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.
What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
Kay Starr Lyrics
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I'm sorry sweetheart and yet
Though you shouldn't be lenient with me
I hope you'll forgive and forget
What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
What can I do to prove it to you, I'm sorry?
I didn't mean to ever be mean to you
I was all wrong but right or wrong I don't blame you
Why should I take somebody like you and shame you
I know that I made you cry, and I'm so sorry dear
So what can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
You made me glad, I made you sad
I made you lonesome and blue
And who ever knew
Who'd ever think that I would be crying to you
What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
What can I do to prove it to you, I'm sorry?
I didn't mean to ever be mean to you
If I didn't care I wouldn't feel like I do
I was all wrong but right or wrong I don't blame you
Why should I take somebody like you and shame you
I know that I made you cry, and I'm so sorry dear
So what can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
The lyrics of the song "After I Say I'm Sorry" by Kay Starr express regret and remorse for hurting a loved one. The first verse sets the tone, as the singer acknowledges that they made their sweetheart cry and asks for forgiveness. They admit that they were wrong and don't blame their partner for being upset with them. However, they also express hope that their loved one will forgive and forget, despite the fact that they don't deserve it.
The chorus of the song starts with a rhetorical question: "What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?" The singer is asking how they can make amends and prove their sincerity. They want to make it clear that they truly regret their actions and didn't mean to hurt their partner. They go on to say that if they didn't care about their loved one, they wouldn't be feeling the way they do. They also acknowledge that they were all wrong and that their partner has nothing to be ashamed of.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why, I made you cry
I don't understand why my actions caused you emotional pain
I'm sorry sweetheart and yet
I apologize, but recognize that it may not be enough to fix what I did
Though you shouldn't be lenient with me
Although I don't deserve your mercy or forgiveness
I hope you'll forgive and forget
I hope you can find it in your heart to let go of what happened between us
What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
I feel helpless in trying to make things right
What can I do to prove it to you, I'm sorry?
I want to demonstrate the sincerity of my apology, but I'm not sure how
I didn't mean to ever be mean to you
I didn't intend to hurt you in any way
If I didn't care I wouldn't feel like I do
I'm truly sorry because I care about you deeply
I was all wrong but right or wrong I don't blame you
I take full responsibility for my mistake and don't want to deflect blame
Why should I take somebody like you and shame you
You deserve better treatment from me and I feel ashamed for how I acted
I know that I made you cry, and I'm so sorry dear
I understand that my actions caused you to suffer and I'm truly apologetic
You made me glad, I made you sad
My actions caused emotional distress and sadness to afflict you, which is the opposite of how you make me feel
I made you lonesome and blue
My behavior led to a feeling of separation and sadness for you that hurt my heart to see
And who ever knew
I never anticipated the situation would end this way
Who'd ever think that I would be crying to you
I never thought I would be the one begging for forgiveness in this situation
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WALTER DONALDSON, ABE LYMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind