At the age of two, Teresa was brought by her mother to audition for a radio program, "Uncle August's Kiddie Show" on Toledo's WSPD. She performed for cookies and cupcakes donated by the sponsor. Although she never took singing lessons, she took lessons to tap dance. From age five to twelve, she toured with the "Major Bowes Amateur Hour," then a popular radio show, both singing and dancing. She travelled with her aunt Mary until she married in 1949 and was devoted to the aunt, who lived with her until 1993, when Teresa's aunt Mary died.
At the age of 12, Teresa was brought back to Toledo, ceasing touring to have a normal school life. She did, however, continue to perform on local radio.
In January 1948 the sixteen-year-old Teresa won a local competition and (with three other winners) was sent to New York to appear on a talent show called "Stairway to the Stars," featuring Eddie Dowling. It was about that time that she changed the spelling of her name, as she won a number of talent shows and played night clubs in New York (including the famous Latin Quarter).
An agent, Richie Lisella, heard her sing and took her career in hand, and soon she was signed to a contract with London Records. In 1949 she recorded a record called "Copenhagen" with the Dixieland All-Stars. The B side was a song called "Music! Music! Music!" by Stephen Weiss and Bernie Baum. It turned out that this side was the one that took off, selling over a million copies, and became Teresa's signature song.
Another novelty song, "Choo'n Gum," hit the top 20 in 1950, followed by "Molasses, Molasses." Although she preferred to sing ballads, the only one of those that made the charts was "Longing for You" in 1951.
In 1951 she switched labels, going to Coral Records. By this time she was married with a daughter. Since she never learned to read music, she had a demo sent to her to learn the tunes of her songs. Even so, she had a number of hits for Coral, though one of her recordings, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now," (1952) was better known in a 1956 version by Patience and Prudence and was also a hit in 1964 for Skeeter Davis as well as Tracey Dey. Also that year she recorded "You'll Never Get Away" in a duet with Don Cornell, and in 1953 came her best selling hit, "Till I Waltz Again with You."
More 1953 hits were "Dancin' with Someone," "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall," and another gold record, "Ricochet." In later years she followed with "Baby, Baby, Baby," "Bell Bottom Blues," "Our Heartbreaking Waltz" (written by Sidney Prosen, who had written "Till I Waltz Again With You"), and "Skinnie Minnie." During those years she continued to play the big night clubs in New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, and elsewhere.
In the mid-50s, she did a number of covers of rhythm and blues songs like "Pledging My Love," "Tweedle Dee," and "Rock Love." She also covered some country songs like "Jilted," "I Gotta Go Get My Baby," and "Let Me Go, Lover!," (better known by Joan Weber).
In 1956 she had a two-sided hit with "A Tear Fell" and "Bo Weevil," covers of R&B songs. This was followed by "Sweet Old-Fashioned Girl." Also that year she co-wrote "I Love Mickey," about New York Yankees center fielder Mickey Mantle, who appeared on the record with Teresa. Another big hit for Teresa in 1956 was "Mutual Admiration Society."
Though she is often dismissed as another pop singer, most of her songs have a decidedly pre-rock beat to them, especially "Ricochet", "Jilted" and "A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl".
In 1957 she made more covers: of country song "Teardrops in My Heart" and R&B songs "You Send Me" and "Empty Arms.". The last chart hit of hers was "Milord" in 1961, an English language version of a song by Édith Piaf.
In 1962 she switched labels again, to Philips Records, and subsequently made a few recordings for other companies, but no more big chart hits.
In the 1970s, she recorded for Flying Dutchman Records' Amsterdam label owned by her husband Bob Thiele.
All together, she recorded nearly 600 song titles. For her contribution to the recording industry, Teresa Brewer has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Brewer died on October 17, 2007 in New Rochelle, New York.
All By Myself
Teresa Brewer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What'll I do?
I long for somebody who
Will sympathize with me
I'm growing so tired of living alone
I lie awake all night and cry
Nobody loves me
That's why
All by myself in the morning
All by myself in the night
I sit alone with a table and a chair
So unhappy there
Playing solitaire
All by myself I get lonely
Watching the clock on the shelf
I'd love to rest my weary head on somebody's shoulder
I hate to grow older
All by myself
The lyrics of Teresa Brewer's "All By Myself" express the feeling of loneliness and longing for companionship. The singer of the song is unhappy and tired of living alone. They long for someone to empathize with and share their burdens. The solitude is suffocating, and the singer is frequently consumed by sadness, as they cry themselves to sleep at night. The desperation of their situation is highlighted by the fact that they play solitaire or stare at the clock, trying to pass time and escape their own minds.
The second verse highlights the singer's loneliness and how they spend their time alone. They are isolated in their monotonous routine, sitting alone with only a table and a chair for company. The imagery of the "table and a chair" is especially poignant, signifying the emptiness that the singer feels. They feel so lonely that they watch the clock on the shelf and long to rest their head on someone's shoulder. The lyrics also showcase the fear of aging alone and the dread of growing older with no one by their side.
Overall, the song depicts the pain of being alone and the desire for companionship. The lyrics express how loneliness can be overwhelming, leaving one feeling empty, unloved, and invisible.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so unhappy
I am feeling immense sorrow and dissatisfaction in my life
What'll I do?
What courses of action should I take to alleviate my unpleasant circumstances?
I long for somebody who Will sympathize with me
I yearn for someone who can understand and relate to my emotional struggles
I'm growing so tired of living alone
I am becoming exceedingly weary of being alone and lacking companionship
I lie awake all night and cry
I spend countless hours awake at night, crying and grieving for a better situation
Nobody loves me That's why
I am feeling unloved and abandoned, which is causing my current state of misery
All by myself in the morning
I am alone and isolated in the early hours of the day
All by myself in the night
I am all by myself during the night, without anyone to comfort me
I sit alone with a table and a chair So unhappy there
I remain seated in my loneliness with only a table and chair as company, feeling dejected and hopeless
Playing solitaire
I engage in solitary activities to pass the time and distract myself from my loneliness
All by myself I get lonely
My solitary situation leads me to feel a deep sense of loneliness and despair
Watching the clock on the shelf
I stare aimlessly at the clock on the shelf, waiting for time to pass
I'd love to rest my weary head on somebody's shoulder
I deeply desire to lay my tired head on someone's shoulder for comfort
I hate to grow older
I despise getting older as it means my chances of finding companionship diminish
All by myself
I am alone, with no one to share my burdens or moments of joy
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MEMPHIS SLIM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jorge Ashiyama
Gracias!
Por favor, puede subir "All by myself" de Irving Berlin interpretada por esta formidable cantante?