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."
Makin' Whoopee
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The groom is nervous, he answers twice
It's really killin' that he's so willin'
To make whoopee
Picture a little love nest
Down where the roses cling
Picture the same sweet love nest
He's washin' dishes and baby clothes
He's so ambitious, he even sews
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
For makin' whoopee
Another bride, another June
Another sunny, a sunny honeymoon
Another reason is that season
For makin' whoopee
A mess of shoes, a gang of rice
The groom is nervous that he answers twice
It's really killin' this cat so willin'
To make whoopee
Now he's washin' dishes with those baby clothes
He's so ambitious, man, he even sews
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
For makin' whoopee
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
For makin' whoopee
The lyrics to Peggy Lee’s “Makin’ Whoopee” revolve around the idea of getting married and the realities that come with it. The first stanza begins with the wedding ceremony and the groom’s nervousness. The line, “It’s really killin’ that he’s so willin’ to make whoopee,” suggests that the groom’s eagerness is both admirable and daunting, as he knows that this decision will ultimately change his life. In the second stanza, Lee paints a picture of the newlyweds in their “love nest,” and implies that the roses outside their window symbolize the fragility and beauty of their love. The line, “And think what a year can bring,” suggests that the couple is optimistic about their future together but also aware of how much can change over time.
The third stanza brings a more humorous tone to the song, as Lee talks about how the responsibilities of marriage can catch up with the happy couple. The lines, “He’s washin’ dishes and baby clothes / He’s so ambitious, he even sews,” highlight how marriage requires both partners to share in the daily chores and responsibilities. The final stanza is essentially a repetition of the first, ending on the same line, “But don’t forget folks, that’s what you get folks, for makin' whoopee,” suggesting that the joy of marriage comes with a price.
Line by Line Meaning
A lot of shoes, a lot of rice
There are several shoes and rice grains present, which represent the celebratory customs related to a wedding.
The groom is nervous, he answers twice
The groom is anxious about the upcoming wedding and says 'I do' twice during the marriage ceremony.
It's really killin' that he's so willin'
The groom has mixed feelings about getting married but he is still excited about the idea of having sexual relations with his bride.
To make whoopee
The groom is looking forward to engaging in sexual activity with his significant other.
Picture a little love nest
Imagine a cozy home where two lovers reside together.
Down where the roses cling
This love nest is situated in a place where roses grow on trellises and creepers.
Picture the same sweet love nest
Imagine the same romantic home after a year has passed by.
And think what a year can bring
Reflect on all the changes that can occur in a year when two people share a home and life together.
He's washin' dishes and baby clothes
The groom is helping with household chores such as washing dishes and cleaning baby clothes, which is something not commonly done by men in traditional patriarchal societies.
He's so ambitious, he even sews
The groom is very progressive and not limited by traditional gender roles. He even knows how to sew clothing for the household.
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
However, don't forget that all of these domestic duties are expected of him because he chose to get married.
For makin' whoopee
All of these domestic chores are a small price to pay for the groom, who is looking forward to having sexual relations with his spouse.
Another bride, another June
Another wedding is taking place in the month of June, which is a popular time for weddings.
Another sunny, a sunny honeymoon
The couple is enjoying a sunny honeymoon, after the wedding ceremony.
Another reason is that season
The season of June is one of the reasons why many people choose to get married during this time of the year.
For makin' whoopee
Having sex with each other is one of the main reasons why couples choose to get married.
A mess of shoes, a gang of rice
There are a lot of shoes and rice grains scattered around, which is a common sight during wedding ceremonies.
The groom is nervous that he answers twice
The groom is so nervous that he accidentally says 'I do' twice during the marriage ceremony.
It's really killin' this cat so willin'
The groom wants to have sex with his bride so badly that he is willing to overlook the fact that he's nervous about getting married.
To make whoopee
The anticipation of having sex with his significant other is the one thing keeping the groom going on his wedding day.
Now he's washin' dishes with those baby clothes
After the wedding, the groom is helping with the household chores, including cleaning dishes and washing baby clothes.
He's so ambitious, man, he even sews
The groom is willing to do anything to help his wife and the household, even if it means sewing clothes or fixing something broken.
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
It's important to remember that these domestic duties are expected of the groom because he chose to get married.
For makin' whoopee
However, he's not complaining since he's looking forward to having sex with his wife.
But don't forget folks, that's what you get folks
In summary, getting married comes with certain expectations and duties, but it's all worth it in the end for those who enjoy physical intimacy with their significant other.
For makin' whoopee
Sex is the ultimate reason why people choose to get married, and everything else is just a means to that end.
Lyrics © DONALDSON PUBLISHING CO, TOBAGO MUSIC COMPANY, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn
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?