Ballard was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, Ohio, one of four children born to Italian immigrant parents, Lena (née Nacarato) and Vincenzo (later Vincent James) Balotta. Her siblings are Orlando, Jean, and Rosalie.
Ballard established herself as a musical comedian in the 1940s, joining the Spike Jones touring revue of entertainers. Capable of playing broad physical comedy as well as stand-up dialogue routines, she became familiar in television and stage productions. A phrase her mother had used when Kaye was a child, "Good luck with your MOUTH!", became her catchphrase in her sketches and on television. Ballard made her television debut on Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt,a short-lived NBC program hosted by Henry Morgan which first aired January 26, 1951.
In 1957, she and Alice Ghostley played the two wicked stepsisters in the live telecast of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, starring Julie Andrews in the title role. During the 1961–1963 television seasons, Ballard was a regular on NBC's The Perry Como Show as part of the Kraft Music Hall Players, along with Don Adams, Paul Lynde, and Sandy Stewart. In 1962, she released an LP record, Peanuts, on which she played Lucy van Pelt from the comic strip namesake of the album (with Arthur Siegel playing Charlie Brown), and dramatizing a series of vignettes drawn from the strip's archive. In 1964 she had a guest role on The Patty Duke Show, playing a teacher for would-be models. From 1967 to 1969, she co-starred as Kaye Buell, a woman whose son marries her next door neighbor's daughter, in the NBC sitcom The Mothers-in-Law, with Eve Arden playing her neighbor. She also appeared as a regular on The Doris Day Show as restaurant owner Angie Pallucci from 1970 to 1972. She made appearances on the American television game show Match Game. In 1977, she was a guest star on The Muppet Show. She also appeared on the television series Alice, in which she played a kleptomaniac phony medium, as well as Daddy Dearest where she guest-starred opposite Richard Lewis and Don Rickles as a DMV clerk.
Ballard starred on Broadway as Helen in The Golden Apple, introducing the song "Lazy Afternoon". She portrayed Rosalie in Carnival!, Ruth in Joseph Papp's The Pirates of Penzance, and the title role in Molly, an unsuccessful musical adaptation of the popular radio serial The Goldbergs. She created the role of the Countess and closed out-of-town in Marc Blitzstein's Reuben, Reuben, and played Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town at New York City Center in 1963.
In Long Beach, California, she played Mama Morton in Chicago and fought with a vacuum cleaner as Pauline in No, No, Nanette. In 1998, she played Hattie Walker in the Paper Mill Playhouse's acclaimed 1998 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. In 2005, she appeared in a road-company production of Nunsense, written by Dan Goggin. The following year, she completed her autobiography, How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years.
In 1995, she was awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.
She appeared in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! as "Madam A-Go-Go," a mysterious fortune teller who appears in the episode "Fortune Teller". She also performed with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies at the Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs, California.
In December 2010, she, Donna McKechnie and Liliane Montevecchi starred in a Santa Fe production of From Broadway with Love, staged at the Lensic Theater.
Ballard was in the 2012 cabaret show Doin' It for Love, which premiered in Austin, Texas, at the historic Paramount Theatre. Starring Ballard and Montevecchi, the cast included Broadway dancer Lee Roy Reams. (The Austin performance benefited the Texas Humane Legislation Network). The show then went on to play in Los Angeles on March 8th and 10th of 2012. Ballard announced her official retirement in 2015 at the age of 89.
Ballard died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California on January 21, 2019 at the age of 93.
Fly Me to the Moon
Kaye Ballard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On a-Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me
Fill my heart with song
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing for ever more
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, in other words
I love ... you
The lyrics of Kaye Ballard's "Fly me to the Moon" evokes a longing for adventure, fascination with the unknown and playfulness of spring. The opening line of the song is an invitation to be taken to a place where one can play among the stars and witness the wonder of planets like Jupiter and Mars. The lyrics are full of romantic notions, as the singer pleads for her lover to hold her hand and kiss her. There is a desire for the relationship to be genuine and true, asking for the lover to be "all I worship and adore."
The chorus line reiterates the longing for singing and worshiping the lover forever, pledging an unending love. The lyrics are poetic and evocative, casting powerful visuals on the intimacy and depth of emotions. It speaks of a love that is deep and enduring, one that transcends time and space. The words "in other words" are a refrain to each verse, which serves as a statement of a longing that cannot be fully expressed through words but instead must be conveyed through emotion and music.
Line by Line Meaning
Fly me to the moon
Take me on an incredible adventure to a place far beyond the Earth
Let me play among the stars
Allow me to explore and experience the wonders of the universe
Let me see what spring is like on a-Jupiter and Mars
Let me witness nature and the changing of seasons on distant planets
In other words, hold my hand
Provide me with support and companionship as we embark on this journey together
In other words, baby, kiss me
Express love and affection for me through physical intimacy
Fill my heart with song
Bring me joy and happiness through beautiful music
And let me sing for ever more
Allow me to express my emotions and feelings through song for all of time
You are all I long for
You are the only one I desire and yearn for
All I worship and adore
You are the one I cherish and admire above all others
In other words, please be true
Please be honest and committed to our relationship
In other words, I love you
I have a deep and profound love for you
Fill my heart with song
Bring me happiness and delight through beautiful music
Let me sing for ever more
Allow me to express myself through song for all eternity
In other words, please be true
Please remain faithful and devoted to our love
In other words, in other words
To put it another way
I love ... you
I deeply love and care for you
Contributed by Ella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SS-ci8jk
Who tried to find the original version of this song and ended up here
@ElTovarish
This is actually the original
@ElTovarish
@@SS-ci8jk Sorry, I though you said that you were still searching for the original, but this was the oldest one that you found. Sorry about the confusion
@Waarghh100
Looking up Frank Sinatra, found out he isn't the first one sing this song. then lead to here.
@SS-ci8jk
@@Waarghh100 yeah lol
@JesibelPerez
Me, and I'm so happy I found it here ❤️
@louarmagno515
Kaye passed away, yesterday (Jan 22, 2019). Thanks for all the wonderful memories, Kaye, from C-town. Lou
@songbyrdsings1
Memory Eternal
@mariavenuto6796
My wedding day😢😢😢
@imax3dable
RIP... So beautiful voice :,)