She is best known for her 1954 solo recording '"Little Things Mean a Lot" — a song that stayed at the U.S. number one spot for nine consecutive weeks, charted in the U.S. for almost seven months, hit #1 on the UK singles chart, and sold more than two million copies. AllMusic called the recording a "monster hit", music historian Jonny Whiteside said the song "ably characterizes Kallen’s impressive, and graceful, transition from classic big band swing to modern post-war pop".
Voted "most popular female singer" in 1954 in both Billboard and Variety polls, Kallen lost her voice at the Palladium in 1955 at the top of her career and left singing for four years, suffering paralyzed vocal cords. After testing her voice under a pseudonym in small town venues, she ultimately returned and went on to achieve 13 top-ten career hits.
Kallen performed at numerous prominent live venues including Manhattan's Copacabana, Morris Levy's Versailles, the Capitol Theater, the Maisonette Room at the St. Regis, the Cafe Rouge at the Hotel Pennsylvania and the Plaza Hotel's Persian Room. As well, she starred on Broadway in Finian's Rainbow; in the 1955 film The Second Greatest Sex and on numerous television shows including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Big Beat with singer-host Richard Hayes, American Bandstand, and Fred Allen's Judge for Yourself. In 1951, Kallen appeared with Buster Crabbe as the Queen and King of Winter at the Lake Placid resort.
During the height of her popularity, three imposters billed themselves as "Kitty Kallen". When one of them — Genevieve Agostinello — died in 1978, it was incorrectly reported that Kallen herself had died. On February 8, 1960, Kallen received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (located on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard at #7021), and in 2009 she was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Some sources give Kallen's birth name as Katherine Kalinsky, but according to records cited by her son, the name was Katie Kallen. She was born May 25, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of seven children, to Russian Jewish immigrants Samuel and Rose Kalinsky (later Kallen). As a child, she won an amateur contest by imitating popular singers. When she returned home with her prize, a camera, her father did not believe her, and punished her for stealing the camera. Only when neighbors subsequently visited to congratulate her, did Kallen's father realize she had actually won it.
While performing with Jack Teagarden's band, she married Clint Garvin, the band's clarinet player. When Teagarden fired Garvin, Kallen left as well, later annulling the marriage. In 1948, Kallen married Bernard "Budd" Granoff, a publicist, agent, and television producer. He later became a pioneering television syndicator. The couple, married for over forty-five years until Granoff's death in 1996, had a son, Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute and Adjunct Professor of International Law at Widener University School of Law.
In 1977, Kallen sued her dermatologist, Norman Orentreich, after he prescribed an estrogen drug, Premarin, for her small facial wrinkles. She subsequently suffered blood clots in her lungs, caused directly by the drug, and won $300,000 by the court's decision.
In 2008, Kallen joined artists Patti Page, Tony Martin, Dick Hyman, Richard Hayman and the estates of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Sarah Vaughan, Woody Herman, Les Brown, the Mills Brothers, Jerry Murad, Frankie Laine, and the gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe in a suit against the world's then largest music label, Universal Music Group, alleging the company had cheated them on royalties.
Kallen died on January 7, 2016 at her home in Cuernavaca, Mexico at the age of 94.
As a young girl Kallen sang on The Children's Hour, a radio program sponsored by Horn & Hardart, an automat chain. As a pre-teen, Kallen had a radio program on Philadelphia's WCAU, and sang with the big bands of Jan Savitt in 1936, Artie Shaw in 1938, and Jack Teagarden in 1940.
Shortly before her 21st birthday, on May 5, 1942, she sang the vocals for "Moonlight Becomes You" with Bobby Sherwood and His Orchestra at the second every session for what was then still called Liberty Records but would soon be renamed Capitol Records. It was her only session for the label.
Just 21, she joined the Jimmy Dorsey band, replacing Helen O'Connell. In every theater of World War II, a favorite of American servicemen, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old". In 1944, Kallen performed the vocals for Dorsey's number-one hit "Besame Mucho". Most of her singing assignments were in duets with Bob Eberly, and when Eberly left to go into the service toward the end of 1943, she joined Harry James' band.
Between January and November 1945, Kitty Kallen had two songs recorded with the Harry James Orchestra in the top twenty, six in the top ten, and two at the #1 spot—"I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "It's Been a Long, Long Time", which remains deeply associated with the end of World War II and the returning troops.
