Davis, Jr. was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, to Elvera Sanchez, a dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr., an African-American entertainer. The couple were both dancers in vaudeville. As an infant, he was raised by his paternal grandmother. When he was three years old, his parents split up. His father, not wanting to lose custody of his son, took him on tour. Sammy Davis Jr. claimed that his mother was Puerto Rican, however the 2003 biography In Black and White alleges that he made this claim due to the political sensitivities of the 1960s (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), and that his mother was born in New York of Cuban descent rather than in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
As a child he learned how to dance from his father, Sammy Davis, Sr., and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child in 1928 and they became the Will Mastin Trio. Throughout his long career, Davis included the Will Mastin Trio in his billing.
Mastin and his father had shielded him from racism. Snubs were explained as jealousy. But during World War II, Davis served in the United States Army, where he was first confronted by strong racial prejudice. As he said later, "Overnight the world looked different. It wasn't one color anymore. I could see the protection I'd gotten all my life from my father and Will. I appreciated their loving hope that I'd never need to know about prejudice and hate, but they were wrong. It was as if I'd walked through a swinging door for eighteen years, a door which they had always secretly held open.
Change Partners
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
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With the same fortunate man?
You have danced with him since the music began,
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Must you dance quite so close,
With your lips touching his face?
Can't you see I'm longing to be in his place?
Ask him to sit this one out,
And while you're alone,
I'll tell the waiter to tell him
He's wanted on the telephone,
You've been locked in his arms
Ever since heaven-knows-when,
Won't you change partners and then,
You may never want to change partners again.
Ask him to sit this one out,
And while you're alone,
I'll tell the waiter to tell him
He's wanted on the telephone,
You've been locked in his arms
Ever since heaven-knows-when,
Won't you change partners and then,
You may never have to change partners again.
Sammy Davis Jr.'s "Change Partners" is a love song that describes the desire of the singer to dance with his partner who is currently dancing with another man. The singer of the song feels that the woman in question has been dancing with the same man since the beginning of the music, and so he implores her to change partners and dance with him. He goes on to describe his yearning to be in the other man's place and asks the woman to distance herself from her current dance partner. The singer of the song suggests that the man sits out for one song, and during this time, he will inform him that he is wanted on the telephone. There is a hint of jealousy and a sense of urgency in the singer's voice, as he pleads with the woman to change partners and give him a chance to dance with her intimately.
The song's lyrics are a metaphor for a relationship that is on the brink of ending. The woman has been with the same man for an extended period, and the singer wants her to consider him as a viable option. The suggestion that the man sits out for one song and is told that he is wanted on the phone by the waiter is a ploy used by the singer to have a few moments alone with the woman. The song is a classic example of the kind of love songs that were popular in the 1960s and 1970s, where the singers often used a metaphor to convey their feelings to their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Must you dance every dance
Do you have to dance each and every dance
With the same fortunate man?
With that lucky guy who you always dance with?
You have danced with him since the music began,
Since the start of the music, you've danced with him
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Why don't you switch dance partners and dance with me instead?
Must you dance quite so close,
Do you really have to dance so close
With your lips touching his face?
With your lips almost touching his face?
Can't you see I'm longing to be in his place?
Can't you see how much I want to be in his position?
Won't you change partners and dance with me?
Why don't you switch dance partners and dance with me instead?
Ask him to sit this one out,
Tell him to skip this dance,
And while you're alone,
And while we're together dancing,
I'll tell the waiter to tell him
I'll ask the waiter to let him know
He's wanted on the telephone,
That he's needed on the phone.
You've been locked in his arms
You've been embraced by him
Ever since heaven-knows-when,
For as long as I can remember,
Won't you change partners and then,
Why don't you switch dance partners and then
You may never want to change partners again.
Maybe you won't ever want to switch again.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind