Mary Frances Penick was born on December 30, 1931 in the small Appalachian town of Dry Ridge, Kentucky. As a child, her grandfather nicknamed her "Skeeter" because she was always active and buzzing around like a mosquito. She got her start in music as part of the duo, The Davis Sisters, along with childhood friend, Betty Jack Davis. Thus, Skeeter Davis was born to the rest of the world.
The Davis Sisters sang in the local Lexington, Kentucky area and appeared on local radio WLAX in 1949. From there, they earned radio and television appearances in Detroit, Cincinnati and Wheeling, WV, where they were part of the WWVA Wheeling Jamboree.
In 1952, Skeeter and Betty Jack recorded for Fortune, but won a recording contract with RCA the following year and achieved their first chart success. "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" went to number one on the U.S. country chart and number eighteen on the U.S. pop chart.
Sadly, on August 23, 1953, Skeeter and Betty Jack were involved in a serious car accident in which Betty Jack died and Skeeter was critically injured. It took Skeeter more than a year to recover both physically and mentally. With great difficulty and a lot of persuasion, Skeeter returned to singing with Betty Jack's sister, Georgia Davis, to briefly resume the Davis Sisters' act. But, within a year, the duo broke up and Skeeter pursued a solo career.
She continued to record on the RCA label where she worked with Eddy Arnold and Elvis Presley. In 1955, she toured for RCA on the Caravan of the Stars. Davis teamed up with producer, Chet Atkins and scored her first solo country chart hit in 1958 with "Lost To A Geisha Girl." This was during a time when the female acts were surging forward with "response" songs to some of the biggest hits by male artists. As Kitty Wells had answered Hank Thompson's "Honky Tonk Angels," with "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" in 1952, Skeeter Davis put out this answer to Hank Locklin's "Geisha Girl."
A few years later, Davis recorded another answer to a Hank Locklin song and gained another huge hit. Locklin sang "Please Help Me I'm Falling" and Davis' response was, "I Can't Help You, I'm Falling Too."
In 1959, Davis achieved one of her greatest ambitions when she moved to Nashville and became a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry. In 1960, she married WSM personality, Ralph Emery, but the tumultuous marriage ended in 1964.
During the 1960's, Davis was one of RCA's most successful country artists. She harvested 26 U.S. country hits, 12 of which crossed over to the U.S. pop charts. Among these was what was to become her trademark song, the million-selling record "The End Of The World" which peaked at number two in both the U.S. country and pop charts in 1963. She also earned her only UK chart presence with "The End Of The World" which topped out at number eighteen in only thirteen weeks on the chart.
Davis has also acheived songwriting success. Her co-written song "Set Him Free" became her first country Top 10 hit in 1959. She also co-wrote "My Last Date" with Boudleaux Bryant and Floyd Cramer. Cramer, famed pianist and member of the original A-team, recorded it as an instrumental solo and had a million-selling record on it in 1960.
During the 60's and 70's, Davis toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Far East. Her solo career started to wane in the 70's, but she still had several more hits such as "Bus Fare To Kentucky," "I'm A Lover, Not A Fighter," and "One Tin Soldier." Her duets with Bobby Bare, George Hamilton IV, and The Bee Gees gave her a few more hits, but by the mid-70's, Davis was reaching the end of her illustrious career. She ended her twenty-two year relationship with RCA in 1974 and charted her last hit for Mercury in 1976 with "I Love Us."
In 1967, Davis recorded a tribute album to Buddy Holly, which featured Waylon Jennings on the guitar. Later in 1972, she also did a tribute album to her friend, Dolly Parton. In 1985, she re-recorded an old Davis Sisters' hit, "May You Never Be Alone," with the group NRBQ. She married Joey Spampanito of NRBQ, but this marriage ultimately ended in divorce as well.
In 1973, Davis was dropped from the Grand Ole Opry's roster due to her strong criticisms of the Nashville Police Department during one of her performances. Her membership was later reinstated.
Davis has also taken to writing about her real life experiences. Her autobiography, "Bus Fare To Kentucky," was published in 1993. Davis pulls no punches in this brutally honest account of her life. She tells how she endured a family history of alcoholism, incest and murder. She also tells her side of the story regarding her four year marriage to Ralph Emery, following the heavy criticism which she received in Emery's autobiography. In 1997, she co-wrote a children's Christmas book, entitled "The Christmas Note," based on her own childhood.
