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."
Happy Feet
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pick some mighty sweet and soft refrain,
But I never heard a sound as sweet
As the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Mockin'bird never says a word,
But his pretty music must be heard!
Well, there is music with a beatOf the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Honey, when we're dancin',
It's so divine!
Kinda we're much closer,
Closer than a quarter to nine!
Love that band on the Dixieland,
Gotta rhythm makes you clap your hands!
But there is a rhythm, I repeat,
Like the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Hey look at me ma, I'm dancin',
It's so divine!
Kinda we're much closer,
Closer than a quarter to nine!
Love that band on the Dixieland,
Gotta rhythm makes you clap your hands!
But there is a rhythm, I repeat,
Like the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Love that band on the Dixieland,
Gotta rhythm makes you clap your hands!
But there is a rhythm, I repeat,
Like the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Let go, watch those happy feet!
Crazy 'bout those tappy feet!
Come on, join us, listen to
The rhythm, it's the rhythm, I repeat
The rhythm of happy feet!
The lyrics of Peggy Lee's "Happy Feet" evoke a joyful and lively atmosphere, celebrating the infectious rhythm and energy of dancing feet. The opening lines set the scene with the sound of rain on the window pane, juxtaposing it with the sweeter sound of happy feet tapping away. This imagery suggests the transformative power of music and dance to uplift the spirit and create a sense of joy and harmony.
The mention of the mockingbird and its melodious song highlights the beauty of music that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by others. The comparison to the rhythmic sound of happy feet reinforces the idea that music has the ability to bring people together and express emotions that words alone cannot capture. The verses emphasize the importance of rhythm and movement in creating a connection between individuals and fostering a sense of unity and closeness.
The lyrics describe the experience of dancing with a partner as something divine and intimate, symbolizing a deep connection and a shared sense of joy and excitement. The reference to the Dixieland band and the infectious rhythm that compels people to clap their hands further showcases the power of music to uplift and inspire. The repetition of the phrase "tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet" underscores the addictive and irresistible nature of the rhythm, inviting listeners to join in and experience the magic for themselves.
Overall, "Happy Feet" celebrates the universal language of music and dance as a source of happiness, connection, and expression. The energetic and upbeat tone of the song, along with its catchy rhythm and lyrics, invite the audience to let go, embrace the joy of dancing, and immerse themselves in the infectious rhythm of happy feet. It serves as a reminder of the simple pleasures in life and the power of music to bring people together in a shared moment of pure enjoyment.
Line by Line Meaning
Sound of rain on the window pane,
The comforting sound of rain hitting the window.
Pick some mighty sweet and soft refrain,
Choose a lovely and soothing melody to enjoy.
But I never heard a sound as sweet
But nothing compares to the delightful sound
As the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Of the cheerful and infectious rhythm of dancing feet!
Mockin'bird never says a word,
A mockingbird doesn't need to speak,
But his pretty music must be heard!
But its beautiful music should be listened to!
Well, there is music with a beat
Indeed, there is music with a rhythm
Of the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Like the lively tapping sound of happy dancing feet!
Honey, when we're dancin',
Darling, when we're dancing,
It's so divine!
It's absolutely delightful!
Kinda we're much closer,
We feel a sense of closeness,
Closer than a quarter to nine!
Closer than you can imagine!
Love that band on the Dixieland,
Enjoy the band playing in the Dixieland style,
Gotta rhythm makes you clap your hands!
With a rhythm that makes you want to clap along!
But there is a rhythm, I repeat,
But there's a special rhythm that I must emphasize,
Like the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Similar to the joyful tapping of happy dancing feet!
Hey look at me ma, I'm dancin',
Hey, look at me mom, I'm dancing,
It's so divine!
It's so delightful!
Kinda we're much closer,
We feel a sense of closeness,
Closer than a quarter to nine!
Even closer than you can imagine!
Love that band on the Dixieland,
Enjoy the band playing in the Dixieland style,
Gotta rhythm makes you clap your hands!
With a rhythm that makes you want to clap along!
But there is a rhythm, I repeat,
But there's a special rhythm that I must emphasize,
Like the tippity-tippity-tap of happy feet!
Similar to the joyful tapping of happy dancing feet!
Let go, watch those happy feet!
Let loose and observe those joyful dancing feet!
Crazy 'bout those tappy feet!
Absolutely ecstatic about those tapping feet!
Come on, join us, listen to
Come on, join us and listen to
The rhythm, it's the rhythm, I repeat
The beat, it's the beat that I must reiterate
The rhythm of happy feet!
The joyful rhythm created by happy dancing feet!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PEGGY LEE, QUINCY D JONES
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?