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
Someday My Prince Will Come
Skeeter Davis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There is someone I'm longing to see
Someone I simply can't help but adore
Someone who'll thrill me forever
Some day my prince will come
Some day I'll find my love
And how thrilling that moment will be
When the prince of my dreams comes to me
And steal a kiss or two
Though he's far away,
I'll find my love some day
Some day when my dreams come true
Some day I'll find my love
Someone to call my own
And I'll know her the moment we meet
For my heart will start skipping a beat
Some day we'll say and do
Things we've been longing to
Though she's far away
I'll find my love some day
Some day when my dreams come true
The lyrics to Skeeter Davis and NRBQ's song "Someday My Prince Will Come" convey a sense of longing for true love and the hope that one day it will be found. The song speaks to the universal desire to find a soulmate who will make life complete. The singer recognizes that this love may be far away and yet to be discovered, yet she remains optimistic that someday, her prince will come.
The lyrics describe the singer's deep affection for this yet-to-be-found love, and the thrilling anticipation that comes with imagining the moment they will finally meet. The dream of finding true love is further emphasized through the use of the fairy-tale term "prince," which carries connotations of romance and a perfect love match.
The final stanza also alludes to the idea that even though this love may be far away and the journey to find it may be long, the singer is confident that her dreams will come true and she will find the love that she seeks.
Overall, "Someday My Prince Will Come" is a beautiful and timeless song that speaks to the human desire for love and companionship. It conveys a sense of hope and anticipation that resonates with all those who long for that special someone to share their lives with.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere waiting for me
There is a person who is waiting for me in a particular place.
There is someone I'm longing to see
I feel a strong desire to see a particular person.
Someone I simply can't help but adore
I have an intense feeling of love and admiration for this person.
Someone who'll thrill me forever
This person will excite and delight me always.
Some day my prince will come
A person who I perceive as my ideal partner will arrive one day.
Some day I'll find my love
I will eventually find the person who is meant to be with me.
And how thrilling that moment will be
That moment of discovering true love will bring great excitement and joy.
When the prince of my dreams comes to me
The person who embodies everything I desire in a partner will come to me.
He'll whisper, I love you,
This person will express their love for me in a soft and intimate manner.
And steal a kiss or two
We will share romantic and affectionate kisses.
Though he's far away,
Even though we may be in different physical locations.
I'll find my love some day
I will eventually meet and be with the person who is meant to be with me.
Some day when my dreams come true
This moment will occur when all of my hopes and aspirations are realized.
Someone to call my own
A person who will belong to me and me alone.
And I'll know her the moment we meet
I will recognize this person as my true love from the moment we first see each other.
For my heart will start skipping a beat
I will have a strong emotional response to this person, causing my heart rate to increase.
Some day we'll say and do
We will eventually talk and act on our romantic feelings for each other.
Things we've been longing to
We will do and say the things that we have been hoping for and desiring.
Though she's far away
Even if this person is currently distant from me.
I'll find my love some day
I will eventually meet and be with the person who is meant to be with me.
Some day when my dreams come true
This moment will occur when all of my hopes and aspirations are realized.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Frank Churchill, Larry Morey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben Prevo
Buddy Emmons !
orbodman
What is NTBQ?
Dave Van Allen
orbodman New Rhythm & Blues Quartet NRBQ
Kris Scanlon
nrbq are were a great omnirock band
Doug Morgan
Still re. I've liked them since Rocket # 9 off their first LP@Kris Scanlon
Charlie Fye
@Dave Van Allen National Rhythm & blues Quartet.