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.
Oh Babe
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then ya get meeeellow!
Mustn't be laaazy!
Gotta be craaazy!
Once you get started
This is what'll happen to you
Ya shake it an' ya break it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya swing it an' ya sing it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya skip it an' ya dip it an' ya, Oh Babe
The world turns upside down
When ya holler Oh Babe.
Ya wiggle an' ya giggle an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya shuffle an' ya scuffle an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya romp it an' ya stomp it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya move it an' ya groove it an' ya, Oh Babe
The world turns upside down
When ya holler Oh Babe
Ya shake it an' ya break it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya knock it an' ya rock it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya swing it an' ya sing it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya skip it an' ya dip it an' ya, Oh Babe
The world turns upside down
When ya holler Oh Babe.
Oh Babe!
Kay Starr's song "Oh Babe!" is an upbeat, energetic track that encourages listeners to let loose and have fun. The first few lines speak to the idea of being social and active, advising the listener to say hello and be alert rather than lazy. The track swiftly moves to a plea for the audience to embrace their wild side and throw caution to the wind. The lyrics implore listeners to shake, rock, swing, sing, skip, and dip with abandon, and promise that an exclamation of "Oh Babe!" will turn the world upside down. The repetition of these phrases underscores this idea of letting go and enjoying the moment, and the overall message of the song is clear: to live in the present, enjoy each other's company, and not take life too seriously.
Line by Line Meaning
First you say heeeeello!
At the beginning, you simply greet and start talking to me.
Then ya get meeeellow!
As we talk, you make me feel more relaxed and comfortable.
Mustn't be laaazy!
We need to be active and energetic to enjoy the experience fully.
Gotta be craaazy!
We need to let loose and have fun like crazy people.
Once you get started
This is what'll happen to you
If you follow my lead, you'll experience a wild and exciting time.
Ya wiggle an' ya giggle an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya shuffle an' ya scuffle an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya romp it an' ya stomp it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya move it an' ya groove it an' ya, Oh Babe
The world turns upside down
When ya holler Oh Babe
When you start dancing and enjoying yourself with me, you'll have so much fun that the world around you will feel upside down.
Ya shake it an' ya break it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya knock it an' ya rock it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya swing it an' ya sing it an' ya, Oh Babe
Ya skip it an' ya dip it an' ya, Oh Babe
The world turns upside down
When ya holler Oh Babe.
As we keep dancing and having fun, the energy will keep flowing, and the world will keep feeling upside down.
Oh Babe!
Overall, this song is about having a wild and exciting time with someone you care about and enjoying each other's company to the fullest.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FRANCIS DOMINIC NICHOLAS ROSSI, RICHARD JOHN PARFITT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sstavsky
This really sounds like an early rock 'n roll record. It would have been very much at home on the record charts in 1955.
Brazilian Atlantis
Yeah, it is an early rock and roll record and they'd been listening to even earlier rock and roll like
"We're Gonna Rock" Wild Bill Moore 1947 (#3 R&B)
"Good Rocking Tonight" Wynonie Harris 1947 (#1 R&B)
"Rock And Roll" Wild Bill Moore 1948
"Man Eater" Jay McNeely 1948
"Hole In The Wall" Albennie Jones with Sam Price and his Rockin' Rhythm 1949
"Rock The Joint" Jimmy Preston 1949 (#6 R&B)
"Rock That Boogie" Jimmy Smith 1949
"Boogie At Midnight" Roy Brown 1949 (#3 R&B)
"Butcher Pete" Roy Brown 1949
"Rockin' All Day" Jimmy McCracklin 1949
"All She Wants To Do Is Rock" Wynonie Harris 1949 (#1 R&B)
"Little Red Hen" Johnny Otis 1949
"Jump And Shout" Erline "Rock And Roll" Harris 1949
Perhaps a song or two
Such a Jam