In his youth, Prima played trumpet with Irving Fazola, his brother's band, and the pit band of the Saenger Theater. In 1933 he began his busy recording career, as part of the David Rose orchestra at station WGN, Chicago; he was also part of the small recording group The Hotcha Trio, with Rose on piano and Norman Gast on violin. In 1934 Prima moved to New York, working regularly on 52nd Street with old New Orleans friends like Eddie Miller (tenor sax and clarinet) and George Brunies (trombone), and also new acquaintances like Pee Wee Russell (clarinet). Prima's informal jazz group was known as Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, and this band recorded prolifically for Brunswick through 1936, and then for Vocalion and Decca.
Prima's 1936 composition, "Sing Sing Sing", which he had released with the New Orleans Gang in March, 1936 as a Brunswick 78, Brunswick 7628, with "It's Been So Long" as the B side, became one of his biggest hits and one of the most covered standards of the swing era; Benny Goodman's performance of the song at Carnegie Hall with a featured performance by Gene Krupa on drums has become iconic.
Louis Prima and His Band
Prima moved to Los Angeles to headline at the Famous Door nightclub. He appeared in several Hollywood movies, including a featured performance with Bing Crosby in the 1936 film Rhythm on the Range. Prima and his Dixieland Gang continued to play club dates across the nation, including a 1939 stint at New York's Hickory House.
Big bands were big business then, and Prima apparently bowed to pressure from booking agents and formed a conventional big band in 1940. He exploited a distinctive, shuffling beat (which he called "Gleeby Rhythm"); this trademark Prima shuffle remained part of his repertoire for two decades. Prima sang most of the band vocals, with Lily Ann Carol as the "girl singer." Prima's high-powered drummer at this time was Jimmy Vincent, an energetic teenager who remained with the Prima band for many years.
In 1947 he added singer Cathy Ricciardi, who recorded under the name Cathy Allen. She was succeeded in 1949 by Keely Smith (who was to become his fourth wife), and the band concentrated on novelty songs like "Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)" and "All Right, Louis, Drop the Gun." Prima's big band continued into the early 1950s, with a series of novelty recordings supervised (sometimes heavy-handedly) by record producer Mitch Miller.
Vegas years
The popularity of the big-band sound started to wane, and Prima began losing money, just as he needed it to support the pregnant Smith. Prima found work with Smith in small venues all over the East Coast. Eventually he called up his friend Bill Miller, who was then entertainment director of The Sahara nightclub and casino in Las Vegas, and asked for a job. His friend Cab Calloway warned him against the cramped Sahara lounge, but the financial pressure was too great. Prima telephoned saxophonist Sam Butera and instructed him to pick up a few musicians and go to Las Vegas in time for Prima's debut.
Prima acknowledged his new musicians for the opening-night crowd, and spontaneously asked Butera what the name of the band was. Butera ad-libbed, "The Witnesses!" From then on, Sam Butera and the Witnesses backed Prima and Smith on stage and records.
Prima and Smith worked hard throughout the 1950s, performing multiple shows a night and finishing at 6 a.m. Their efforts were rewarded with a resurgence in their popularity, and they were at least partly responsible for making the lounge at The Sahara a hotspot. On stage, Prima insisted on Smith adopting a humorless, poker-faced character that would play straight to Prima's zany ad libs. Smith actually had a fine sense of comedy that is often audible on the team's recordings; no matter how much the incorrigible Prima tried to disrupt her vocals, Smith would often come back with a funny remark of her own.
Louis Prima and Keely Smith were very much the model for Sonny & Cher: the exuberant Italian musician and the serious, exotic female singer, Smith and Cher both being of Cherokee descent (although Cher's heritage is primarily Armenian). Similarly, echoes of the stage banter between Prima and Butera would be heard years later in the early performances of the E Street Band and the interplay between Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons.
In 1959, Prima and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus for "That Old Black Magic."
In 1956 the Prima ensemble performed at the Sahara Hotel and Casino to record tracks for the album The Wildest!. It was an attempt by Capitol Records to capture the essence of the Vegas act. Over the next nine years, Prima and Smith raised two children, while he made scores of records, owned racehorses, appeared on television, and even opened a golf course. They outgrew the lounge and were promoted to the big room. They appeared in a few quickie musical films, including Senior Prom and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Prima co-produced the feature Twist All Night, in which his band also appeared.
During this whirlwind of activity, according to Smith, the couple drifted farther and farther apart. One night, he refused to conduct for one of Smith's performances, delegating to Butera instead. A few days later they were in court, petitioning for divorce.
Later years
Following the divorce, he began dating Gia Maione. Maione was a long-time fan of Prima's, was already familiar with all the arrangements to his songs, and even kept a signed photo of him in her purse. She eventually became Prima's fifth and final wife, and was with the band right up until 1975. By this point, the band was putting out a markedly different and more contemporary sound, with electric organs and synthesizers, even dabbling in progressive rock.
In 1967 Prima's distinctive voice and jazzy delivery landed him a role in Walt Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book, as the raucous orangutan King Louie. He performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack, leading to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris: The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book, on Disneyland Records. He can also be heard on the soundtrack of another cartoon feature, The Man Called Flintstone.
