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.
Wheel of Fortune
Kay Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way?
Will this be my day?
Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic of
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you'll ever smile on me
Please let it be now
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or even fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
In the song "Wheel of Fortune," Kay Starr sings about the unpredictable nature of life and the desire for love and luck. The wheel of fortune is a metaphor for the ups and downs of life, and the singer wonders if she will be lucky enough to find love. She hopes that fate will smile on her and give her a chance at happiness.
The lyrics suggest that the singer is resigned to her fate and not overly concerned with winning fame or fortune. She is focused on finding love, which she sees as the most valuable prize. The phrase "a kiss and a sigh" implies that she wants a deep, passionate love, rather than a shallow or fleeting affection.
Through repetition of the lines "While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning/I'll be yearning, yearning/For love's precious flame," the singer conveys a sense of longing and anticipation. She acknowledges that life is unpredictable and there are no guarantees, but she still holds out hope that the wheel of fortune will point her in the direction of love.
Line by Line Meaning
The wheel of fortune
The concept of fate or unpredictable destiny
Goes spinning around
Moves in a circular motion, symbolizing the lack of control in one's life
Will the arrow point my way?
Is luck or chance going to be in my favor?
Will this be my day?
Is this the moment where good fortune will shine upon me?
Oh, wheel of fortune
A plea or hope for good luck
Please don't pass me by
A request for the opportunity to experience a stroke of luck
Let me know the magic of
Desire to feel the enchantment or wonder of
A kiss and a sigh
The romantic gesture that symbolizes love and contentment
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
During the time where fate is uncertain and decisions are out of one's control
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or fame
Not getting caught up in the allure of success and riches
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
During the cycle of life that carries on regardless
I'll be yearning, yearning
Longing for something meaningful, such as love
For love's precious flame
The warmth and passion that love provides
Oh, wheel of fortune
A renewed hope for the future
I'm hoping somehow
A positive outlook amid uncertainty
If you'll ever smile on me
A belief that fate can turn around for the better
Please let it be now
Wishing for an immediate change in circumstance
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George David Weiss, Bennie Benjamin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jednagales4680
The wheel of fortune
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way?
Will this be my day?
Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic of
A kiss and a sigh
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or even fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
While the wheel is spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning, fortune or even fame
While the wheel is turning, turning, turning
I'll be yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping sometime
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
@fabianpuga5953
La rueda de la fortuna
va dando vueltas
¿La flecha señalará mi camino?
¿Será este mi día?
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
por favor no me pases
Déjame saber la magia de
un beso y un suspiro
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
No soñaré con ganar, fortuna o incluso fama
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
Estaré anhelando, anhelando
Por la llama preciosa del amor
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
Estoy esperando de alguna manera
Si alguna vez me sonríes
Por favor déjalo ser ahora
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
No soñaré con ganar, fortuna o incluso fama
Mientras la rueda gira, gira, gira
Estaré anhelando, anhelando
Por la llama preciosa del amor
Oh, rueda de la fortuna
espero alguna vez
Si alguna vez me sonríes
Por favor déjalo ser ahora.
@ilovemusicmovies
The wheel of fortune
Goes spinning around
Will the arrow point my way
Will this be my day
Oh, wheel of fortune
Please don't pass me by
Let me know the magic
Of a kiss and a sigh
While the wheel is spinning
Spinning, spinning, spinning
I'll not dream of winning
Winning fortune or fame
While the wheel is turning
Turning, turning, turning
I'll be ever yearning, yearning
For love's precious flame
Oh, wheel of fortune
I'm hoping somehow
If you ever smile on me
Please let it be now
@sauquoit13456
In the March 29th, 1952 issue of Billboard Magazine, "Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr reached #1 on the magazine's Most Played Juke Box Records chart, and for the next thirty-five consecutive weeks the #1 spot was held by a female artist:
"Wheel of Fortune" by Kay Starr {for 10 weeks*}
"I Went To Your Wedding" by Patti Page {for 10 weeks}
"Kiss of Fire" by Georgia Gibbs {for 6 weeks}
"Half As Much" by Rosemary Clooney {for 4 weeks*}
"Auf Wiedershe'n" by Vera Lynn {for 4 weeks}
"Guy Is A Guy" by Doris Day {for 1 week}
"You Belong To Me" by Jo Stafford {for 1 week}
* Denotes non-consecutive weeks at #1...
@johnathanhardin3989
My grandfather played this on a jukebox at a restaurant and asked my grandmother to dance with him to this song. They married a year later. That’s all it took.
@griffonsarcade
that's adorable
@robinmiller3296
Ohh, that's beautiful 😍 ❤
@karlwithak.
Dang she was an easy woman.
@darkelectrick
@@karlwithak. atleast its not like now where you need to 6figures be 6 ft and crap tons of things that make it difficult just to get one lame ass girl who probably isnt worth it nowadays
@ishents1
Grandad was a playa with damn good taste.
@geoffm9944
Kay Starr made this an unforgettable and memorable song of the 1950’s! She had a powerful and very distinctive voice! It brings back memories of a decade when there was a galaxy of superb female singers.
@nevittwoods1730
and good night clubs up west
@waynedecarlo8538
I agree with you , she is one of the best.
@CZECHMATE650
The greatest generation