Tilton and her family lived in Texas and Kansas, relocating to Los Angeles when she was seven years old. While attending Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, she was singing on a small radio station when she was heard by an agent who signed her and began booking her with larger stations. She then dropped out of school in the 11th grade to join Hal Grayson's band.
After singing with the quartet Three Hits and a Miss, she joined the Myer Alexander chorus on Benny Goodman's radio show, Camel Caravan. Goodman hired Tilton as a vocalist with his band in August 1937. She was with Goodman in January 1938, when the band performed the first jazz performance at Carnegie Hall. She continued to appear as Goodman's star vocalist through the end of 1939.
Tilton had a major success from 1942 to 1949 as one of the first artists to record for Capitol Records. Her first recording for Capitol was "Moon Dreams", Capitol 138, with Orchestra and The Mellowaires, composed by Johnny Mercer and Glenn Miller pianist Chummy MacGregor in 1942. "Moon Dreams" would be recorded by Glenn Miller in 1944 and by Miles Davis in 1950. Among her biggest hits as a solo artist were "I'll Walk Alone," a wartime ballad which rose to #4 on the charts in 1944; "I Should Care" and "A Stranger in Town," which both peaked at #10 in 1945; and three in 1947: "How Are Things in Glocca Morra" from Finian's Rainbow, which climbed to #8; "That's My Desire", which hit #10; and "I Wonder, I Wonder, I Wonder", which reached #9.
After she left Capitol, Tilton recorded for other labels, including Coral and Tops. Among her later albums was We Sing the Old Songs (1957, Tops), a mix of older songs and recent standards with baritone Curt Massey, who later became well known as the composer (with Paul Henning) and singer of the theme song for the CBS-TV series Petticoat Junction.
Reviewing the two-CD set, The Liltin' Miss Tilton, (Capitol, 2000), critic Don Heckman wrote:
There are those who would say that Martha Tilton wasn't a jazz singer at all. But swing-era fans won't have any doubts, remembering her for a rocking version of "Loch Lomond" at Benny Goodman's 1938 Carnegie Hall concert.
Massey and Tilton starred in Alka-Seltzer Time, a 15-minute radio series broadcast weekdays on both CBS and Mutual. Sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, this show began in 1949 as Curt Massey Time (sometimes advertised as Curt Massey Time with Martha Tilton) with a title change to highlight the sponsor's product by 1952.
By 1953, the series was heard simultaneously on Mutual (at noon) and later that same day on CBS (at 5:45pm). Ads described the show as "informal song sessions" by vocalists Massey and Tilton, who was often billed as "The liltin' Martha Tilton." The two Texas-born singers performed with Country Washburne and His Orchestra, featuring Charles LaVere on piano. The series ended November 6, 1953. However, Massey and Tilton continued to appear together during the late 1950s on such shows as Guest Star and Stars for Defense. They also teamed to record an album, We Sing the Old Songs (1957). Tilton and Massey also co-hosted a daily fifteen minute TV show in Los Angeles for approximately seven years.
Her movies include Sunny (1941), Strictly in the Groove (1942), Swing Hostess (1944), Crime, Inc.. (1945), and The Benny Goodman Story (1956). Her last film appearance was as the band vocalist in the TV movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom (1975). Tilton's singing voice was used for other actresses including Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire), Martha O'Driscoll, and Anne Gwynne. She also appeared in several Soundies musical films of the 1940s.
Her sister, Liz Tilton, also seen in Soundies, sang with Ken Baker (mid-1930s), Buddy Rogers, Bob Crosby (1941), and Jan Garber (1942).
All of Me
Martha Tilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can't you see I'm no good without you
Take my lips I want to lose them
Take my arms I'll never use them
Your goodbye left me with eyes that cry
How can I go on dear without you
You took the part that once was my heart
So why not take all of me
Your goodbye left me with eyes that cry
How can I go on dear without you
You took the part that once was my heart
So why, why not take all of me
The lyrics to All of Me by Martha Tilton are a plea from the singer, asking their lover to take everything they have to offer. The singer is fully aware that they are incomplete without their lover, hence their request to take "all of me." They acknowledge that they're no good without their lover and would even give up their lips and arms just so that they can be with them. The singer's eyes cry due to the pain of their lover's goodbye, and they are unable to move on since their lover has taken the part that used to be their heart. In this sense, they believe that their lover may as well take all of them since they are incomplete without their love.
The lyrics of this song tug at the heartstrings of anyone who has gone through heartbreak. The plea coalesced with the tune is undoubtedly relatable to many listeners, which places it among the classic ballads. It stands as a testament to the timeless quality of well-crafted love songs. When a love relationship falls apart, it can be challenging to move on, and All of Me captures those feelings perfectly. It speaks of the desperation that can accompany the end of a relationship, which leads to questioning of how to move on without that particular person.
Line by Line Meaning
All of me why not take all of me
I'm so in love with you that I want you to have all of me.
Can't you see I'm no good without you
I need you in my life because without you, I feel incomplete and lost.
Take my lips I want to lose them
I want you to have my kisses because they're useless without you.
Take my arms I'll never use them
If you're not in my life, I have no need for hugs or embraces.
Your goodbye left me with eyes that cry
When you said goodbye, I cried so much that my eyes still hurt.
How can I go on dear without you
Life without you seems like an impossible task because you're everything to me.
You took the part that once was my heart
You used to be the core of my heart, but now there's a hole that you left behind.
So why not take all of me
Since you've already taken a huge part of me, I'm willingly giving you all of me.
Why, why not take all of me
I'm pleading with you to take all of me because you're the missing piece that completes me.
Contributed by James M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.