Born in 1926, she was the eldest of seven children, and began work at an ea… Read Full Bio ↴Born in 1926, she was the eldest of seven children, and began work at an early age to support the family. She owed her sultry looks to her Spanish father, an amateur accordionist who also played piano in several Liverpool nightclubs.

At the age of twelve she saw an advertisment in the local newspapers for juvenile dancers and passed the audition.

By sixteen [at the hight of the Nazi Blitz-bombing raids on Liverpool she answered another advert, when she managed to secure a job as a singer in the "New Yorker" - a Southport, Merseyside club. She got that job at £5 a week, then shortly afterwards signed up with the Harry Roy Orchestra in London. She moved on from this to work with other bands of the era including that of Edmundo Ros.

By the time she was eighteen war-ravaged London was still a dangerous place to work and she had decided to retire from show business - choosing marriage to an American and a life in Miami in exchange. London was full of American servicemen at the time, one of whom Roza married and off they went to safety in America.

However, this did not last and shortly after WW2 she returned to the UK In 1950 she became lead female singer with the Ted Heath Band, and by 1954 had achieved enough public acclaim to leave the band and pursue a solo recording career on her own.

1956 she married the trumpet player, Ronnie Harris.

She remained a top UK recording artist during the remainder of the 1950s, but her subsequent recordings never recaptured the magic she had shown while with Ted Heath.[citation needed]

She was voted the 'Top British Female Singer' in the New Musical Express' pool winners charts consecutively from 1951 to 1955. Melody Maker readers also voted her their 'Top Girl Singer' in the Dance Band section of their pools in 1951 and 1952.

Her 1953 number one hit record "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?" afforded Roza the privilege of being the first British female singer to top the UK Singles Chart.

On Wednesday March 14, 2001 a Wall of Fame was inaugurated opposite the famous Cavern Club on Mathew Street, in downtown Liverpool, with Roza presiding at the ceremony.

At November 28, 2002, in Liverpool, she gave her last public performance on Radio Merseyside.

Lita Roza died peacefully at home on 14 August 2008, aged 82.

Guilty
Lita Roza Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Though you've decided that our love is wrong
And think that we should part
It seems as though I have loved you so long
You'll always be in my heart

Is it a sin
Is it a crime
Loving you dear like I do

If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you

Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Dreaming the lonely night through
If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of dreaming of you

What can I do
What can I say
After I've taken the blame?
You say we're through
You'll go your way
But I'll always feel just the same

Maybe I'm right
Maybe I'm wrong
Loving you dear like I do

If it's a crime then I'm guilty
Guilty of loving you

Overall Meaning

The song "Guilty" by Lita Roza tells the story of a person who is deeply in love with someone, however, the other person has decided that their love is wrong and they should part. The singer seems to have loved the other person for a long time and they fear that their love is a sin or a crime. The song is full of conflicting emotions - the singer is torn between being guilty for loving the other person and being guilty for dreaming of them. Even though the other person has decided to end the relationship, the singer still feels the same way about them and is heartbroken.

The lyrics are incredibly powerful and resonated with many people when the song was released in 1954. At the time, the song was seen as controversial because it dealt with themes of forbidden love and society's judgement. Lita Roza's performance was a huge success, and the song went on to become a popular hit in the UK and the US.

Line by Line Meaning

Though you've decided that our love is wrong
Even if you believe that our love is in error

And think that we should part
And have concluded that we should split

It seems as though I have loved you so long
It appears that I have been in love with you for an extended period

You'll always be in my heart
You will eternally be with me in my heart

Is it a sin
Is it blasphemous

Is it a crime
Is it illegal

Loving you dear like I do
Caring for you as I do

If it's a crime then I'm guilty
If it is a criminal offense, then I am culpable

Guilty of loving you
Answerable for loving you

Maybe I'm wrong dreaming of you
Perhaps I am mistaken about daydreaming regarding you

Dreaming the lonely night through
Daydreaming through the lonely evening