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."
You Are Mine You
Peggy Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me
I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two
Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you
In Peggy Lee's song "You Are Mine You," the lyrics convey the deep desire and longing for a profound connection with someone. The singer expresses their longing to see the person's face in every kind of light, emphasizing their desire to know them intimately and completely. The mention of "fields of dawn and forests of the night" suggests a desire to be a part of the person's life during both joyous and challenging moments, symbolizing a commitment to being there through thick and thin.
The song also touches upon the concept of sharing a life together. The singer asks the person what they will be doing for the rest of their life and expresses their one request: to spend it all with them. This reflects a desire for a lifelong partnership and a willingness to embrace and support each other through the various phases and directions their lives may take.
The lyrics further dive into the idea of devotion and unity. The singer suggests that all the seasons, times, reasons, and rhymes of the person's life should begin and end with them. This highlights their desire to become the central figure in the person's life, someone who is present in every aspect and decision they make.
Lastly, the lyrics speak of the potential hidden within the person's eyes. The singer believes that there are "tomorrows waiting deep" and a "world of love" within their eyes, symbolizing undiscovered feelings and potential. The mention of awakening what's asleep in their eyes suggests a desire to explore and share a passionate and intimate connection, which may take time and a few kisses to fully realize.
Overall, "You Are Mine You" is a heartfelt expression of longing, commitment, and the desire to be deeply connected to someone, to the point where their entire life is intertwined with the singer's. It portrays a yearning for a lifetime partnership filled with love and shared experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to see your face in every kind of light
I desire to see your face in all circumstances and moods, embracing both the bright and dark moments.
In fields of dawn and forests of the night
Whether it's the beginning of a new day or during times of darkness, I want to see your face accompanied by various natural surroundings.
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
On special occasions, like birthdays, when you make a silent wish before blowing out the candles, I want to be there to hear it and share in that moment.
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make
I long to be the person who listens and understands your deepest desires and aspirations, even when they are not spoken aloud.
What are you doing the rest of your life?
I am curious about your plans and commitments for the entire duration of your existence.
North and South and East and West of your life
Irrespective of your geographical location and the paths you choose to take, I hope to be a significant part of your journey.
I have only one request of your life
Out of all the things I could ask for, the sole desire I have is for you to spend every moment of your life with me.
That you spend it all with me
I want you to dedicate your entire life, with all its ups and downs, to our shared companionship and love.
All the seasons and the times of your days
I wish to be present and intimately involved in every season and phase of your life, experiencing the different emotions and memories with you.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Even the smallest and most mundane aspects of your daily life, including minor expenses, I want to be a part of and share the joys and burdens they bring.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
May the motivations and poetry of your existence, the purpose and creativity you possess, revolve around our connection, and be inspired by our love.
All begin and end with me
I desire for our relationship to be the starting point and ultimate destination of everything you do in life.
Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
I see a future filled with promise and potential when I look into your eyes, and I can sense the anticipation of the days yet to come.
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
Within the depths of your eyes, I witness a whole universe of love and affection that you hold within, a world only known to us.
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
I will be the catalyst that brings to life the dormant emotions and desires that reside within your eyes, awakening a deeper connection between us.
It may take a kiss or two
Through authentic displays of affection, intimate kisses, and tender gestures, I will awaken and unlock the hidden depths of love within you.
Through all of my life
Throughout the entirety of my existence, from the beginning to the end, I will remain committed and devoted to you.
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
In all the different seasons and stages of my life, regardless of the changing circumstances, my love for you will endure.
All I ever will recall of my life
When reflecting on my life, the only memories that will truly matter and stand out are the ones I have shared with you.
Is all of my life with you
The entirety of my existence is intertwined with yours, and nothing else holds as much significance or brings as much fulfillment as our life together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Alan Bergman, Mariliyn Bergman, Michel Legrand
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?