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."
Swingin' On A Star
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule?
A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny but his brain is weakHe's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule
Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a pig?
A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig
Or would you like to swing on a star
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a fish?
A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
He can't write his name or read a book
To fool the people is his only thought
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
A new kind of jumped-up slippery fish
And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a star
In Peggy Lee's song "Swingin' On A Star," the lyrics are filled with comparisons between animals and the alternative of living a life among the stars. The song is a whimsical reflection on the choices one might make in life, as the chorus asks whether the listener would like to "swing on a star" and capture "moonbeams home in a jar," or instead, choose to be an animal with the qualities of stupidity, rudeness, or slipperiness. The song suggests that one's fate is not predetermined and that it's up to the individual ultimately to make the best of their life, all sung in Lee's sultry and playful style.
The first set of lyrics suggests that life isn't always easy, and sometimes it might be better off to be a mule. The qualities of the mule are described as having "long funny ears," which kick up easily, signifying the animal's lack of intelligence. He's strong but without much going on in his brain. There is also a suggestion that if one hates going to school, they may be destined to be a mule, which reinforces the importance of education.
Line by Line Meaning
Would you like to swing on a star
Do you want to live an adventurous and fulfilling life?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
Do you want to experience magical moments and be able to share them?
And be better off than you are
Do you want to elevate your life and achieve more than your current state?
Or would you rather be a mule?
Would you rather lead a tough, brute life of a stubborn and unintelligent animal?
A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Mules are not attractive physically and their ears are comically long.
Kicks up at anything he hears
They are quick to act without thinking, and have a tendency to react violently.
His back is brawny but his brain is weak
Their physical strength is their strongest feature, but their intelligence is lacking.
He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
They are not intelligent creatures and are often unyielding in their ways.
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
If you hate education, mule-hood may be your future.
You may grow up to be a mule
Your actions have consequences, and if you don't seek knowledge, you might end up as foolish and stubborn as a mule.
Or would you like to swing on a star
Do you want to lead a life full of amazing adventures and experiences?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
Do you want to capture precious moments and keep them safe?
And be better off than you are
Would you like to elevate your status, and make the most of every opportunity?
Or would you rather be a pig?
Would you rather be an unrefined creature that is lazy, rude and unkempt?
A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
Pigs have no sense of cleanliness, they are often covered in dirt and filth
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
Their appearance screams ‘neglect’.
He has no manners when he eats his food
Pigs have no table manners and often eat messily.
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude
Pigs are not active animals, and this plus their lack of hygiene make it difficult to stand their presence.
But if you don't care a feather or a fig
If you don't have a care in the world, then pig life may interest you.
You may grow up to be a pig
If you choose not to value hygiene, etiquette and manners, then the future as a pig is likely in your cards.
Or would you like to swing on a star
Would you like to live an extraordinary life?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
Would you like to preserve the beauty and magic of life?
And be better off than you are
Do you want your future to be bright and prosperous?
Or would you rather be a fish?
Would you rather lead a solitary and ill-informed life?
A fish won't do anything, but swim in a brook
Fish aren't versatile animals; their mode of transportation is limited to swimming.
He can't write his name or read a book
Fish are not smart creatures, and lack the ability to read or write. In fact, they probably have no such concept of literacy.
To fool the people is his only thought
Fish don't have a moral compass, and their only thought is to survive by any means possible.
And though he's slippery, he still gets caught
Fish are ill-equipped to survive on their own – they are an easy catch for those who put in minimal effort.
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
If you are content with leading a simple and uninformed life, then fish life is for you.
You may grow up to be a fish
If you shun education and more significant challenges, you are likely to end up living an unambitious and ignorant life.
A new kind of jumped-up slippery fish
In modern times, while the concept of leading a simpler life might seem appealing from afar, the harsh realities of life make it impossible.
And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Not every crazy person is in rehab - there are still lots of unpredictable people in the world.
Every day you meet quite a few
It's not hard to run into an unpredictable or unusual person.
So you see it's all up to you
It's up to you to decide what you want to be and what kind of life you want.
You can be better than you are
You have the ability to transform your life by making better choices.
You could be swingin' on a star
The opportunities are endless - you could embark on a fulfilling and adventurous life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lisahoggarth7102
I must have known Peggy when I was Marilyn Monroe. This song I found whilst looking for a song about stars, it makes my soul and heart smile. Hello to Peggy in the universe 💜
@Radda001
Delighted to discover your channel. Thank you for sharing the listening pleasure ...
@followthefleet1
Hey thanks. It's obvious to say it, but this is real music. It employs pleasant melody, catchy rhythm, clever lyrics...humor...and plenty of expression and interpretation, to send a gentle message. It's genuinely civilized. What a change of pace! :-)
@lisazinna1694
My dad sang this to me back in the 1970's.
@thenamarie9108
💜💙💚 stuck in my head all afternoon, so had to listen
@megsturner9601
my Mum used to sing this to me as a child...so many memories
@flatop47
Thanks For Looking
@zeedottv
Nice work!! great music and video.thumbs up
@flatop47
Thanks For Looking
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