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."
Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Santa Claus soon will be on his way
And he'll bring his eight little reindeer
Pulling the toys in his great big sleigh
So don't forget to feed the reindeer
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
And if you are a good little angel
Hear that jingle off in the distance
What is that happy sound I hear
Could it be the spirit of Christmas
Santa Claus and his tiny reindeer
Oh, don't forget to feed the reindeer
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
And if you are a good little angel
Santa Claus will be good to you
Here they come now, up on the rooftop
Santa Claus' sled and his reindeer too
Hear those bells now, oh, how they jingle
And he has toys in his bag for you
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen,
Pulling that sleigh, oh, I do believe
Cupid, Comet, Dunder, and Blixhem
Always on time for Christmas Eve
Let's not forget to feed the reindeer
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
And if you've been a good little angel
Santa Claus will be good to you
The lyrics of the song “Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer” by Peggy Lee talk about the story of Santa Claus and his eight reindeers that pull his great big sleigh full of toys. The song starts with a question from a child-like voice asking if the listener has been good, as Santa Claus will soon be on his way. The lyrics then suggest that the listener shouldn't forget to feed the reindeer, who are also the friends of the angels. It highlights that if the listener has been good, Santa Claus will be good to them, too.
The lyrics continue with a cheerful tone and describe the moments leading up to the arrival of Santa Claus and his tiny reindeer. They narrate how the bells jingle off in the distance, which could be the spirit of Christmas approaching. Eventually, Santa Claus arrives with his reindeer on the rooftop, filled with toys in his bag. The lyrics mention the eight reindeers – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder, and Blixem – who always arrive on time for Christmas Eve.
Overall, the song's lyrics are a light-hearted reminder to not forget the important role of the reindeers in Santa Claus's journey, and to be good so that Santa will be good to you.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you been a good little angel
Did you behave in a way that is deemed positive by society?
Santa Claus soon will be on his way
The day Santa comes is approaching soon.
And he'll bring his eight little reindeer
Santa will be accompanied by his eight small reindeer.
Pulling the toys in his great big sleigh
The nine reindeer are carrying the presents in a large carriage.
So don't forget to feed the reindeer
Make sure to give the reindeer food.
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
The creatures called 'angels' also have friendly relationships with the reindeer.
And if you are a good little angel
Being virtuous will benefit you.
Santa Claus will be good to you
You will receive nice things from Santa.
Hear that jingle off in the distance
Can you hear that light and merry noise coming from afar?
What is that happy sound I hear
I wonder what that delightful sound is.
Could it be the spirit of Christmas
Maybe it's the essence of Christmas.
Santa Claus and his tiny reindeer
Santa Claus leading his small reindeer.
Oh, don't forget to feed the reindeer
Remember to give food to the reindeer.
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
Reindeer also have amicable relationships with 'angels.'
And if you are a good little angel
If you acted in a way that is considered righteous,
Santa Claus will be good to you
Santa will reward you positively.
Here they come now, up on the rooftop
The sleigh and reindeer have arrived on the roof.
Santa Claus' sled and his reindeer too
The carriage providing transportation is Santa's fit and the eight reindeer pulling it.
Hear those bells now, oh, how they jingle
Listen to the clanging noise produced by the jingling bells.
And he has toys in his bag for you
He is carrying presents for you in his baggage.
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen,
The reindeer are named Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen,
Pulling that sleigh, oh, I do believe
I truly think they are the animals in charge of dragging the carriage.
Cupid, Comet, Dunder, and Blixhem
The remaining reindeer names are Cupid, Comet, Dunder, and Blixem.
Always on time for Christmas Eve
They persistently arrive punctually on Christmas Eve every year.
Let's not forget to feed the reindeer
It's essential to provide sustenance to the reindeer.
Angels are friends of the reindeer, too
Even 'angels' are on good terms with the eight animals pulling the sleigh.
And if you've been a good little angel
Doing commendable deeds will act as an advantage.
Santa Claus will be good to you
Santa Claus will bestow you with favorable outcomes.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PEGGY LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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