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.
The Trolley Song
Kay Starr Lyrics
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"Ding, ding, ding" went the bell
"Zing, zing, zing" went my heartstrings
For the moment I saw him I fell
"Chug, chug, chug" went the motor
"Bump, bump, bump" went the brake
"Thump, thump, thump" went my heartstrings
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
He asked my name I held my breath
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death
"Buzz, buzz, buzz" went the buzzer
"Plop, plop, plop" went the wheels
"Stop, stop, stop" went my heartstrings
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
And as if it were planned
He stayed on with me and it was grand
Just to stand with his hand holding mine
All the way to the end of the line
The Trolley Song by Kay Starr is a feel-good, upbeat tune that tells a story of a woman who falls for a man she sees on her trolley ride. The lyrics describe the sounds of the trolley, from the "clang, clang, clang" of the trolley to the "ding, ding, ding" of the bell. The woman then describes her heartstrings as "zing, zing, zing" when she lays her eyes on the man she would eventually fall for. The trolley's motor goes "chug, chug, chug" and the brake goes "bump, bump, bump," which corresponds to the woman's heartstrings going "thump, thump, thump" when the man smiles at her.
The man tips his hat and picks a seat next to the woman. He apologizes for accidentally stepping on her foot and asks for her name, which leaves her speechless. As the trolley moves, the buzzer goes "buzz, buzz, buzz" and the wheels go "plop, plop, plop." The woman's heartstrings go "stop, stop, stop" as the man gets up to leave, but she takes hold of his sleeve, and he ends up staying with her. The song ends with the woman holding hands with the man all the way to the end of the line.
Line by Line Meaning
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
The trolley made a loud metallic sound
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
The bell on the trolley rang repeatedly
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings
I felt a strong jolt of attraction towards him as soon as I saw him
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
The motor of the trolley made a rhythmic sound
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
The brake made a jerky sound
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings
My heart started to beat faster as he smiled at me
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He greeted me politely and sat down
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
He was concerned about my well-being and apologized if he had caused me any discomfort
He asked my name I held my breath
I was nervous and couldn't respond immediately when he asked for my name
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death
I was so overwhelmed by his presence that I was unable to speak
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
The buzzer on the trolley sounded to signal a stop
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
The wheels of the trolley made a rhythmic sound
Stop, stop, stop went my heartstrings
My heart sank as he prepared to leave
As he started to leave I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
I didn't want him to leave and made a last-ditch effort to keep him with me
And as if it were planned, he stayed on with me and it was grand
He seemed to enjoy being with me and we had a wonderful time together
Just to stand with his hand holding mine
We shared a moment of intimacy and connection
All the way to the end of the line
Our time together lasted until we reached our destination on the trolley
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Fintage House Publishing
Written by: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind