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."
Lullaby in Rhythm
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Evening drums will come and take you through the night
To my lullaby in rhythm
All the breezes sigh in rhythm
Rest my love let nothing wake you till the light
Stars dance, while the shadows creep
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Sand man's gonna come and make you sleep, goodnight
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
All the breezes sigh in rhythm
Stars dance, while the shadows creep
The moon lands gonna swing you up high, swing you to sleep
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Sand man's gonna come and make you sleep, goodnight
The lyrics of Peggy Lee's "Lullaby in Rhythm" create a serene and enchanting atmosphere that encapsulates the essence of nighttime and the comfort of sleep. The singer invites the listener, presumably a child or loved one, to heed her lullaby, which is presented as both a soothing melody and a rhythmic experience. This lullaby serves as an auditory embrace that encourages imaginative dreams and gentle exploration within the realm of sleep. The phrase "dream your dreams and wander with them" suggests that the listener should freely explore their thoughts and fantasies, implying that the lullaby provides a safe and nurturing space for this journey.
The imagery of evening drums is particularly evocative, representing the natural rhythm of nightfall that beckons the listener to surrender to the calmness of the evening. This rhythmic drumming symbolizes not only the transition from day to night but also the inevitable arrival of sleep, which is personified through the "evening drums" that come to guide the listener through their nighttime adventure. The lyrics evoke a sense of protection; the singer positions herself as a gentle guardian watching over those who are drifting into slumber. The calming "breezes sigh in rhythm" further emphasizes this nurturing ambiance, contributing to a collective sense of peace and tranquility that envelops the listener.
In the second verse, the imagery of stars dancing and shadows creeping adds a layer of magical realism to the experience of falling asleep. The visual of stars engaging in a lively dance presents a playful and whimsical take on the nighttime sky, drawing parallels between the joy of these celestial bodies and the comfort they bring. Meanwhile, the shadows softly creep, mirroring the inevitable approach of night, which can evoke both mystery and safety. The moon, personified as a gentle caretaker, "swings you up high, swing you to sleep," suggesting an effortless transition into the world of dreams. This image reinforces the idea that the moon, like the singer, is watching over the listener, ensuring a serene and safe passage into slumber.
Towards the end of the song, the phrase "Sand man's gonna come and make you sleep, goodnight" invokes the familiar figure associated with childhood bedtime tales—the Sandman. This character, often depicted as a bringer of sleep, signifies a comforting and familiar energy that promotes peaceful restfulness. The repetition of the lullaby throughout the lyrics creates a hypnotic effect, enhancing the theme of rhythm and encouraging the listener to surrender fully to the embrace of sleep. By intertwining these themes of rhythm, tranquility, protection, and childhood innocence, Peggy Lee’s "Lullaby in Rhythm" crafts a timeless message about the beauty and necessity of restful sleep, while touching on the nurturing aspects of love and care that accompany it.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Listen to the soothing melody I offer, which flows in a gentle, pleasing beat.
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Allow your imagination to take flight as you explore the visions created in your mind.
Evening drums will come and take you through the night
The rhythmic sounds of the night will guide you into a peaceful slumber, leading you through dreams until dawn.
To my lullaby in rhythm
Embrace this soothing song, which carries a comforting beat to ease you into sleep.
All the breezes sigh in rhythm
The night air whispers softly, creating a harmonious ambiance that encourages rest.
Rest my love let nothing wake you till the light
Sleep peacefully, dear one, undisturbed until the morning sun awakens you.
Stars dance, while the shadows creep
The twinkling stars move gracefully across the night sky, while darkness slowly settles around.
The moon lands gonna swing you up high, swing you to sleep
The moon will gently lift and cradle you, rocking you into a deep, restful sleep.
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Let my soothing melody fill your ears, calming and comforting you.
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Explore the endless possibilities of your imagination as you drift into slumber.
Sand man's gonna come and make you sleep, goodnight
The mythical figure of sleep will arrive to gently usher you into the realm of dreams, wishing you sweet rest.
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Focus on this calming song and allow its soothing beat to envelop you.
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Dive into your fantasies and let them guide your night-time adventure.
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Listen closely to this comforting tune, which flows in a gentle harmony.
All the breezes sigh in rhythm
The gentle winds harmonize with soothing whispers, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
Stars dance, while the shadows creep
As the stars twinkle in the night sky, an aura of darkness quietly looms.
The moon lands gonna swing you up high, swing you to sleep
The moonlight will embrace you, cradling you softly and lulling you to dream.
Hear my lullaby in rhythm
Pay attention to this tender song, which offers peace and comfort.
Dream your dreams and wander with them
Allow your mind to drift freely into the joyous realms of your dreams.
Sand man's gonna come and make you sleep, goodnight
Prepare for sleep as the gentle Sandman arrives to guide you warmly into the night.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, PRINCESS MUSIC PUBLISHING CORP
Written by: BENNY GOODMAN, WALTER HIRSCH, CLARENCE PROFIT, EDGAR SAMPSON
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?