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."
Pass Me By
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To wiggle in the sand
Lots of idle fingers
Snap to my command
A lovely pair of heels
That kick that beat the band
Contemplating nature can be fascinating
Add to these a nose that I can thumb
To tell the whole darn world
If you don't happen to like it
Deal me out
Thank you kindly, pass me by
Pass me by, pass me by
If you don't happen to like it, pass me by
Lots of idle fingers
Snap to my command
Contemplating nature can be fascinating
I'll tell the whole darn world
If you don't happen to like it
Deal me out
Thank you kindly, pass me by
Pass me by, pass me by
If you don't happen to like it, pass me by
I got me ten fine toes
To wiggle in the sand
Lots of idle fingers
Snap to my command
A lovely pair of heels
That kick that beat the band
Contemplating nature can be fascinating
Add to these a nose that I can thumb
And a mouth by gum have I
To tell the whole darn world
If you don't happen to like it
Deal me out
Thank you kindly, pass me by
Pass me by, pass me by
If you don't happen to like it, pass me by
The lyrics of Peggy Lee's "Pass Me By" are about embracing oneself with all of its quirks and imperfections, and taking a bold stand against others who do not accept one as they are. The song begins with the description of the singer's body, emphasizing the various body parts that she can use to enjoy life and dance to the rhythm. She acknowledges that some people may not understand or accept her ways, and she is ready to let them pass her by. She asserts her independence and confidence by saying that she'll tell the whole darn world if anyone finds fault with her.
The lines "Lots of idle fingers snap to my command" and "contemplating nature can be fascinating" reflect the happiness of the singer and her enjoyment of life, as people are naturally drawn to her and are entertained by her spirit. The lyrics also suggest that the natural world is a place of wonder and awe that can inspire and captivate people who take the time to appreciate it.
Overall, "Pass Me By" is a playful, upbeat song about self-love and acceptance. Peggy Lee urges her audience to appreciate themselves, even if others don't, and to embrace the beauty and excitement of life.
Line by Line Meaning
I got me ten fine toes
I am blessed with a pair of ten beautiful toes
To wiggle in the sand
Which I can use to dig into sand and have fun
Lots of idle fingers
Additionally, I have many fingers that are not currently occupied
Snap to my command
That I can easily control and make them do as I wish
A lovely pair of heels
I also have gorgeous high heels that can create perfect rhythm and sound
That kick that beat the band
Their kicks sound so musical and sweet that they can easily beat any tune
Contemplating nature can be fascinating
There is so much to observe and learn from nature, it is quite intriguing
Add to these a nose that I can thumb
Moreover, I have a nose that I can proudly call mine and grab it anytime
And a mouth by gum have I
In addition to that, I possess a mouth that can speak with authority
To tell the whole darn world
I can speak my mind and express my thoughts to everyone
If you don't happen to like it
But, if anyone disagrees or dislikes it
Deal me out
Then I would like to distance myself from that situation or conversation
Thank you kindly, pass me by
I respectfully request you to leave or move on to the next topic
Pass me by, pass me by
Please, just pass me by
If you don't happen to like it, pass me by
I prefer to avoid wasting time on something that is not mutually enjoyable
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CY COLEMAN, CAROLYN LEIGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kelly Chen
I've got me ten fine toes to wiggle in the sand.
Lots of idle fingers snap to my command.
A lively pair of heels that kick to beat the band.
Contemplatin' nature can be fascinatin'.
Add to these a nose that I can thumb,
And a mouth by gum have I,
To tell the whole darn world if you don't happen to like it deal me out,
Thankyou kindly Pass Me By
Chorus: Pass Me By-y, Pass Me By-y-y.
If you don't happen to like it Pass Me By.
I've got me two great shoes that never saw a shine.
Trousers I can hold up with a laundry line.
A lovely patch that hides an awful lot of spine.
Shirt-tails flyin', I'm a bloomin' dandelion!
Add to these a grin from ear to ear,
And all the proper gear have I,
To tell the whole darn world if you don't like the assortment deal me out,
Thankyou kindly Pass Me By
Chorus: Pass Me By-y, Pass Me By-y-y.
If you don't happen to like it Pass Me By.
Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
Music: Cy Coleman
Ginea25
Mrs. Maisel brought me here, and I thank her kindly for it. Awesome song.
Julia
She brought me here too but, Father Goose played so superbly by Cary Grant was the one who taught me the words. If you haven't seen it it's worth your time. Look for it!
Em
me too.
Smitty Smith
Me too!
Gina Seraichyk
Me too!💕💕💕
Phi
Dont you mean a Marvelous song?
JHYZ TV
Old songs are really something … I wish there are more songs as carefree and creative as these.
corinthian
I can't think of a better song of its type , vivacious , bouncy , it always cheers me up . Written of course , by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh , the wonderful Peggy Lee sings it as only she could . Excellent !
Allen Murray
We used to play this in band in high school. Great song. Now I finally know the lyrics.
Scott Miller
Great song performed by a wonderful lady and beautiful entertainer!!!!!