With the 1954 hit "Little Things Mean a Lot", Kallen was voted most popular female singer in Billboard and Variety polls. She followed up this song with "Chapel in the Moonlight", another million selling record, and a version of "True Love" for Decca. In 1959, she recorded "If I Give My Heart to You" for Columbia Records, and in 1963, she recorded a top-selling version of "My Coloring Book" for RCA. Her final album was Quiet Nights, a bossa nova–flavored release for 20th Century Fox Records. Subsequently, Kallen retired due to a lung ailment.
A compilation of her hits on various labels remains available on the Sony CD set The Kitty Kallen Story.
I Wish I Knew
Kitty Kallen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I knew you place no one above me
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
I wish I knew, but only you can answer
If you don't care, why let me hope and pray so
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so,
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
In these lyrics, Kitty Kallen expresses her longing for a deeper understanding of the person she loves. She wishes she knew that this person truly loves her, placing no one above her. The uncertainty of whether their relationship is a genuine romance or a mere illusion troubles her deeply, and only the person in question can provide the answer she seeks.
The next lines reveal Kitty's vulnerability and confusion. She wonders why this person allows her to hope and pray for their love if they truly don't care about her. She pleads for honesty, urging them not to lead her on if she is simply a fool to believe in their affection. This signals her desire for transparency and a genuine connection rather than empty promises.
As the lyrics continue, Kitty questions whether she should continue to hold onto her dreams and fantasies about this person, or if it is wiser to let go and forget about them altogether. This dilemma highlights her internal struggle between her feelings and the need to protect her heart from potential disappointment. She seeks guidance and insight into what she should do in this emotional tug-of-war, expressing her frustration by saying she wishes she knew.
Overall, these lyrics convey a yearning for clarity and understanding in a complex romantic relationship. Kitty Kallen's vulnerability and confusion are emphasized as she longs for answers from the person she loves. Her wishes to be loved sincerely, her plea for honesty, and her uncertainty about whether to continue chasing after unfulfilled dreams all contribute to a deeply introspective narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew someone like you could love me
I deeply desire to have the knowledge that someone like you is capable of loving me
I wish I knew you place no one above me
I yearn to know if you truly prioritize no one above me in your life
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
Am I regretfully confusing this current situation as a genuine romantic relationship?
I wish I knew, but only you can answer
I long to have the understanding, but you are the sole person who holds the answer to my questions
If you don't care, why let me hope and pray so
If you possess no concern or affection, then why do you allow me to foster hope and offer prayers?
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so
Please refrain from misleading me if I am foolishly deluded, and kindly inform me of such
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
Am I obligated to continue indulging in fantasies about you, or should I simply erase you from my thoughts?
What shall I do, I wish I knew
I am uncertain of the appropriate course of action; I yearn for the knowledge of what I should do
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Warren, Mack Gordon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucia
I love her voice so much!
ollieswindow
Kitty Kallen sounds great on this. She has a beautiful voice and seems to sing with ease. It's also worth mentioning the extended introduction which features the wonderful trumpet of Harry James. This had escaped me until now. Thanks for posting.
Muffy Styler
Thank you posting this wonderful version of this beautiful ballad.
Thomas Carey Jr.
Would you happen to be able to post Kitty's recordings of If I'm Lucky and There's Nothing The Matter With Me (That A Kiss Can't Cure) with Sonny Burke's Orchestra from 1946? I've also been looking for her recording of The Man With A Horn from around 1946. Love all of your posts. Keep up the great work! Brings back lots of memories.
Swingman 56
The flip side of "The More I See You ", with vocal by Buddy DiVito. They're both so beautiful, I don't have a favorite.
hipsterdoofus1026
Some company should do a Complete Harry James on Columbia
hipsterdoofus1026
@Lee Larson he was great!
Lee Larson
@hipsterdoofus1026 Please let me know if you have a source for that. Like I say, I'd pay serious money for a comprehensive collection of The Maestro's work.
hipsterdoofus1026
@Lee Larson twenty years ago Collectibles did compact discs of everything artists like Doris Day or Rosemary Clooney did on lp. I would've thought they would've done the same for people like Harry James
Lee Larson
Some company should assemble everything he ever did and present the records and films as a package deal. It would cost a fortune, but I'd pay the price.