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."
Taking A Chance On Love
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All aglow again, takin' a chance on love.
Here I slide again, about to take that ride again.
Starry-eyed again, takin' a chance on love.
I thought that cards were a frame-up, I never would try.
Now I'm taking that game up and the ace of hearts is high.
Things are mending now, I see a rainbow blending now.
Here I slip again, about to take that trip again.
I got that grip again, takin' a chance on love.
Now I prove again that I can make life move again.
Um - I'm in the groove again, takin' a chance on love.
I walk around with a horse shoe, in clover I lie.
And brother rabbit of course you better kiss your, foot good-bye.
On that ball again I'm ridin' for a fall again.
I'm gonna give my all again takin' a chance on love.
The song "Taking A Chance On Love" by Peggy Lee is about taking risks, both in love and in life. The lyrics describe the excitement, fear, and uncertainty that come with putting oneself out there and taking chances. The opening lines, "Here I go again, I hear those trumpets blow again. All aglow again, takin' a chance on love," set the stage for a thrilling ride. The second verse talks about overcoming past fears and doubts, with the lyric, "I thought that cards were a frame-up, I never would try. Now I'm taking that game up and the ace of hearts is high." The third verse touches on the idea that luck plays a role in taking risks, with the lines, "I walk around with a horse shoe, in clover I lie. And brother rabbit of course you better kiss your, foot good-bye." The final verse encourages one to continue taking chances, despite the possibility of failure, with the lyric, "On that ball again I'm ridin' for a fall again. I'm gonna give my all again takin' a chance on love."
Overall, the song is a celebration of the courage needed to take risks and pursue one's passions. It encourages listeners to embrace the unknown and to trust in their ability to navigate whatever comes their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I go again, I hear those trumpets blow again.
Once again I feel my heart fluttering with excitement as I hear the trumpets play, urging me to take a chance on love.
All aglow again, takin' a chance on love.
My spirit is lifted once again, and I am full of hope and joy as I take another gamble on love.
Here I slide again, about to take that ride again.
I find myself once again poised to embark on a new adventure, excited to take this journey and see where it leads me.
Starry-eyed again, takin' a chance on love.
With my eyes shining bright with anticipation, I am ready to take the leap of faith and try my hand at love once more.
I thought that cards were a frame-up, I never would try.
I used to believe that love was just a game of chance, not worth playing or risking my heart for.
Now I'm taking that game up and the ace of hearts is high.
But now I am willing to take the risk, and I believe that the rewards of love are worth it all - especially when the stakes are high.
Things are mending now, I see a rainbow blending now.
As I take this chance on love, I can see that things are starting to fall into place, and even the troubles and challenges of life are coming together in a beautiful, harmonious way.
We'll have a happy ending now, takin' a chance on love.
With newfound hope and faith in love, I am confident that things will turn out for the best, and that my gamble on love will lead me to a happy ending.
Here I slip again, about to take that trip again.
Once again, I find myself about to embark on a new adventure, ready to take a journey that might be full of surprises and unexpected twists and turns.
I got that grip again, takin' a chance on love.
With my heart and soul firmly grasping the reins, I am ready to take control of my destiny and seize the moment - all in the name of love.
Now I prove again that I can make life move again.
With each new gamble on love, I am filled with the confidence and assurance that I need to take charge of my life and make things happen.
Um - I'm in the groove again, takin' a chance on love.
Feeling the rhythm and soul of the music, I am swept up in the moment, allowing myself to be carried away by the power of love once more.
I walk around with a horse shoe, in clover I lie.
I feel as if I am the luckiest person in the world, with good fortune and blessings surrounding me wherever I go.
And brother rabbit of course you better kiss your, foot good-bye.
Even those who once doubted or scoffed at me are now seeing the benefits and rewards of taking a chance on love, and they are envious of the happiness and good fortune that I have found.
On that ball again I'm ridin' for a fall again.
Even though I know that there is a risk of heartache and disappointment when it comes to love, I am willing to take that chance and keep on trying - no matter what the outcome might be.
I'm gonna give my all again takin' a chance on love.
With every fiber of my being, I am committed to giving my all to the pursuit of love - with faith, hope, and a willingness to take risks along the way.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Latouche, Ted Fetter, Vernon Duke
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?