Skeeter Davis passed away September 19th 2004 after a long battle with cancer.
Written by Sherry Anderson. June 2001
* Article appears courtesy of www.countrypolitan.com
Lost to a Geisha Girl
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Each time I read the note you sent from the island of Japan
Now you say you found another that has made your life worthwhile
And I've lost you to a geisha girl dressed in oriental style.
I don't believe in tea leaves or the writing in the sand
You've let a foreign woman prove the weakness of a man
Where the dim lights of a tea house makes a lonely heart grow wild
--- Instrumental ---
Does the beauty of the islands and your oriental love
Make the moon and stars seem brighter as they shine each night above
Why a love song with no meaning makes you happy I don't know
I've lost you to a geisha girl where the ocean breezes blow.
I don't believe in tea leaves or the writing in the sand
You've let a foreign woman prove the weakness of a man
Where the dim lights of a tea house makes a lonely heart grow wild
I've lost you to a geisha girl dressed in oriental style...
The lyrics of Skeeter Davis's song, Lost to a Geisha Girl, tells the story of a woman who has received a note from her lover who is in Japan. The note reveals that her lover has found happiness with a geisha girl. The singer is heartbroken and can't believe that their love has been lost to someone so foreign, both in terms of culture and geography. The first stanza sets up the theme of cultural differences, as the singer mentions the "oriental style" of the geisha girl, which is quite distinct from the singer's own style and culture. The trembling of the singer's hands as she reads the note from her lover also shows how deeply affected she is by the news.
In the second stanza, the singer expresses her disbelief at the fact that her lover has let a foreign woman "prove the weakness of a man". She seems to believe that the geisha girl has been able to use her looks and charm to lure her lover away. The reference to the "dim lights of a tea house" suggests a place of questionable morals, and that the geisha girl might not be a suitable replacement for the singer in her lover's life.
The final stanza continues the theme of cultural differences, as the singer wonders whether the beauty of the islands and the oriental love of her lover have made everything seem brighter and happier. The singer can't understand how a love song with no meaning can make her lover happy, and once again expresses her shock and disappointment that her lover has chosen someone foreign and unfamiliar over her.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a rattle in the paper from the tremble of my hand
Whenever I read the note you sent to me from Japan, my hand trembles so much that there's a rattle in the paper.
Now you say you found another that has made your life worthwhile
You told me that you found someone else who has made your life better and worth living.
And I've lost you to a geisha girl dressed in oriental style.
You have left me and now belong to a geisha girl who dresses in an oriental style.
I don't believe in tea leaves or the writing in the sand
I don't believe in the mystical prediction of the future through reading tea leaves or writing in the sand.
You've let a foreign woman prove the weakness of a man
You have let a foreign woman demonstrate the vulnerability of men.
Where the dim lights of a tea house makes a lonely heart grow wild
In a tea house with dim lighting, a lonely heart can become agitated and restless.
Does the beauty of the islands and your oriental love
I wonder if the beauty of the islands and your love for all things Oriental are connected.
Make the moon and stars seem brighter as they shine each night above
Do the beauty of the islands and your love for all things Oriental make the moon and stars seem more radiant as they shine each night?
Why a love song with no meaning makes you happy I don't know
I don't understand why a love song with no real meaning makes you happy.
I've lost you to a geisha girl where the ocean breezes blow.
You have left me for a geisha girl in a place where the ocean breezes blow.
I've lost you to a geisha girl dressed in oriental style.
You have left me for a geisha girl who dresses in the traditional Oriental style.
Contributed by Caroline R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gazzable
When Skeeter is singing my mind relaxes , she has such an angelic voice ,
Antoinette Sonny
Just love those songs by Skeeter Davis, Geisha Girl...Set Him Free...Going steady with a Heartache and much much more...
"OUTSTANDING"
Barbara Wilkes
Such a lovely voice, overlooked by Hall of Fame, not by her fans! A great entertainer.
Roger Britton
Thank You tube for keeping the classic songs alive!
Tomkat 56
I think Skeeter did the most ''answer '' songs
Juliet Kinyua
I love Skeeter Davies with all my heart. She is such a darling. Be blessed dear.
George Wright
I agree
Gapples007
"There's a rattle in the paper from the tremble of my hand" What a wonderfull piece of writing. Today she would get an e-mail if lucky, more likely a text !
wilfred heggart
i love this song
Nimene Nagbe
Thanks for providing all the Country classic