
He's not much for looks
And no hero out of books
Two or three girls has he
That he likes as well as me
But I love him!
I don't know why I should
He isn't good, he isn't true
He beats me too
What can I do?
Oh, my man I love him so
He'll never know
All my life is just despair
But I don't care
When he takes me in his arms
The world is bright, all right
What's the difference if I say
I'll go away, When I know
I'll come back on my knees some day?
For whatever my man is
I am his forever more
Oh, my man I love him
Sometimes I say
If I could just get away
With my man
He'd go straight sure as fate
For it never is too late
For a man
I just like to dream
Of a cottage by a stream
With my man
Where a few flowers grew
And perhaps a kid or two
Like my man
And then my eyes get wet
I most forget till he gets hot
And tells me not to talk such rot
Oh, my man I love him so
He'll never know
All my life is just despair
But I don't care
When he takes me in his arms
The world is bright, all right
What's the difference if I say
I'll go away, When I know
I'll come back on my knees some day?
For what ever my man is
I am his forever more
The song 'My Man' by Kay Starr is a heartbreaking ballad that speaks of a woman's undying love for a man who is not good or true to her. The lyrics describe the emotional turmoil that the woman goes through as she loves deeply and passionately, despite the fact that her man is abusive towards her. She acknowledges that her man is not perfect, but she loves him despite all his flaws.
The opening lines of the song, "It's cost me a lot, but there's one thing that I've got, it's my man" portray the woman's strong attachment to her man. Despite enduring hardships because of her loyalty to him, she still clings to her love for him. The lyrics also reveal that her man is not only unfaithful to her, but he also physically abuses her.
The chorus of the song enhances the despair that she goes through. It shows that her world is dark and grim, but when her man holds her in his arms, it's as if he lights up her world, even if it's just a temporary escape from her misery. The woman acknowledges that her man will never change, but she still loves him deeply and unconditionally.
Overall, the song's interpretation is a poignant tale of love and devotion that struggles to survive despite all odds.
Line by Line Meaning
It's cost me a lot
I've given up much for my man.
But there's one thing that I've got
But the one thing that makes it all worth it is my man.
Cold and wet, tired you bet
Even if I'm cold, wet, and tired.
But all that I soon forget
I forget about all the bad things when I'm with my man.
With my man
Because I have my man beside me.
He's not much for looks
My man isn't particularly handsome.
And no hero out of books
He isn't your typical hero found in books.
Two or three girls has he
He's involved with a few other women, not just me.
That he likes as well as me
He enjoys the company of these other women just as much as he enjoys mine.
But I love him!
Even with all of his flaws, I still love him.
I don't know why I should
I can't explain why I love him despite all of his shortcomings.
He isn't good, he isn't true
He's not a good man, nor is he honest.
He beats me too
He's physically abusive toward me.
What can I do?
Despite his negative traits, I feel powerless to leave him.
Oh, my man I love him so
Oh, how I love my man.
He'll never know
But he'll never understand just how much I love him.
All my life is just despair
My life has been filled with despair and heartache.
But I don't care
But I'm willing to put up with it all for the sake of my man.
When he takes me in his arms
When he holds me closely.
The world is bright, all right
Everything feels better when I'm in his embrace.
What's the difference if I say
Even if I threaten to leave him.
I'll go away, When I know
I may say I'm leaving, but
I'll come back on my knees some day?
I know I'll always come crawling back to my man.
For whatever my man is
Because of who my man is.
I am his forever more
I'll always be with him, no matter what he does.
Sometimes I say
Sometimes I think to myself.
If I could just get away
If only I could leave him.
With my man
Without my man.
He'd go straight sure as fate
I'm sure he would become a better man without me holding him back.
For it never is too late
It's never too late to change for the better.
For a man
Even for a man like him.
I just like to dream
I still have dreams for the future, despite the pain he causes me.
Of a cottage by a stream
I dream of a peaceful life in a cozy cottage by a stream.
Where a few flowers grew
A place where I can have some flowers of my own.
And perhaps a kid or two
And maybe even have some children with my man.
Like my man
Children that look like their father, my man.
And then my eyes get wet
But then I start to cry.
I most forget till he gets hot
I forget about my dreams until my man gets upset.
And tells me not to talk such rot
And scolds me for being unrealistic.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOSE RAMON GARCIA FLOREZ, MARELLA CAYRE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind