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."
I'm In Love Again
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just as happy as a child
Why am I
Like a racehorse running wild
Why am I
In a state of ecstasy
The reason is 'cause something's happened to me
I'm in love again, and the spring is comin'
I'm in love again, hear my heart strings strummin'
I'm in love again, and the hymn I'm hummin'
is the "Huddle Up, Cuddle Up Blues"
I'm in love again, and I can't rise above it
I'm in love again, and I love, love, love it
I'm in love again, and I'm darn glad of it
Good news!
Someone sad had the awful luck to meet
Someone bad, but the kind of bad that's sweet
No one knows what a glimpse of paradise
Someone who's naughty showed to someone who's nice
I'm in love again, and with glee I bubble
I'm in love again, and the fun's just double
I'm in love again, if I got in trouble
I'll be cursin' one person I know
I'm in love again, I'm a lovebird sigin'
I'm in love again, I'm the spring lamb springin'
I'm in love again, weddin' bells are ringin'
Let's go!
The lyrics to Peggy Lee's "I'm in Love Again" express the overwhelming joy and elation that comes with falling in love. The singer is experiencing a powerful surge of emotions that makes her feel like a child or a racehorse running wild. She describes her state as one of ecstasy and can't help but see the world through rose-colored glasses. Something has happened to her, and it's clear that what she's feeling is love.
The lyrics go on to describe the ways in which the singer's newfound love is affecting her. She can't ignore the stirrings in her heart, which have her feeling like her heart strings are strumming. She's so consumed by her love that she can't rise above it and loves every moment of it. The hymn she hums is the "Huddle Up, Cuddle Up Blues," which further emphasizes the feeling of closeness and intimacy that comes with love.
The second verse seems to allude to the fact that the singer has found love with someone who may not be considered "good" by society's standards. However, this person has given her a glimpse of paradise that she never thought possible before. Even though no one knows what's going on between them, the singer is happy and filled with glee. The fun that comes with love is doubled, and even the thought of getting into trouble cannot dampen her mood. She's like a lovebird singing and a spring lamb springing. Love has brought her nothing but good news, and she can't wait to answer the wedding bells that are ringing.
Line by Line Meaning
Why am I
I am wondering about the reason for my current emotional state
Just as happy as a child
I am feeling extremely joyful and carefree, just like a young kid
Like a racehorse running wild
I am full of energy and enthusiasm, racing ahead as if nothing can stop me
In a state of ecstasy
I am experiencing a heightened sense of pleasure and excitement, almost like in a trance
The reason is 'cause something's happened to me
I have had a significant experience or encounter that has caused me to feel this way
I'm in love again, and the spring is comin'
I have fallen in love once more, just in time for the hopeful and rejuvenating season of spring
I'm in love again, hear my heart strings strummin'
My heart is beating with excitement and anticipation, almost like a melody being played on a stringed instrument
I'm in love again, and the hymn I'm hummin'
I can't help but sing a joyful tune, praising the goodness of this newfound love
is the "Huddle Up, Cuddle Up Blues"
The specific song that I am singing in reference to my newfound love is called the "Huddle Up, Cuddle Up Blues"
I'm in love again, and I can't rise above it
My love has completely consumed me, and I cannot focus on anything else
I'm in love again, and I love, love, love it
I am reveling in this feeling of being in love, and cannot help but express how much I adore it
I'm in love again, and I'm darn glad of it
I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to experience love once more, and am not taking it for granted
Good news!
This is a positive and exciting development in my life
Someone sad had the awful luck to meet
There was an unfortunate and unhappy person who crossed paths with
Someone bad, but the kind of bad that's sweet
Despite this individual's negative qualities or actions, there was a certain charm or allure to them
No one knows what a glimpse of paradise
It's impossible to fully comprehend the sort of near-perfect happiness or contentment that can occur in a relationship
Someone who's naughty showed to someone who's nice
A person who could be considered difficult or mischievous was able to connect with someone who was kind and virtuous
I'm in love again, and with glee I bubble
I am overflowing with excitement and joy, almost like a bubbling fountain
I'm in love again, and the fun's just double
The happiness and exhilaration from being in love is multiplied, compared to being alone
I'm in love again, if I got in trouble
Even if I were to encounter some difficulties, I would still be glad to be in love
I'll be cursin' one person I know
If things were to go awry, I would likely direct my frustration at a specific individual
I'm in love again, I'm a lovebird singin'
I feel like a happy bird, chirping away with songs of love
I'm in love again, I'm the spring lamb springin'
I am full of youthful energy and vitality, bouncing around like a playful little lamb in the springtime
I'm in love again, wedding bells are ringin'
This newfound love could possibly lead to the sound of marriage bells in the near future
Let's go!
I am eager and ready to embrace this opportunity for love and happiness
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: APRIL GEESBREGHT, JESSE LEE
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?