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."
Ring Those Christmas Bells
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hear the Christmas bells go ding dong
Some folks like to hear a Christmas song
But I like Christmas bells that go ding dong
Jingle-jangle, ding-a-ling or just bing-bong
I love to hear 'em ring
Oh, ring those Christmas bells
While they chime, we'll have a happy time
So ring those Christmas bells
Ding dong, ding dong
Up above the stars are clear and bright
While all around the snow is soft and white
Santa and his reindeer soon will be in sight
And you will hear him sing
Oh, ring those Christmas bells
Ring those Christmas bells
While they chime, we'll have a happy time
So ring those Christmas bells
Ding dong, ding dong
Oh, the music of an open sleigh
When every jolly jingle seems to say
Happy, happy, happy, happy holiday
Come on and join the fun
Oh, ring those Christmas bells
Ring those Christmas bells
While they chime, we'll have a happy time
So ring those Christmas bells
Ring those Christmas bells
Ring those Christmas bells
While they chime, we'll have a happy time
So ring those Christmas bells
Ring those Christmas bells
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
Ding dong, ding dong
The lyrics to Peggy Lee's song "Ring Those Christmas Bells" express the joy and excitement that comes along with the holiday season. The repetitive use of "Ding dong" suggests the sound of the bells ringing and adds a playful tone to the song. The first verse states that while some people prefer to hear Christmas songs, the singer prefers the sound of the bells. The various ways the bells can be described, such as "jingle-jangle, ding-a-ling or just bing-bong" emphasize the diversity of the sounds heard during the holiday season. The chorus repeats the phrase "Ring those Christmas bells" and suggests that happiness and cheer come along with the sound of the bells. The second verse describes a winter scene with clear, bright stars and soft white snow. Santa and his reindeer are on their way and the singer invites the listeners to join in the singing and have fun during the holiday season.
The lyrics to "Ring Those Christmas Bells" capture the joy and excitement that comes with the holiday season. By emphasizing the sound of the bells, the song creates a playful and festive tone. The repetition of "Ding dong" adds to the song's cheerful nature and the chorus encourages listeners to join in the fun. The verse about Santa and his reindeer adds to the magic of Christmas and emphasizes the importance of sharing the holiday spirit with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Ding dong, ding dong
The sound of the Christmas bells ringing
Hear the Christmas bells go ding dong
Listen to the joyful sound of the Christmas bells ringing
Some folks like to hear a Christmas song
Many people enjoy listening to Christmas music
But I like Christmas bells that go ding dong
Personally, I prefer the ringing of the Christmas bells
Jingle-jangle, ding-a-ling or just bing-bong
There are many different ways the bells can ring, but they are all delightful to hear
I love to hear 'em ring
I enjoy hearing the Christmas bells ringing with all their different sounds
Up above the stars are clear and bright
Looking up, the stars are shining brightly and the sky is clear
While all around the snow is soft and white
On the ground, there is snow all around that is soft and white
Santa and his reindeer soon will be in sight
Santa Claus and his reindeer are on their way and will be seen soon
And you will hear him sing
You may also hear Santa Claus singing as he delivers presents
Oh, the music of an open sleigh
The sound of the bells on an open sleigh is incredibly joyful
When every jolly jingle seems to say
Each and every jingle adds to the happiness of the moment
Happy, happy, happy, happy holiday
This is a truly happy holiday season
Come on and join the fun
Let's all celebrate together and have fun
Ring those Christmas bells
Let the Christmas bells keep ringing out loud and clear
While they chime, we'll have a happy time
The joyful sound of the Christmas bells brings happiness to our hearts
So ring those Christmas bells
Continue to ring the Christmas bells
Ding dong, ding dong
The ringing of the Christmas bells goes on and on
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@anthonymarando7046
One of my absolute favorites.
@shelbymunro8941
This is my new favourite Christmas song, even though it's from the 50s.
@Oldiesmann
I'm surprised this wasn't/isn't more popular. I've only been able to find two other versions of this song (Fred Waring in 1957 and Lawrence Welk in 1959). Still a fun song 70 years later.
@dianaandrews5168
Haven't heard this song in years!
@johnpatterson4816
Not too bad.
@_Mulberrystreetgirl01_
🎁