Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. While still in her early teens, she left home to pursue a singing career with the Leo Reisman band. Her career was temporarily interrupted by a fall while horseback riding. Wiley suffered temporary blindness, but recovered, and at the age of 19 was back with Reisman again, with whom she recorded three songs: "Take It From Me," "Time On My Hands," and her own composition, "Got The South In My Soul." She sang with Paul Whiteman and later, the Casa Loma Orchestra. A collaboration with composer Victor Young resulted in several songs for which Wiley wrote the lyrics, including "Got The South in My Soul" and "Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere," the latter an R&B hit in the 1950s.
In 1939, Wiley recorded eight Gershwin songs on 78s with a small group for Liberty Music Shops. The set sold well and was followed by 78s dedicated to the music of Cole Porter (1940) and Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart (1940 and 1954), Harold Arlen (1943), and 10" LPs dedicated to the music of Vincent Youmans and Irving Berlin (1951). The players on these recordings included Bunny Berigan, Bud Freeman, Max Kaminsky, Fats Waller, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Eddie Condon, Stan Freeman, Cy Walter, and the bandleader Jess Stacy, to whom Wiley was married for a number of years. These influential albums launched the concept of a "songbook" (often featuring lesser-known songs), which was later widely imitated by other singers.
Wiley's career made a resurgence in 1950 with the much admired ten-inch album Night in Manhattan. In 1954, she opened the very first Newport Jazz Festival accompanied by Bobby Hackett. Later in the decade she recorded two of her finest albums, West of the Moon (1956) and A Touch of the Blues (1957). In the 1960s, Wiley retired, although she acted in a 1963 television film, Something About Lee Wiley, which told her life story. The film stimulated interest in the singer. Her last public appearance was a concert in Carnegie Hall in 1972 as part of the New York Jazz Festival, where she was enthusiastically received.
HeatWave
Lee Wiley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising
She certainly can, can-can
She started a heatwave by letting her seat wave
In such a way that the customers say
She certainly can can-can
Gee! Her anatomy makes the mercury drop to 93
The way that she moves that thermometer proves
She certainly can, can-can
It's so hot the weatherman
Will tell you a wreck has been made
It's so hot the cold of 10
Will cover your face in the shade
It's so hot the cold just made us
Feel just as warm as a bride
It's so hot my chicken laid
An egg on the street and it fried
Gee! Her anatomy makes the mercury drop to 93
We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave
The way that she moves that thermometer proves
She certainly can, can-can
She certainly can, can-can
The lyrics to Lee Wiley's song Heatwave describe the sensation of being caught in the midst of a swelteringly hot environment, conveyed through vivid sensory detail that captures the listener's attention. The opening lines set the tone with the refrain "Oh! We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave." The repetition of the phrase reinforces the sense of oppressiveness and relentlessness that accompanies extreme heat, while the allusion to a "tropical" climate evokes images of exotic locales and romantic adventure.
The lyrics go on to describe a particular woman whose physical attributes are so striking that they have a measurable effect on the temperature. The line "Gee! Her anatomy makes the mercury drop to 93" suggests that the woman's movements and appearance are so intense that they actually cool down the surrounding air. Her "can-can" dance is described as the catalyst for the heatwave, as the motion of her body creates a ripple effect that impacts everyone around her.
Overall, the lyrics to Heatwave are evocative and lively, capturing the feeling of being overwhelmed by the heat and entranced by the beauty of a captivating performer.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! We're having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave
The current weather is extremely hot and humid.
The temperature's rising, it isn't surprising
As expected, the temperature continues to increase.
She certainly can, can-can
The woman in question is an amazing dancer who can perform the famous can-can dance.
She started a heatwave by letting her seat wave
The woman's sensual movements have caused the temperature to increase even more.
In such a way that the customers say
The people who have witnessed her dance are so impressed that they are speaking about it.
Gee! Her anatomy makes the mercury drop to 93
The woman is so attractive that it feels as if the temperature has dropped to 93 degrees Fahrenheit.
The way that she moves that thermometer proves
The woman's movements are so suggestive, they are affecting the temperature as if it were a thermometer.
It's so hot the weatherman
Will tell you a wreck has been made
The heat is affecting even the weatherman, who may report accidents or mistakes due to the unbearable temperature.
It's so hot the cold of 10
Will cover your face in the shade
Even the shade provides little relief, as it is too hot for the weather to cool down completely.
It's so hot the cold just made us
Feel just as warm as a bride
Any attempt to cool down feels useless, as it is still too hot and even things that are normally cold feel warm.
It's so hot my chicken laid
An egg on the street and it fried
Even animals are having a hard time with the heat, as evidenced by the fact that a chicken laid an egg that was cooked by the hot pavement.
She certainly can, can-can
Once again, it is emphasized that the woman is an incredible dancer capable of performing the can-can with amazing skill.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind