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).
You Go to My Head
Martha Tilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
You go to my head
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
And I find the very mention of you
The thrill of the thought
That you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
Still I say to myself get a hold of yourself
Can't you see that it never can be?
You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand July's
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
You go to my head
You go to my head
The song “You Go to My Head” by Martha Tilton is a love song that talks about the overwhelming feeling of being in love with someone. The opening line, “You go to my head,” sets up the central metaphor that the person being sung about is like a drug. The person is so addictive that they linger like a haunting refrain in the singer’s mind. The metaphor of a drug is continued with the line “I find you spinning round in my brain like the bubbles in a glass of champagne,” suggesting that the feeling of being in love with this person is fizzy and intoxicating.
The next verse takes the metaphor further, comparing the person to a sip of sparkling burgundy brew. The line “Like the kicker in a julep or two” evokes the idea that the person being sung about is like the mint in a julep – something to savor and enjoy. The singer then admits that the thought that this person might give them a chance fills them with a thrill. The line “The thrill of the thought / That you might give a thought to my plea” shows how the person being sung about is in control of the singer’s emotions.
The chorus repeats the main metaphor, with the singer admitting that this person has “intoxicated” their soul with their eyes. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer knows that their feelings are hopeless, but they cannot help being under this person’s spell. The line “Though I'm certain that this heart of mine / Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance” shows that the singer understands that their love is unlikely to be returned. However, the last line, “You go to my head,” reinstates the central metaphor and shows that this person will continue to be on the singer’s mind, whether they like it or not.
Line by Line Meaning
You go to my head
You are constantly on my mind and I can't stop thinking about you.
And you linger like a haunting refrain
Your presence in my mind is persistent and never seems to fade away.
And I find you spinning round in my brain
You occupy my thoughts and I can't seem to shake you off my mind.
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
Your thoughts effervesce in my mind, just like the carbon dioxide bubbles that rise in a glass of champagne.
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
Thinking of you is just like sipping on an exquisite glass of wine.
And I find the very mention of you like the kicker in a julep or two
Your name alone adds a kick of excitement to my life, much like the alcohol in a fancy cocktail like a julep.
The thrill of the thought that you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
The mere possibility of you considering my request leaves me feeling exhilarated and enchanted.
Still I say to myself get a hold of yourself, can't you see that it never can be?
Even though I know deep down that the two of us can never be together, I struggle to let go of my feelings for you.
You go to my head with a smile that makes my temperature rise
Your smile has a powerful effect on me, making me feel warm and tingly inside.
Like a summer with a thousand July's
Your presence brings me overwhelming joy and makes me feel like I'm experiencing the most perfect summer day, multiplied by a thousand.
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Your eyes have the power to capture my soul and leave me feeling dazed and mesmerized.
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
I know in my heart that there is little hope for us to be together in a romantic relationship.
You go to my head
In conclusion, you have captured my heart and mind, and I can't help but think of you constantly.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: J Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind