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 a Woman
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can starch and iron two dozens shirts 'fore you can count from one to nine
I can scoop up a great big dipper full of lard from the drippin's can
Throw it in the skillet, go out and do my shopping, be back before it melts in the pan
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
I can rub and scrub til this old house is shinin' like a dime
Feed the baby, grease the car, and powder my face at the same time
Lay down at five, jump up at six, and start all over again
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
If you come to me sickly you know I'm gonna make you well
If you come to me all hexed up you know I'm gonna break the spell
If you come to me hungry you know I'm gonna fill you full of grits
If it's lovin' you're likin, I'll kiss you and give you the shiverin' fits
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
I got a twenty dollar gold piece says there ain't nothing I can't do
I can make a dress out of a feed bag and I can make a man out of you
'Cause I'm a woman! A W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, and that's all
The lyrics to Peggy Lee's song, "I'm a Woman" are a testament to the strength and capabilities of a woman. Throughout the song, Lee lists the many tasks and responsibilities she can handle with ease, such as washing out forty-four pairs of socks or rubbing and scrubbing until her house shines like a dime. She also expresses her ability to multitask by feeding the baby, greasing the car, and powdering her face all at the same time. Lee's confidence in her own abilities is evident in her claim that she can make a dress out of a feed bag and make a man out of someone. The refrain, "I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again," further emphasizes her strength and resilience.
The song was released in 1963 and was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was inspired by a series of advertisements that appeared in Esquire magazine in the 1950s, which featured women bragging about their household skills. The song became a hit for Peggy Lee and has since been covered by many other artists.
Line by Line Meaning
I can wash out forty four pairs of socks and have 'em hangin' out on the line
I'm skilled in doing laundry and I can wash forty four pairs of socks and have them dried hanging on the line
I can starch and iron two dozens shirts 'fore you can count from one to nine
I'm quick and efficient with pressing clothes, I can starch and iron twenty-four shirts before you can even count from one to nine
I can scoop up a great big dipper full of lard from the drippin's can Throw it in the skillet, go out and do my shopping, be back before it melts in the pan
I'm a multi-tasker and I'm able to perform various activities, I can quickly scoop up a big dipper of lard, cook with it and still have time to run errands
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
I'm proud to be a woman and I'm capable of doing all these things
I can rub and scrub til this old house is shining like a dime
I can clean and polish this entire house until it sparkles like a shiny coin
Feed the baby, grease the car, and powder my face at the same time
I'm able to juggle multiple tasks at once, such as taking care of the baby, greasing the car, and putting on makeup
Get all dressed up, go out and swing 'til four A.M. and then Lay down at five, jump up at six, and start all over again
I'm a social butterfly and I can party until four in the morning, but I'm also a hardworking woman who can wake up at five and start all over again
If you come to me sickly you know I'm gonna make you well
If you're not feeling well, I'm confident in my ability to make you better
If you come to me all hexed up you know I'm gonna break the spell
If you're under a spell, I can dispel it and liberate you from it
If you come to me hungry you know I'm gonna fill you full of grits
If you're hungry, I'll make sure to feed you well, as I can cook a delicious meal
If it's lovin' you're likin, I'll kiss you and give you the shiverin' fits
If you're looking for love and affection, I can give you a passionate kiss that will give you the shivers
I got a twenty dollar gold piece says there ain't nothing I can't do
I'm confident and I believe that I can do anything, I'm not afraid of facing challenges
I can make a dress out of a feed bag and I can make a man out of you
I'm creative and resourceful, I can make a beautiful dress even from a simple feed bag and I can also mold and shape a man into something great
'Cause I'm a woman! A W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again
I'm proud of being a woman and I'm capable of doing anything
'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, and that's all
Being a woman is my strength and I can accomplish great things just the way I am
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Charles Jenkins
What an incredible talent Miss Lee was! She was a brilliant actress, as every song she sang shows. She had amazing timing.
Michel Domingue
Great song and amazing singer 👍👏👏👏
A shrimpest
Wonderful. Feminine power. Of it's time of course, woman don't want that drudgery, but she makes it sound triumphant. Whatever sphere this woman is in, it means power. Thank you Peggy Lee.
CK Martin
It's about being able to do it all. Kind of an inverse "I'm a Man"
Jan Aswad
It’s not drudgery it’s love for your family.
Jan Aswad
It’s not drudgery it’s called love for your family.
melanieprice
...and she can memorize all those lyrics and sing them with perfect timing
Wand
I'm a singer, writer, composer, actress, with a seven decades career. Got to sing for Benny Goodman's big band after working just 5 years. Had a tonsillectomy, but swung back to touring with hardly a stir. Brought a noisy bar to a stop with my super-sultry purr, cos I'm a woman - WOMAN.........
Pat Grimes
What a singing voice Peggy Lee had, one of a kind, all her own!
Paul Alldredge
Love this song!