Early life
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis, Jr. was born in New York City, New York to Elvera Sanchez (1905-2000)[1], a Puerto Rican tap dancer, and Sammy Davis, Sr. (1900-1988), 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. During his lifetime Sammy Davis, Jr. stated that his mother was Puerto Rican and born in San Juan.[2] As a child he learned how to dance from his father and his "uncle" Will Mastin, who led the dance troupe his father worked for. Davis joined the act as a young child 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, for instance. When Davis served in the United States Army during World War II however, he was 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."
Career
While in the service, however, he joined an integrated entertainment Special Services unit, and found that the spotlight removed some of the prejudice. "My talent was the weapon, the power, the way for me to fight. It was the one way I might hope to affect a man's thinking," he said.[3]
Sammy Davis, Jr. (left) with Roy Wilkins (right) at the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C.
After he was discharged, Davis rejoined the dance act which played at a wide variety of spots around Portland Oregon, and began to achieve success on his own as he was singled out for praise by critics. The next year, he released his second album. The next move in his growing career was to appear in the Broadway show Mr. Wonderful in 1956.
In 1959, he became a member of the Rat Pack, which was led by his old friend Frank Sinatra, and included such fellow performers as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Shirley MacLaine. Initially, Sinatra called the gathering of fast-living friends "the Clan," but Sam voiced his opposition, saying that it invoked thoughts about the Ku Klux Klan. Sinatra renamed the group "the Summit"...but nevertheless, the media kept on calling it the Rat Pack all along.
Davis was a headliner at The Frontier Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada for many years, yet was required to accept accommodations in a rooming house on the west side of the city, rather than reside with his peers in the hotels, as were all black performers in the 1950s. For example, no stage dressing rooms were provided for black performers, so they were required to wait outside by the swimming pool between acts. [4]
During his early years in Las Vegas, he and other African-American artists like Nat King Cole and Count Basie could entertain on the stage, but often could not reside at the hotels at which they performed, and most definitely could not gamble in the casinos or go to the hotel restaurants and bars. After he achieved superstar success, Davis refused to work at venues which would practice racial segregation. His demands eventually led to the integration of Miami Beach nightclubs and Las Vegas casinos. Davis was particularly proud of this accomplishment. [5]
Although James Brown would claim the title of "Hardest Working Man in Show Business," the argument could be made that Sammy Davis, Jr. deserved it more. For example, in 1964 he was starring in Golden Boy at night and shooting his own New York-based afternoon talk show during the day. When he could get a day off from the theater, he would either be in the studio recording new songs, or else performing live, often at charity benefits as far away as Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas, or doing television variety specials in Los Angeles. Even at the time, Sam knew he was cheating his family of his company, but he couldn't help himself; as he later said, he was incapable of standing still.
Although still a huge draw in Las Vegas, Davis' musical career had sputtered out by the latter years of the 1960s, although he had a #11 hit (#1 on the Easy Listening singles chart) with "I've Gotta Be Me" in 1969. An attempt to update his sound and reconnect with younger people resulted in some embarrassing "hip" musical efforts with the Motown record label.[6] But then, even as his career seemed at its nadir, Sammy had an unexpected worldwide smash hit with "Candy Man". Although he didn't particularly care for the song and was chagrined that he was now best known for it, Davis made the most of his new opportunity and revitalized his career. Although he enjoyed no more Top 40 hits, he did enjoy some extra popularity with his performance of the theme song from the T.V. series Baretta (1975-1978) which was not released as a single but was given extensive radio play and he remained a successful live act beyond Vegas for the remainder of his career. He would still occasionally land television and film parts, including high profile visits to the All in the Family series playing himself. In the 1970s, he also appeared in a series of memorable commercials in Japan for Suntory whiskey.
On December 11, 1967, NBC broadcast a musical-variety special entitled Movin' With Nancy. In addition to the Emmy Award-winning musical performances, the show is famous for Nancy Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. greeting each other with a kiss, one of the first black-white kisses in U.S. television history.[7]
In Japan, Davis appeared in television commercials for coffee, and in the U.S. he joined Sinatra and Martin in a radio commercial for a Chicago car dealership.
Davis was one of the first male celebrities to admit to watching television soap operas, particularly the shows produced by the American Broadcasting Company. This admission led to him making a cameo appearance on General Hospital and playing the recurring character Chip Warren on One Life to Live for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination in 1980. He was also a game show fan, making a cameo on the ABC version of Family Feud in 1979, and hosting a question with Richard Dawson watching from the sidelines. He appeared on Tattletales with third wife Altovise Davis in the 1970s. He also made a cameo during an episode of the NBC version of Card Sharks in 1981.
Davis was an avid photographer who enjoyed shooting family and acquaintances. His body of work was detailed in a 2007 book by Burt Boyar. "Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter, during the Ciro's period, early '50s," Boyar quotes Davis. "And he hooked me." Davis used a medium format camera later on to capture images. Again quoting Davis, "Nobody interrupts a man taking a picture to ask... 'What's that nigger doin' here?' ". His catalogue of photos include rare shots of his father dancing onstage as part of the Will Mastin Trio. Also, intimate snapshots of close friends: Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Nat "King" Cole and Marilyn Monroe. His political affiliations also were represented in his images of: Robert Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. His most revealing work comes in photographs of wife May Britt and their three children, Tracey, Jeff and Mark.
(Credit Wikipidia.org)
Eee-O Eleven
Sammy Davis Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven.
It's all a state of mind.
Whether or not you'll fine.
That place down there or heaven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o Eee -o
Eee - o- Eleven.
Eee- o - Eleven.
Eee- o -Eleven.
Show me a man without a dream.
