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 Dear After I Say I
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 song "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry" is a classic love ballad written by Walter Donaldson and Abe Lyman. In the lyrics, the singer expresses remorse for causing his/her partner pain or sadness and asks for forgiveness. The opening lines convey the guilt the singer feels for having caused the partner to cry, but also expresses hope that the partner will forgive and forget. The second verse is an admission of the singer's mistake and an acknowledgement of how much this relationship means. The song expresses the idea that even when love goes wrong, it is still love.
The chorus is the refrain of the song which repeats the words "What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?", which emphasizes the singer's pleas for forgiveness. The chorus is followed by a bridge in which the singer remembers happy times with the partner, acknowledging that while they once made the partner glad, now they have made them sad.
Overall, the song is an emotional and heartfelt apology that speaks to the universal experience of making mistakes in relationships and yearning for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why, I made you cry
I am unaware of the reason behind making you upset
I'm sorry sweetheart and yet
Despite being apologetic for my actions
Though you shouldn't be lenient with me
Although you shouldn't show me any leniency
I hope you'll forgive and forget
My wish is for you to forgive and move on from this incident
What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
After admitting my mistake, what else can I say to you?
What can I do to prove it to you, I'm sorry?
What actions can I take to demonstrate my apology to you?
I didn't mean to ever be mean to you
I never intended to be hurtful to you
If I didn't care I wouldn't feel like I do
If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't feel remorseful for my actions
I was all wrong but right or wrong I don't blame you
I admit my wrongdoing and don't hold you responsible for it
Why should I take somebody like you and shame you
I shouldn't cause embarrassment to someone as wonderful as you
I know that I made you cry, and I'm so sorry dear
I am fully aware that I made you cry and I am deeply sorry for it
So what can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
Despite expressing my apology, what else can I say to make it better?
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WALTER DONALDSON, ABE LYMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind