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.
Then I
Kay Starr Lyrics
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Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Beyond the years,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Will still be whispering, whispering.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
In the song "Then You" by Kay Starr, the lyrics depict a lover who is unsure about the longevity of their relationship. The lover is looking for assurance that their love will not fade away, and the singer promises that her love will endure beyond any uncertainties they may face. The song comes across as a pledge of love, faith and commitment from the singer to her love interest. She assures her lover that no matter what happens, her love will never tire, but continue to whisper about the love they once shared, even long after they have parted ways.
The lyrics to "Then You" are very poetic, using metaphors to describe the strength of love. The first verse suggests that the person is skeptical about whether the love will last, but the singer is confident in her love. She compares her love to the rising sun, which no one is sure will shine, but it does every day. The following lines speak of the tiredness that comes with the passing of time, but the love will not tire like the stars, dreaming and blades of grass. The singer then continues to profess her unwavering devotion, where the second verse uses the phrase 'Beyond the Years' to express the depth of timelessness that her love will endure. She speaks of how even if everything around them changes and falls apart, her love will continue to echo and whisper.
Line by Line Meaning
You look at me and wonder, you look at me and doubt,
You're unsure if my love for you is genuine and if our relationship will last.
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Your eyes are conveying the same doubts and uncertainties.
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
Just like no one can predict the rise of the sun, no one can predict the future of our love.
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
Despite the uncertainty, I am confident that my love for you will endure.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
My love for you will never cease, not even when the stars lose their shine.
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
Only when all my hopes and aspirations have come to an end, will I ever tire of our love.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
Even if the forces of nature stop functioning, my love for you will not.
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Not even when life itself comes to an end, will my love for you waver.
Beyond the years, 'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
My love for you will transcend time, even if the world ceases functioning.
Til birds refuse to sing,
Even if nature itself comes to a standstill, my love will not falter.
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Even after I am gone, the echo of my love for you will continue whispering.
Will still be whispering, whispering.
My love for you will never fade, it will continue to echo on.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
Even if I grow old, my love for you will never diminish.
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
Only when my heart stops beating will my love stop.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, E. Y. HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind