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).
I'll Walk Alone
Martha Tilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But to tell you the truth, I'll be lonely
I don't mind being lonely
When my heart tells me you are lonely, too
I'll walk alone
They'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather
There are dreams I must gather
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
In every prayer
If you call I'll hear you, no matter how far
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Please walk alone
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Till you're walking beside me
I'll walk alone
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
In every prayer
If you call I'll hear you, no matter how far
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
Please walk alone,
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Till you're walking beside me, I'll walk alone
I'll walk alone
Martha Tilton's song "I'll Walk Alone" expresses the emotional struggle of being alone yet still being devoted to someone. The lyrics reveal the singer's willingness to be alone to gather the dreams they have together. This could be interpreted as taking a break from a relationship to work on oneself. The singer recognizes that being alone and lonely is tough, but it's necessary to accomplish these dreams, just like how it's necessary to make sacrifices in a relationship at times.
The chorus gives a glimpse of hope that the two individuals are still connected through prayers and thoughts, even if one of them is physically walking alone. The belief that they will reunite is expressed as the singer urges the other individual to walk alone while sending love and kisses to guide them until they are together again.
The song's message reveals the importance of love; being devoted to someone while also being courageous enough to be alone if needed. It is a reminder that it is okay to feel lonely sometimes, but it's necessary to do what's best for ourselves and our relationships. In the end, the message is hopeful, and it's a metaphorical representation of the journey we take in life and love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll walk alone
I will venture forward by myself
But to tell you the truth, I'll be lonely
Although I will be by myself, I will feel lonely
I don't mind being lonely
Being alone isn't terrible
When my heart tells me you are lonely, too
When my intuition suggests that you are also feeling lonely
They'll ask me why and I'll tell them I'd rather
People may question why, and I will respond that I prefer it
There are dreams I must gather
There are aspirations I must seize
Dreams we fashioned the night you held me tight
Dreams we schemed together during an intimate embrace
I'll always be near you wherever you are each night
I will never be far from you, regardless of your location each night
In every prayer
In each and every supplication
If you call I'll hear you, no matter how far
I will hear you when you call, even if you are a great distance away
Just close your eyes and I'll be there
You need only to shut your eyes, and I will appear
Please walk alone
Please journey alone
And send your love and your kisses to guide me
Send your affection and kisses to lead me forward
Till you're walking beside me
Until we are together again, walking alongside one another
I'll walk alone
I will proceed without a companion
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luke9747
Reading my great grandpa’s WW2 diary and he mentioned this song. Apparently everyone stopped what they were doing and would listen when this came on
@MusicFan-qc1ig
I've been reading my Grandfather's WW2 letters and he mentioned this song too! He said the men in his company loved to sing it and it was his favorite song.
@ThatBrokeGeek
This is just goregous. I often think I was born in the wrong Era. My soul is drawn to this. Edit: wow, I'm still getting notifications on this comment. I just wanted to say that I hope everyone that still tunes into this video is doing well. Times have changed and things haven't been easy. Wishing everyone the best. Godbless♥️
@miltondownes3998
Me too
@ahameddaily3631
Fuck
Me too 🥺
@ThatBrokeGeek
@@ahameddaily3631 🥺❤️
@ThatBrokeGeek
@@miltondownes3998 great minds think alike ❤️🥺
@yannickleroux3212
Jean Grey same here, im 18 and u love this music, how old are yoi
@maggiekoch9348
I love this kind of music, it's calming
@megannippert9015
I can still picture my folks singing to each other this years after the war...their lives were extraordinary...fulfilling, successful (and yes of course, war added on top of the depression)...all hard work and classy responses to adversity...