Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong all cited Lee as one of their favorite singers.
Peggy Lee had Norwegian and Swedish ancestry. She was the seventh of eight children born to Marvin Egstrom, a station agent for the Midland Continental Railroad. Her mother died when she was four years old. Music provided her an escape from the abusive rampages of her cruel stepmother, Min, who tormented and beat young Norma. She first sang professionally with KOVC radio in Valley City, North Dakota. She soon landed her own series on a radio show sponsored by a local restaurant that paid her "salary" in food. Both during and after her high school years, she took whatever jobs she could find, waitressing and singing for paltry sums on other local stations. Radio personality Ken Kennedy (actual name: Ken Sydness), of WDAY in Fargo (the most widely listened to station in North Dakota) changed her name from Norma to Peggy Lee. Tired of the abuse from her stepmother, she left home and traveled to Los Angeles at the age of 17.
She returned to North Dakota for a tonsillectomy and eventually made her way to Chicago for a gig at The Buttery Room, a nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel West in Chicago, where she drew the attention of Benny Goodman, the jazz clarinetist and band leader. According to Lee, "Benny's then-fiancée, Lady Alice Duckworth, came into the Buttery, and she was very impressed. So the next evening she brought Benny in, because they were looking for replacement for Helen Forrest. "And although I didn't know, I was it. He was looking at me strangely, I thought, but it was just his preoccupied way of looking. I thought that he didn't like me at first, but it just was that he was preoccupied with what he was hearing." She joined his band in 1941 and stayed for two years.
In early 1942, Lee had her first # 1 hit, "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", followed by 1943's "Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally sung by Lil Green), which sold over a million copies and made her famous. She sang with Goodman in two 1943 films, Stage Door Canteen and The Powers Girl.
In March 1943, Lee married Dave Barbour, the guitarist in Goodman's band. Peggy said, "David joined Benny's band and there was a ruling that no one should fraternize with the girl singer. But I fell in love with David the first time I heard him play, and so I married him. Benny then fired David, so I quit, too. Benny and I made up, although David didn't play with him anymore. Benny stuck to his rule. I think that's not too bad a rule, but you can't help falling in love with somebody."
When Lee and Barbour left the band, the idea was that he would work in the studios and she would keep house and raise their daughter, Nicki. But she drifted back towards songwriting and occasional recording sessions for the fledgling Capitol Records in 1947, for whom she produced a long string of hits, many of them with lyrics and music by Lee and Barbour, including "I Don't Know Enough About You" and "It's a Good Day" (1948). With the release of the smash-hit #1-selling record of 1942, "Mañana", her "retirement" was over.
In 1948, she joined Perry Como and Jo Stafford as one of the rotating hosts of the NBC Radio musical program Chesterfield Supper Club. She was also a regular on NBC's Jimmy Durante Show during the 1938-48 season.
She left Capitol for a few years in the early 1940s, but returned in 1943. She is most famous for her cover version of the Little Willie John hit "Fever", to which she added her own, uncopyrighted lyrics ("Romeo loved Juliet," "Captain Smith and Pocahontas") and her rendition of Leiber and Stoller's "Is That All There Is?" Her relationship with the Capitol label spanned almost three decades, aside from her brief but artistically rich detour (1952-1956) at Decca Records, where she recorded one of her most acclaimed albums Black Coffee (1956). While recording for Decca, Lee had hit singles with the songs "Lover" and "Mr. Wonderful."
She was also known as a songwriter with such hits as the songs from the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp, for which she also supplied the singing and speaking voices of four characters. Her many songwriting collaborators, in addition to Barbour, included Laurindo Almeida, Harold Arlen, Sonny Burke, Cy Coleman, Gene DiNovi, Duke Ellington, Dave Grusin, Dick Hazard, Quincy Jones, Francis Lai, Jack Marshall, Johnny Mandel, Marian McPartland, Willard Robison, Lalo Schifrin, Hubie Wheeler, guitarist Johnny Pisano and Victor Young.
Lee also acted in several films. In 1952, she played opposite Danny Thomas in a remake of the early Al Jolson film, The Jazz Singer. In 1955, she played a despondent, alcoholic blues singer in Pete Kelly's Blues (1955), for which she was nominated for an Oscar.
Peggy won a Grammy in 1969 as best contemporary female vocalist (for her recording of Is That All There Is?) and was awarded a Doctor of Music Honoris Causa degree from North Dakota State University, in 1975.
In the early 1990s, she retained famed entertainment attorney Neil Papiano, who, on her behalf, successfully sued Disney for royalties on Lady and the Tramp. Lee's lawsuit claimed that she was due royalties for video tapes, a technology that did not exist when she agreed to write and perform for Disney.