And I'll show you a man that's dead.
Real Dead.
Once I had me a dream.
But that dream got kicked in the head.
Dream dead.
I nearly had me that chauffeur
And that block long limousine.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
I nearly had me that penthouse.
All them stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eleven.
Some Judge is gonna say.
I'm putting you away.
For four score years add seven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
In Sammy Davis Jr.'s song Eee-O Eleven, the singer expresses his desires for a luxurious lifestyle that includes having a chauffeur, a block long limousine and a penthouse with stacks and stacks of folding green. He sings that it's all a state of mind and whether or not you find that place down there or in heaven. The song reflects on how having dreams is important, and without them, people are like walking dead.
The lyrics also reveal the singer's lament about how his dreams were shattered, and he nearly achieved the kind of lifestyle he wanted. However, he still sings that he would continue dreaming and hoping, "In the meantime Eee-o Eee-o Eee-o Eleven." The song suggests that the singer may end up in jail for a long time because he is willing to do anything to fulfill his dream.
Line by Line Meaning
One day I'll have me a chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Someday, I aspire to attain immense wealth so that I can afford to own a car of the utmost extravagance - with a personal driver - a symbol of my success and achievement.
Eee-o-Eleven.
This line serves as a catchy refrain, used repeatedly throughout the song without any explicit meaning, but rather as a way to reinforce the image of power and luxury in the listener's mind.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
My ambition is to reach such financial heights that I can purchase a residence in the city's most elite and glamorous area, signified by the penthouse apartment, the ultimate status symbol.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
I will accumulate vast amounts of money - piles of currency bills - to signify my extreme wealth and success.
It's all a state of mind.
Success and satisfaction are determined by one's own thoughts and mindset, not necessarily by external circumstances.
Whether or not you'll find that place down there or heaven.
It is ultimately up to each individual to decide what their goals and aspirations are in life, including what they consider their own version of 'heaven' - a place of ultimate fulfillment and happiness.
In the meantime.
While I work toward my ultimate dreams and aspirations, I will continue to use my ambition and drive to push forward and persevere.
Eee-o Eee -o Eee - o-Eleven.
Again, this line serves to emphasize the underlying themes of wealth, power, and opulence, acting as a sort of shorthand to reference these ideals for the listener.
Show me a man without a dream.
A person without a goal or ambition in life is akin to a lifeless being, devoid of any driving force or motivation to continue striving forward.
And I'll show you a man that's dead. Real Dead.
The statement is intensified with the use of 'real dead,' underlining the importance of having passion and ambition prompting someone to truly live life to its fullest.
Once I had me a dream, But that dream got kicked in the head.
I have had a previous dream or aspiration, but it was unfulfilled or led to disappointment, underscoring the idea that the journey to success is never easy or straightforward.
Dream dead.
This short and direct line emphasizes the crushing reality and emotional pain that comes with realizing one's dreams may not come to fruition.
I nearly had me that chauffeur, And that block long limousine.
There were times where I was so close to reaching my goals, that I could almost touch the luxury and opulence I longed for - represented by the chauffeur and incredibly long car.
Eee-o-Eleven
Again, the refrain is used to strengthen the idea of success and luxury, acting as a shorthand for these concepts throughout the song.
Some Judge is gonna say, I'm putting you away
This line speaks to the idea that those who are highly ambitious often take risks that are not necessarily legal or ethical, which can lead to punishment or imprisonment, underscoring that the path to success can be perilous.
For four score years add seven.
The image of the Judge using such formal language, emphasizing a long sentence of punishment indicates the severity and harshness of the punishment given. This form of archaic language conjunction in sentencing lengthen the duration and tensity of the impending doom.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES VAN HEUSEN, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EMR
One day I'll have me a
chauffeur... and a block long limousine
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Someday I'll have me a penthouse.
Stacks and stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven.
Eee-o-Eleven.
It's all a state of mind.
Whether or not you'll fine.
That place down there or heaven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o Eee -o
Eee - o- Eleven.
Eee- o - Eleven.
Eee- o -Eleven.
Show me a man without a dream.
And I'll show you a man that's dead.
Real Dead.
Once I had me a dream.
But that dream got kicked in the head.
Dream dead.
I nearly had me that chauffeur
And that block long limousine.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
I nearly had me that penthouse.
All them stacks of folding green.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eleven.
Some Judge is gonna say.
I'm putting you away.
For four score years add seven.
In the meantime.
Eee-o-Eleven
Eee-o-Eleven
Gilly James
Sammy Davis Jr is the coolest cat ever! The best singer and performer, like a stick of dynamite ... no one can come close! He was treated abysmally by some of those 'so called friends'! Sammy, you were the best! xxx
The Fan With No Name
This song has been stuck in my head for days. People don't understand when I suddenly go EEEEEEOOOOO ELLLEVEN.
Shamil Khamitov
True !
The American Nostalgist
I do 🤣 I got 8 decades of music stuck in my head constantly And nobody understands when I make references 🤣
K Thornton
Same. People also refuse to acknowledge this was the best version of the movie, Ocean's Eleven.
Larry Osberg
Enjoy this song to but this is the only place I can find it. It's not even on the original soundtrack.
Taron roberts
😄😄😄 That's funny and awesome!
Euan Krasniqi
Both, this song and the movie are two masterpieces 🎬📺🖤
Terry Yates
Cool song,...Sammy had an incredible voice, loved to hear him sing anything.
calady11
Love this movie and the song!! Back in the late 1950's my parents would take my sister and I to Vegas (we were kids then)and I remember a lot of the old hotels (the Dunes, Sands, Hacienda, the Golden Slipper, etc.).