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 party
Kay Starr Lyrics
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They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
It's time to wind up the masquerade
Just make your mind up
The piper must be paid
The party's over, the candles flicker and dim
It seemed to be right just being with him
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party's over
It's all over, my friend
The party's over, it's time to call it a day
They've burst your pretty balloon
And taken the moon away
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Take off your makeup, the party's over
It's all over, my friend
It's all over, my friend
In Kay Starr's song "The Party's Over," the singer is expressing the end of a fun, exciting and fleeting moment in life. The lyrics speak to the idea that all good things must come to an end, and that it is time to face reality. The first stanza speaks of the "pretty balloon" that has been burst and the "moon" that has been taken away, indicating a sense of loss and disappointment. The masquerade is ending and the "piper must be paid," meaning that it is time to face the consequences of one's actions and deal with the aftermath of the party.
The second stanza of the song continues with this idea of facing reality, as the candles flicker and dim, indicating the end of the night. The singer reflects on the dreams that were dreamt during the party and how it all seemed right just being with him. The use of the word "him" indicates that the party was likely a romantic encounter that has come to an end. The singer then implores the listener to wake up and take off their makeup, meaning it is time to stop pretending and face the truth that the party is over.
The last stanza simply repeats the idea that it is time to call it a day and that all dreams must come to an end. The party is over and the time has come to deal with the aftermath. The final line, "It's all over, my friend," emphasizes the finality of the situation and the need to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
The party's over, it's time to call it a day
The festivities have ended, and it's now time to conclude the event and go home.
They've burst your pretty balloon
Your expectations and hopes have been dashed.
And taken the moon away
The enchantment and wonder you felt has vanished.
It's time to wind up the masquerade
The façade that was put on is now over, and it's time to end the pretense.
Just make your mind up
Come to a decision and act accordingly.
The piper must be paid
Consequences for actions must be faced and accepted.
The party's over, the candles flicker and dim
The celebration has come to a close, and the mood has shifted from lively to subdued.
You danced and dreamed through the night
You were immersed in a world of fantasy and enjoyed it to the fullest extent.
It seemed to be right just being with him
Being with that person felt like the ideal thing to do at the time.
Now you must wake up, all dreams must end
Reality must be faced, and it's time to acknowledge that things are not as perfect as they seemed.
Take off your makeup, the party's over
It's time to remove the façade and reveal one's true self.
It's all over, my friend
It's time to move on and let go of the past.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADOLPH GREEN, BETTY COMDEN, JULE STYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind