Some of her best known hits are "It's So Peaceful in the Country", "Trust In Me", "Where Are You", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", "Small Fry", "Please Be Kind", "Darn That Dream", "Rockin' Chair", "Blame It On My Last Affair", and "Says My Heart".
Born Mildred Rinker in Tekoa, Washington, her mother, Josephine, was an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and a devout Roman Catholic. Her father, Charles, played fiddle and called square dances. Her mother played piano every evening after supper and taught Mildred to play and sing. Her brothers were the vocalist and composer Al Rinker, and the lyricist Charles Rinker.
[edit]Career
At the age of seventeen, Bailey moved to Seattle and worked as a sheet music demonstrator at Woolworth's. She married and divorced Ted Bailey, keeping his last name because she thought it sounded more American than Rinker.[3] With the help of her second husband, Benny Stafford, she became an established blues and jazz singer on the West Coast. According to Gary Giddins' book Bing Crosby – A Pocketful of Dreams – The Early Years 1903-1940, in 1925 she secured work for her brother, Al Rinker, and his partner Bing Crosby. Giddins further states that Crosby first heard of Louis Armstrong and other Chicago black jazz records from Bailey's own record collection. Crosby helped Bailey in turn by introducing her to Paul Whiteman. She sang with Paul Whiteman's band from 1929 to 1933 (Whiteman had a popular radio program and when Bailey debuted with her version of "Moaning Low" in 1929, public reaction was immediate, although she did not start recording with Whiteman until late 1931).
Her first two records were as uncredited vocalist for an Eddie Lang Orchestra session in 1929 ("What Kind O' Man Is You?", an obscure Hoagy Carmichael song that was only issued in the UK) and a 1930 recording of "I Like To Do Things For You" for Frankie Trumbauer. She was Whiteman's popular female vocalist through 1932 (recording in a smooth crooning style), when she left the band due to salary disagreements. She then recorded a series of records for Brunswick in 1933 (accompanied by The Dorsey Brothers), as well an all-star session with Benny Goodman's studio band in 1934 that featured Coleman Hawkins.
In the mid-1930s, she recorded with her third husband Red Norvo. A dynamic couple, they earned the nicknames "Mr. and Mrs. Swing". During this period (1936–1939) Norvo recorded for Brunswick (with Bailey as primary vocalist) and Bailey recorded her own set of recordings for Vocalion, often with Norvo's band. Some of her recordings instead featured members of Count Basie's band. Despite her divorce from Norvo, she and Red would continue to record together until 1945. Suffering from diabetes and depression (during her adult life Bailey was overweight), she only made a few recordings following World War II.
Mildred Bailey died December 12, 1951, in Poughkeepsie, New York, of heart failure, aged 44, chiefly due to her diabetes. Her ashes were scattered. Red Norvo outlived Bailey by nearly half a century, dying in April 1999, a week after his 91st birthday.
Darn That Dream
Mildred Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You say you love me and you hold me tight
But when I awake, you're out of sight
Oh, darn that dream
Darn your lips and darn your eyes
They lift me high above the moonlit skies
Then I tumble out of paradise
Darn that one-track mind of mine
I can't understand that you don't care
Just to change the mood I'm in
I'd welcome a nice old nightmare
Darn that dream and bless it too
Without that dream, I never would have you
But it haunts me and it won't come true
Oh, darn that dream
The song "Darn That Dream" by Mildred Bailey explores the bittersweet experience of being trapped in a romantic dream that can never come true. The dreamer is in love with someone who seems to reciprocate their feelings while they are sleeping, but disappears when morning comes. The singer repeats the phrase "darn that dream" throughout the song, expressing both frustration and acknowledgment that without this dream, she might never have found love at all. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is willing to accept an alternative reality, even a nightmare, if it would help her move on from the unfulfilled fantasy.
As the song progresses, the dreamer grows increasingly critical of herself, blaming her "one-track mind" for not being able to move on from this unrequited love. She longs for something that will jolt her out of this pattern of fixation, but ultimately concludes that both the dream and the lack of fulfillment it represents are necessary parts of her existence. This final line, "Oh, darn that dream and bless it too / Without that dream, I never would have you", captures the paradoxical nature of the dream: it brings both joy and pain, but ultimately led the dreamer to the person she loves.
Overall, "Darn That Dream" is a poignant reflection on the complexities of love and longing, and the role that dreams can play in shaping our desires and expectations. The repetition of the title phrase underscores the power of the dream in the singer's life, and the ambivalent emotions it provokes: frustration and resignation, hope and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Darn that dream I dream each night
Cursing the dream that torments me with a false hope every night
You say you love me and you hold me tight
You profess your love for me, but it seems fleeting as you disappear when I awaken
But when I awake, you're out of sight
Once I'm back in reality, you're no longer by my side
Oh, darn that dream
Expressing frustration with the dream that toys with my emotions
Darn your lips and darn your eyes
Cursing the beauty that lures me in and raises my hopes
They lift me high above the moonlit skies
Feeling euphoric and on top of the world due to your allure and charm
Then I tumble out of paradise
Crashing back to reality and feeling a sense of loss or disappointment
Oh, darn that dream
Continuing to lament the torment of the recurring dream
Darn that one-track mind of mine
Criticizing oneself for fixating on a love that may not be reciprocated
I can't understand that you don't care
Feeling confused or hurt that the object of affection does not seem to return the same feelings
Just to change the mood I'm in
Willing to entertain even a bad dream if it means not having to carry the burden of unrequited love
I'd welcome a nice old nightmare
Desiring any kind of distraction or relief from the pain of longing
Darn that dream and bless it too
Recognizing the ambivalence felt toward the dream - both a source of hope and distress
Without that dream, I never would have you
Acknowledging that the dream at least brought the two together, even if it remains unfulfilled
But it haunts me and it won't come true
Returning to the feeling of frustration and helplessness over the unattainable dream
Oh, darn that dream
One more expression of exasperation and sadness
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EDDIE DELANGE, JAMES VAN HEUSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ken Marshall
So many female artists are indebted to this lady. She set the standard for the following century and beyond with her phrasing, attack, and tonality
james sullivan
The song and arrangement is perfection. Mildred the White Goddess, Benny's clarinet and the fabulous brass section give us a moment never to be repeated.
Pete Ruppert
She sure was "Mrs. Swing"! What a great timeless work, this song, her voice. Benny Goodman's Orchestra surely benefited from her as a singer, they were a great combination.
Danny Heller
An all-time favorite!
James Jordan
Mildred and Benny together to give us a lovely song and an ache that such songs will never be composed and so rarely played. Darn us if YouTube should quit the Internet.
HFritzson
She was so influential. And great.
callouscallus
wow they completely reworked the tune and melody when her vocal starts, doesn't have the climbing chromatic notes. Totally cool to study this arrangement, it's awesome
conticris
Yes, it's good old Benny. What a combination!!
Kirk Barkley
My favorite M.B. recording is "I Thought About You" but this is great as well
Garrett Keeton
I have to agree. It's my favorite as well!