He suffered a mild heart attack in 1973. In 1975, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, Louis Prima sought medical attention, and found out he had a stem brain tumor. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma following surgery to remove the tumor. He never recovered, and died three years later, having been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans; his gray marble crypt is topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel. The inscription on the crypt's door quote the lyrics from one of his hits: "When the end comes, I know, they'll all say 'just a gigolo' as life goes on without me. Lovingly, your little family..."
FEVER
Louis Prima Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Ev'rybody's got the fever
that is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with thy flaming youth
Fever, I'm afire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
"Fever" is a sensual and flirtatious song by Louis Prima that describes the intensity of his love for someone or something. In the beginning verse, he expresses how he never knew how much he loved or cared until certain actions are done. When someone puts their arms around him, it's a catalyst for the “fever” that he feels. Prima repeats the word “fever” throughout the song to emphasize this feeling, from the morning until the night, and he notes how it's not just exclusive to him, but everyone he knows has felt this passion as well. The verses with Romeo and Juliet and Captain Smith and Pocahontas are examples that Prima uses to emphasize how love and passion have been around for ages, and it is nothing new.
Furthermore, Prima emphasizes that “cats were born to give chicks fever,” which means that everyone has the potential to cause someone to have the feverish feeling of love. And it adds that fever, which is commonly associated with a high temperature, is a lovely way to burn. It's remarkable to see the way that the feverish passion of love is compared to a physical fever that can't be extinguished, but instead, it's a wonderful experience that lingers.
Some interesting facts about the song include that Peggy Lee, who was a jazz singer and songwriter, rewrote the lyrics in 1958 and made a cover that became a bigger commercial success than Prima’s original. The song was written by John Davenport and Eddie Cooley, and the first version was recorded in 1956. Prima had a significant role in the song’s popularity. Still, his version is less frequently played in later years compared to Lee's Carmen McRae's, or Madonna's renditions. Interestingly, the lyrics of the song have been used as the text for an English as a second language reading comprehension test, which features a series of multiple-choice questions based on the song.
Other interesting facts include the song being featured in several films, including Peggy Lipton’s Naked and Easy, Goodfellas, and The Fabulous Baker Boys, and it was also used in advertisements for Buick and Vicks cough drops. The musical arrangement of Prima’s version was similar to the rumba, which was established in Cuba in the 1920s. Fever is known to have inspired Elvis Presley to create his version of the song, and it's one of the biggest hits of his career. The powerhouse trio of Madonna, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera even did a live performance of Madonna's cover at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003.
Finally, the chords for the song are Am7, Dm7, and E7, played in that order throughout the verses. The chorus uses a progression of F7 and E7. The path of the song is relatively simple, and the chords repeat, but the bluesy melody and Prima's jovial voice makes it a classic.
Am7: x02010
Dm7: xx0211
E7: 020100
F7: 131211
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
I have a deep love for you that is difficult to explain.
Never know how much I care
My care for you is hard to express, but it is intense.
When you put your arms around me
Your embrace evokes a strong reaction in me.
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
My love for you is so strong that it manifests itself as a fever.
You give me fever when you kiss me
Your kiss ignites passionate feelings in me.
Fever when you hold me tight
Your embrace elicits intense emotions in me.
Fever in the morning
My passion for you is not confined to nighttime.
Fever all through the night
My love for you is ever-present, regardless of the time of day.
Ev'rybody's got the fever
Passionate love is a universally recognized phenomenon.
that is something you all know
It is a widely accepted truth.
Fever isn't such a new thing
Passionate love has existed for a long time.
Fever started long ago
The roots of passionate love can be traced back through history.
Sun lights up the daytime
The sun is responsible for daytime illumination.
Moon lights up the night
The moon is responsible for nighttime illumination.
I light up when you call my name
Your recognition makes me feel alive.
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
I will reciprocate your affection and show you respect.
Romeo loved Juliet
The famous couple from Shakespeare's tragedy loved each other deeply.
Juliet she felt the same
Their love was mutual.
When he put his arms around her
Their physical touch was a powerful moment for both of them.
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
Romeo used endearments to show his love for Juliet.
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Juliet's kiss set Romeo's passions on fire.
Fever with thy flaming youth
Juliet's youth and beauty intensified Romeo's passion.
Fever, I'm afire
Romeo's love for Juliet was all-consuming.
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
Romeo's love for Juliet is so intense it feels like a fever.
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
The famous historical figures were entangled in a love affair.
Had a very mad affair
Their love was passionate and perhaps even dangerous.
When her daddy tried to kill him
Pocahontas' father was hostile to their relationship.
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
Pocahontas stood up for her lover's right to live.
He gives me fever with his kisses
Captain Smith's kisses ignited Pocahontas' passions.
Fever when he holds me tight
Captain Smith's embrace elicits strong emotions in Pocahontas.
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Pocahontas is passionately devoted to Captain Smith.
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Pocahontas pleads with her father to show Captain Smith mercy.
Now you've listened to my story
I have told you about several passionate love stories.
Here's the point that I have made
These stories demonstrate the power of passionate love.
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Passionate love is a natural and common occurrence between humans.
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
Passionate love transcends cultural and national boundaries.
They give you fever when you kiss them
Physical touch can arouse passionate feelings in humans.
Fever if you live and learn
Passion can be a valuable learning experience.
Fever till you sizzle
Passion can be so intense that it feels like boiling water.
What a lovely way to burn
Passionate love is a beautiful and powerful force in human life.
What a lovely way to burn
Passionate love is a beautiful and powerful force in human life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind