In April 1963, her single "I Will Follow Him" had soared to number one on U.S. charts. Recorded in early January 1963 and released January 22 of that year, it made Peggy March the youngest female singer with a number one hit at age fifteen. The record also took the number one spot in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Scandinavia.
Her success also came with financial trouble. March was a minor and the Coogan Law prevented her parents from managing her money. The responsibility was placed on her manager, Russell Smith. It was discovered in 1966 that he had squandered the fortune away, leaving her with $500. She soon had a new manager, Arnie Harris, who became her husband and gave her one daughter, Sande, born in 1974.
Though she is remembered by some as a one-hit wonder, her singles "I Wish I Were a Princess" and "Hello Heartache, Goodbye Love" made the Top 30 in the United States and the United Kingdom. She began making a very strong presence in the European and Asian music markets, and she moved to Germany around 1969. Her commercial success in Germany continued through much of the 1970s. In 1979 she experimented with disco on the album, Electrifying, but it failed to achieve commercial success. By 1981 record companies did not renew her contracts, and she moved back to the United States. A retro fad in Germany brought her some continuing success starting in the mid-1990s. Her song "I Will Follow Him" largely inspired the beat in the Eminem and Dr. Dre song Guilty Conscience, and was also featured in the 1992 movie Sister Act. Currently she works largely in the Las Vegas music scene.
Wind Up Doll
Little Peggy March Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wind it up and away it goes
It does the things it′s taught to do
I guess I'm kind of a wind-up dolly too
Wind me up I really love
Wind me up I really tall
Wind me up and I′ll come straight to you
Wind me up you'll realize
Just how much a wind-up doll can do
You can′t see what makes me tick
Little wine and gears
I can tell you one more trick
Break my heart I′ll cry real tears
Wind me up my dreams will start
Here's the key unlock my heart
Wind-up dolls sometimes get lonely too
Wind me up I′ll fall in love with you
Wind me up I'll fall in love with you
In "Wind Up Doll," Little Peggy March uses the metaphor of a wind-up doll to describe herself and her feelings in a relationship. The opening lines, "A wind-up doll everyone knows, You wind it up and away it goes, It does the things it's taught to do, I guess I'm kind of a wind-up dolly too," suggest that she feels like she is controlled or expected to behave in a certain way in her relationship. Just like a wind-up doll, she feels as if she is expected to perform certain actions or fulfill certain expectations.
She further expresses her desire for someone to wind her up and make her feel alive and loved. She says, "Wind me up I really love, Wind me up I really tall, Wind me up and I'll come straight to you, Take me home I'm quite a prize, Wind me up you'll realize, Just how much a wind-up doll can do." Here, she longs for someone to notice her, unlock her potential, and appreciate all that she has to offer. She sees herself as a valuable prize, ready to be discovered and loved.
However, she also reveals her vulnerability and sensitivity, warning that if her heart is hurt, she will cry real tears. She sings, "Break my heart I'll cry real tears, Wind me up my dreams will start, Here's the key unlock my heart, Wind-up dolls sometimes get lonely too, Wind me up I'll fall in love with you." This emphasizes her need for emotional connection and the importance of being treated with care and respect. She wants to be loved but also acknowledges the possibility of feeling lonely and hurt, just like anyone else.
Line by Line Meaning
A wind-up doll everyone knows
I am a well-known wind-up doll that everyone is familiar with
You wind it up and away it goes
Once you wind it up, the doll starts moving
It does the things it's taught to do
The doll performs the actions it has been programmed to do
I guess I'm kind of a wind-up dolly too
I realize that I am also like a wind-up doll in some ways
Wind me up I really love
If you wind me up, I will experience genuine love
Wind me up I really tall
By winding me up, I will become incredibly tall
Wind me up and I'll come straight to you
If you wind me up, I will immediately come to your side
Take me home I'm quite a prize
If you bring me home, you will have obtained something valuable
Wind me up you'll realize
If you wind me up, you'll understand
Just how much a wind-up doll can do
You will see the extent of what a wind-up doll is capable of
You can't see what makes me tick
You cannot perceive what drives me internally
Little wine and gears
Just a small amount of wine and gears
I can tell you one more trick
I can reveal an additional secret or skill
Break my heart I'll cry real tears
If you hurt me emotionally, I will genuinely cry
Wind me up my dreams will start
If you wind me up, my dreams will commence
Here's the key unlock my heart
Here is the key to unlocking my emotional core
Wind-up dolls sometimes get lonely too
Even wind-up dolls can experience loneliness
Wind me up I'll fall in love with you
If you wind me up, I will develop feelings of love for you
Wind me up I'll fall in love with you
If you wind me up, I will fall deeply in love with you
Writer(s): Bernard Lester Miller
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.