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 Like Men!
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or maybe his eyes are brown or blue
Maybe he has a fault or two
But I like men
If he has a gentle way
Then maybe he'll make me feel so frail
Well, that's my favourite kind of male I like men
I like the masculine, I like the mind
And I like any other kind that I can find
So the way that I feel, it's not hard to decide
I'll take Southern hospitality or Northern pride
Maybe he's a millionaire
Or maybe he's poor, I just don't care
Why, he can even lose his hair
'Cause I like men
So the way that I feel, it's not hard to decide
I'll take Southern hospitality or Northern pride
Maybe he's a millionaire
Or maybe he's poor, I just don't care
Why, he can even lose his hair
'Cause I like men
They can be big, they can be small
They can be short, they can be tall
But bless 'em, bless 'em all
I like men
I like men
Yes, bless 'em, bless 'em all
I like men
In Peggy Lee's song "I Like Men," the singer expresses her love and admiration for the male gender. She sings about how she doesn't care about their faults, physical features, or financial status because she truly enjoys being around men. She believes that gentleness and masculinity are the perfect combination for the type of man that she desires. Peggy Lee further states that she doesn't have a specific preference because she likes all types of men. She admires Southern hospitality and Northern pride equally and is not quite susceptible to physical traits such as hair loss, making it clear that her affection for men is rooted in something deeper.
The overall message of Peggy Lee's "I Like Men" is self-evident - she has a profound appreciation and affection for the male gender. Her reasoning and attraction towards men come from their physical features, their personality, and their general characteristics. No matter the background or beliefs, Peggy Lee wants to embrace and support all men in their unique ways. The song is one of admiration and love for the simple things men have to offer.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe he has sandy hair
It doesn't matter if he has sandy hair, I still like men.
Or maybe his eyes are brown or blue
I like men regardless of their eye color, it doesn't affect my preference.
Maybe he has a fault or two
Even if he's not perfect and has a few faults, I still like men.
If he has a gentle way
I appreciate men who are gentle, it makes me feel delicate and feminine.
Then maybe he'll make me feel so frail
Being in the company of a gentle man would make me feel dainty and fragile.
Well, that's my favourite kind of male
I am drawn to men with a gentle demeanor, that's my ideal type.
I like the masculine, I like the mind
I appreciate the masculine qualities of men, and I am also attracted to their intellect.
And I like any other kind that I can find
I am open to all kinds of men, regardless of their personality traits or background.
So the way that I feel, it's not hard to decide
I am very clear about my preference for men.
I'll take Southern hospitality or Northern pride
I am open to men from all regions and backgrounds, Southern or Northern.
Why, he can even lose his hair
Even if he starts to lose his hair, I will still be attracted to him.
They can be big, they can be small
Men come in all shapes and sizes, and I appreciate them all.
They can be short, they can be tall
Height doesn't matter when it comes to my attraction to men.
But bless 'em, bless 'em all
I appreciate and admire all men.
Yes, bless 'em, bless 'em all
I have a deep respect and admiration for all men.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JACK MARSHALL, PEGGY LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@v0mit_gurl939
Maybe he has sandy hair
Or maybe his eyes are brown or blue
Maybe he has a fault or two
But I like men
If he has a gentle way
Then maybe he'll make me feel so frail
Well, that's my favourite kind of male
I like men
I like the masculine, I like the mind
And I like any other kind that I can find
So the way that I feel, it's not hard to decide
I'll take Southern hospitality or Northern pride
Maybe he's a millionaire
Or maybe he's poor, I just don't care
Why, he can even lose his hair
'Cause I like men
So the way that I feel, it's not hard to decide
I'll take Southern hospitality or Northern pride
Maybe he's a millionaire
Or maybe he's poor, I just don't care
Why, he can even lose his hair
'Cause I like men
They can be big, they can be small
They can be short, they can be tall
But bless 'em, bless 'em all
I like men
I like men
Yes, bless 'em, bless 'em all
I like men
@trinirahim
I love men
@patrickhicks9880
if you're watching this on youtube the judy garland duet will pop up
peggy lee is a legend
@gregoryagogo
Describes the way I feel precisely!
@adamedwards418
This is the best song i havent even listened to it
@cynthiahawkins2389
"I like the masculine. I like the mind. And I like any other kind that I can find.." Peggy, you sassy gal..
@davidbeautifulperez2726
I LOVE THIS SONG,PEGGY LEE IS A GEM.
@bernardfrederick9462
Bravo!!!
@Nico-si1bo
Genius!
@Brian-ch8of
As a straight man I relate
@nickbarcheck1019
Me too, Peggy.