Never afraid to fight for what she believed in, Lee was passionate that musicians be equitably compensated for their work. Although she realized litigation had taken a toll on her health, Lee often quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson ("God's will will not be made manifest by cowards.")
She also successfully sued MCA/Decca with the assistance of noted entertainment attorney, Cy Godfrey.
She continued to perform into the 1990s, sometimes in a wheelchair, and still mesmerized audiences and critics alike.[citation needed]
In 1995 she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
After years of poor health, Lee died of complications from diabetes and heart attack at the age of 81. She is survived by Nicki Lee Foster, her daughter with Barbour. She is buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California. On her marker in a garden setting is inscribed, "Music is my life's breath."
A Hundred Years from Today
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll find my reason is logically sound
Who's gonna know that you passed them around
A hundred years from today
Why crave a penthouse that's fit for a Queen
You're nearer Heaven on Mother Earth's green
If you had millions, what would they all mean
So laugh and sing, make love the thing
Be happy while you may
There's always one beneath the Sun
Who's bound to make you feel that way
The Moon is shining and that's a good sign
Cling to me, Baby, say you'll be mine
Remember, Darling, we won't see it shine
A hundred years from today
Remember, Darling, we won't see it shine
A hundred years from today
A hundred years from today
The lyrics of Peggy Lee's song "A Hundred Years from Today" convey a timeless message about the fleeting nature of life and the importance of living in the present. The song encourages the listener to embrace love and happiness while they can, rather than holding back or striving for material wealth and societal status that ultimately loses its significance over time.
In the first verse, the line "Don't save your kisses, pass them around" suggests that the singer understands the impermanence of love and encourages the listener to freely share their affection with others. The reasoning behind this is that in the grand scheme of things, it won't matter who has received these kisses a hundred years from now.
The following lines highlight the futility of pursuing material success, such as a penthouse fit for a queen. They argue that true joy and a closer connection to heaven can be found in appreciating the simple pleasures of life on Earth. The idea is that no matter the amount of wealth accumulated, it holds no lasting significance when viewed from the perspective of a hundred years.
The chorus further emphasizes the importance of living happily and experiencing love in the present moment. It suggests that laughter, singing, and making love should be embraced, as they bring happiness and fulfillment. This emphasis on present happiness is based on the idea that there will always be someone in the world who will make you feel joyful and loved under the sun.
The final verse continues the theme of cherishing the present moment. It suggests that the moon shining is a good sign, but the singer reminds their lover that they won't be around to see it after a hundred years. This reinforces the idea that the things we hold dear today will eventually fade away, emphasizing the need to appreciate and cherish what we have in the present.
In conclusion, "A Hundred Years from Today" offers a reminder to live in the present, enjoy love and happiness while they last, and not get caught up in material possessions or worries about the future. The song encourages listeners to embrace the fleeting nature of life and make the most of each passing moment, knowing that ultimately, the passage of time will render many concerns and possessions insignificant.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't save your kisses, pass them around
Don't hoard your affection, share it with others
You'll find my reason is logically sound
You'll understand the rationale behind my suggestion
Who's gonna know that you passed them around
No one will be aware that you shared your kisses
A hundred years from today
In the distant future, after a century has passed
Why crave a penthouse that's fit for a Queen
Why desire a luxurious apartment worthy of a monarch
You're nearer Heaven on Mother Earth's green
You are closer to paradise in the beauty of nature
If you had millions, what would they all mean
If you possessed great wealth, what significance would it hold
A hundred years from today
In the distant future, after a century has passed
So laugh and sing, make love the thing
Express joy and happiness, prioritize love
Be happy while you may
Experience happiness while you have the chance
There's always one beneath the Sun
There will always be someone who brightens your day
Who's bound to make you feel that way
Who will undoubtedly make you feel that happiness
The Moon is shining and that's a good sign
The presence of a shining Moon signifies positive things
Cling to me, Baby, say you'll be mine
Hold on to me tightly, express your commitment to me
Remember, Darling, we won't see it shine
Bear in mind, my love, that we won't witness its radiance
A hundred years from today
In the distant future, after a century has passed
Remember, Darling, we won't see it shine
Bear in mind, my love, that we won't witness its radiance
A hundred years from today
In the distant future, after a century has passed
Lyrics © PATTI WASHINGTON MUSIC , SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC., SONY ATV MUSIC PUB LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOE YOUNG, NED WASHINGTON, VICTOR POPULAR YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anonymous
on Why Don't You Do Right (Get Me Some Money Too)
Why Don't You Do Right - Casey Abrams - Lyrics
You had plenty money 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
You're sitting there wondering what it's all about
You ain't got no money, they will throw you out
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
Musical Interlude
You had plenty money 1922
You let other women make a fool of you
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Get out of here and get me some money too?
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?
Why don't you do right, like some other men do?