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.
So Tired
Kay Starr Lyrics
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So tired of longing for you
Tired of waiting
Saving my love for you
So tired of dreaming daydreams
So tired of only play schemes
Why don't you call me
Tell me that your thoughts are all of me sweetheart
All day long I wonder why we're far apart
So tired of dreaming of you
So tired of waiting for you
But though I'm tired
I'll wait forever dear.
So tired of dreaming of you
So tired of waiting for you
But though I'm tired
I'll wait forever dear.
The song “So Tired” by Kay Starr tells the story of a woman who is exhausted by the constant waiting and longing for her lover. The repetition of the phrase “So Tired” emphasizes the depth of her exhaustion, conveying that she has spent a considerable amount of time waiting for her lover to call. The lyrics paint a picture of a woman who has been waiting for so long that she has grown tired of dreaming about her lover and playing games alone.
The woman in the song yearns for her lover to call her and declare his thoughts are all of her, indicating that she longs for his attention and affection. The lyrics have a sense of desperation, portrayed by repeating the phrase "my dear", suggesting that if only he would call her, they could be together. However, despite her exhaustion, she is willing to wait for her lover forever. The song captures the feeling of being in love but also the pain of waiting for the person who doesn't reciprocate the same level of commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
So tired of waiting for you
Experiencing fatigue and exhaustion from the act of anticipating your arrival or attention.
So tired of longing for you
Experiencing fatigue and exhaustion due to having an intense, yearning desire for your affection or companionship.
Tired of waiting
Experiencing exhaustion from enduring an extended period of anticipating or expecting something from you.
Saving my love for you
Reserving and holding back my passion, affection, and care entirely for you as I wait.
So tired of dreaming daydreams
Experiencing fatigue and exhaustion due to constantly picturing a fanciful version of reality in my head.
So tired of only play schemes
Feeling exhaustion and fatigue from the repeated, tedious use of trivial, imaginative activities.
Why don't you call me
Why have you not contacted me?
Call me tonight my dear
Requesting urgent communication from you this evening, my beloved.
Tell me that your thoughts are all of me sweetheart
Inform me that you cannot stop thinking about me, my dearest love and partner.
All day long I wonder why we're far apart
Throughout the entire day, I ponder and question why there is a significant distance between us.
So tired of dreaming of you
Experiencing fatigue and exhaustion due to constantly imagining and fantasizing about you.
So tired of waiting for you
Experiencing fatigue and exhaustion from the act of anticipating your arrival or attention once again.
But though I'm tired
Escalating 'tiredness' aside, my determination and patience remains intact.
I'll wait forever dear.
I am resigned to waiting for you indefinitely, my beloved.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: MURRAY MENCHER, RUSS MORGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind