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.
They're Either Too Young Or Too Old {with Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra}
Kitty Kallen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As empty as can be
I can't sit under the apple tree
With anyone else but me
For there is no secret lover
That the draft board didn't discover
They're either too young or too old
The pickings are poor and the crop is lean
What's good is in the army
What's left will never harm me
I'm either their first breath of spring
Or else, I'm their last little fling
I must confess to one romance
I'm sure you will allow
He tries to serenade me
But his voice is changing now
I'm finding it easy to stay good as gold
They're either too young or too old
The battle is on, but the fortress will hold
They're either too young or too old
I'll never, never fail ya when you are in Australia
Or out in the Aleutians, or off among the Rooshians
And flying over Egypt, your heart will never by gypped
And when you get to India, I'll still be what I've been to ya
I've looked the field over, and lo and behold
They're either too young or too old
The lyrics of Kitty Kallen's "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" are a reflection of the woes of a girl whose town has been emptied after the draft. The girl laments that she cannot sit under the apple tree with anyone else but herself. She conveys that there is no secret lover that the draft board did not discover, and those left behind are either too young or too old. The pool of available men has shrunk, and the few left are either too grey or too green. The girl finds it easy to remain steadfast, as those she meets cannot harm her. She ends by saying that she has looked over the field and found no one suitable, as they're either too young or too old.
The song depicts the effects of WWII on American society, particularly on love and relationships. With so many men enlisted or drafted, the number of available men decreased drastically. Girls found it difficult to find someone who matched their age, maturity, and preferences. The lyrics highlight the severity of the situation, where even the pickings were slim, and the crop was lean. With the sudden shortage of men in town, girls who had once been courted by many found themselves alone, waiting for their loved ones to return.
Line by Line Meaning
You marched away and left this town
You left this town by marching away, leaving it empty.
As empty as can be.
The town is completely empty.
I can't sit under the apple tree
I cannot enjoy the apple tree's shade.
With anyone else but me.
I can only sit under the apple tree alone.
For there is no secret lover
There is no hidden romantic partner.
That the draft board didn't discover.
The military draft board has found all potential suitors.
They're either too young or too old
The available men are either too young or too old.
They're either too grey or too grassy green.
The available men are either too old or too inexperienced.
The pickings are poor and the crop is lean.
There are few good options.
What's good is in the army.
The best men are already drafted.
What's left will never harm me.
The available men are not a threat.
I'm either their first breath of spring.
I am either their first love or first romantic encounter.
Or I'm their last little fling.
I am either their last romantic encounter or very brief relationship.
I must confess to one romance,
I need to admit to one romantic encounter.
I'm sure you will allow.
I am sure you will understand.
He tries to serenade me,
He attempts to impress me with song.
But his voice is changing now.
He is going through puberty and his voice is not fully developed.
I'm finding it easy to stay good as gold.
I am staying faithful and loyal to you.
They're either too young or too old.
The available men are still not good enough.
I'll never ever fail ya, when you are in Australia
I will always be faithful even when you are far away.
And flying over Egypt, your heart will never by gypped.
Even while flying over Egypt, your heart will never be cheated.
And when you get to India, I'll still be what I've been to ya,
Even when you are in India, my love for you will not change.
I've looked the field over, and lo and behold!
I have surveyed the available options and found none worthy.
They're either too young or too old.
The available men continue to be unsatisfactory.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arthur Schwartz, Frank Loesser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fosbury68
"I'm either their first breath of spring or else I'm their last little fling.." LOL.
@turtlevox4181
quoted at length in one of the greatest Merrie Melodies ever, Little Red Riding Rabbit
@khussein6409
NICE!
@swingman5635
In my humble opinion, Kitty could do no wrong.The following year,she would reach her pinnacle of success with the Harry James outfit,creating one of the greatest band/vocalist teams,ever.
@hew2356
She's a fantastic singer. "It's Been a Long, Long Time" and "Little Things(Mean a Lot)" are two of my favorites from her.
@melofy-vibes
Here, while reading "Lost In The Funhouse".
@Luiz30072
Gosto do Inglês dela : belíssima pronúncia, de fácil compreensão para brasileiros. Até diria que ela seria uma cantora francesa cantando em Inglês.
@awesomeyoda6839
I would eat 😮
@pacificostudios
The "Lili Marlene" of America's World War II.