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.
Raining In My Heart
Kitty Kallen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even though you′re far away
I can hear the music of
The song of love I sang with you
You are always in my heart
And when skies above are grey
I remember that you care
And then and there the sun breaks through
Just before I go to sleep
There's a rendezvous I keep
And the dreams I always meet
Help me forget we′re far apart
I don't know exactly when, dear
But I'm sure we′ll meet again, dear
And my darling, till we do
You are always in my heart
In my heart
The lyrics of Kitty Kallen's song "Raining In My Heart" express the longing of a separated couple, where the singer describes the persistent feeling of their beloved being always present in their heart, even if far away. The first verse "You are always in my heart/Even though you're far away" sets up the emotional context of distance and yearning, yet the singer is still connected to the memory of the love they shared in the past, "I can hear the music of/The song of love I sang with you". The following lines reinforce the idea that the beloved is a source of comfort and hope, "I remember that you care/And then and there the sun breaks through", implying that the thought of their love alone can lift the singer's spirits up from any sadness.
The second verse introduces the theme of dreams, as a way to cope with the separation, "Just before I go to sleep/There's a rendezvous I keep/And the dreams I always meet/Help me forget we're far apart". The singer finds refuge in the realm of dreams, imaging reunions and happy moments shared with the loved one, as a way to momentarily escape the harsh reality of their physical distance. The final lines of the song express a hopeful perspective, as the singer trusts that one day they will be reunited, although they don't know when, "I don't know exactly when, dear/But I'm sure we'll meet again, dear/And my darling, till we do/You are always in my heart/In my heart".
Overall, the song conveys a sense of nostalgia and loss, but also of resilience and enduring love. The imagery of "raining in my heart" suggests a sense of melancholy, but also of cleansing and renewal, as if the tears of sadness can purify the singer's emotions and keep their love alive.
Line by Line Meaning
You are always in my heart
My love and affection for you is ever-present, even if we're physically separated
Even though you're far away
Despite the distance between us, I still hold you close to my heart
I can hear the music of
I can still recall the sweet melodies of
The song of love I sang with you
The charming tune that we shared together as a symbol of our love
And when skies above are grey
During moments of sadness or despair
I remember that you care
I reassure myself that you still hold me dear
And then and there the sun breaks through
A burst of hope and positivity shines through my darkness
Just before I go to sleep
Right before I drift off into slumber
There's a rendezvous I keep
I have a special meeting with my dreams
And the dreams I always meet
The fantasies and aspirations that I encounter often
Help me forget we're far apart
They allow me a brief escape from the reality of our separation
I don't know exactly when, dear
I cannot predict the precise moment, my love
But I'm sure we'll meet again, dear
Nevertheless, I hold a strong belief that our paths will cross once more
And my darling, till we do
Until that moment arrives, my dearest
You are always in my heart
You maintain a permanent and cherished place in my heart
In my heart
Always, no matter what
Writer(s): Bouleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant
Contributed by Bentley S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dennis Alan Dorr
..this is a great song by Kitty. I heard it several years after it was released..and played it On an "MOR" Station..where it fit perfectly. I loved it as soon as I heard it. I knew "Buddy Holly's" version...but liked this one alot more. It did'nt chart (I have the 45)..but was great. Thanks for posting!!!!
Tarquin45
Dennis Dorr
Jymster46
You are very welcome! I love her version too. I grew up with the Buddy Holly version and have many memories attached to that one. Thank you so much for listening and commenting!
Jim
LoveTheOConnor
Gorgeous, Jim!! You had me smiling from the very beginning--pansies/violas are some of my very favorite flowers, and the picture you used is beautiful!! The song is great, and Ms. Kallen does a wonderful job. All your pictures are wonderful--more blue sky than I've seen all week! Thanks so much for another terrific day brightener! :))
dsanw
How important this is, raining in a heart .... rain washes the sorrows away and let new plants of hope and love grow ! Wonderful video Jim, thank you. Uli
John Perkins
Emotional like Connie Francis but wider sound...Love it.
Jymster46
Hi, Heather! Oh, I am so glad that it brought a smile and brightened your day a little! If the video and song can help do that, I have accomplished something today. Your comments have brought happiness to me, for sure. Thank You So Much! Jim
Tom M.
Love this song that I only discovered today!!!!
Jymster46
I agree, 100%!!!
Tom M.
She was so beautiful on top of her talent!!!