Carlisle was born on the 26th December 1915, in Xenia, Ohio, U.S.A.. She was discovered by Fats Waller late in 1932. He invited her to play on his radio show at station WLW in Cincinnati during Christmas week when Una Mae turned seventeen. She was still in High School at the time, and her mother had approved her Christmas vacation in Cincinnati because she was to stay with her elder sister. When her vacation was over, she refused to return home, becoming a professional musician working with Waller at WLW. It has been stated by some sources that she became his mistress. Waller's contract with WLW expired in 1934 and he left Cincinnati for New York.
Carlisle left America in 1936 to tour Europe, reportedly with the revue Blackbirds of 1936, though no record has been found to substantiate her being a member of the cast, and she spent the next three years there, mostly in London and Paris. In London, on the 20th May 1938, she recorded three discs that were released on the Vocalion label, including "Don't Try Your Jive on Me". Her backing band for that session included the West Indian musicians Dave Wilkins (trumpet) and Bertie King (clarinet and tenor sax).
She became highly successful in England, Germany, and France, where she worked at the Boeuf sur le Toit ("The Ox on the Roof"), a cabaret in the Rue du Colisée in Paris. While in Paris in 1939 she was one of two pianists in a combo headed by clarinetist Danny Polo (Danny Polo And His Swing Stars) which recorded four sides for Decca.
She then returned to New York where she undertook several successful engagements and record dates, the first of which was a session with Fats Waller in November 1939 for Bluebird, in which she and Waller combined to sing "I Can't Give You Anything but Love". She began recording on her own for Bluebird in the summer of 1940. She soon had several hits, including "Walkin' by The River" with Benny Carter, "Blitzkrieg Baby" with Lester Young, and "I See a Million People" with Charlie Shavers and John Kirby.
As early as 1938 Carlisle began suffering with mastoid trouble and in 1941 she was hospitalised for several week.
Bluebird dropped her from its roster during the 1942-1944 American Federation of Musicians ban on recording (the "Petrillo Ban"), so she signed with Joe Davis for whom she recorded more than a dozen tracks, one of which was "'Tain't Yours" with trumpeter Ray Nance, who had just left Duke Ellington's band.
In between bouts of ill health she played clubs and hotels and appeared on radio shows, including a week-long salute to Fats Waller on WNEW in New York in February 1945, approximately a year after his death.
Her career kept going into the 1950s when she became involved in films and her own radio and television shows. Her last studio session was for Columbia in New York on the 8th May 1950. Later in 1950 she recorded a few "special product" 78s on RCA Victor, which she is believed to have distributed to disc jockeys to keep her name before the public.
She retired due to her illness in 1954, and died in New York on the 7th November 1956.
I Would Do Anything for You
Una Mae Carlisle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That won't ever reach the shore
Overwhelmed by the tide
Of wanting nothing more..tonight
Than to take this time and make it all mine
It's coming around again
Every now and again sometimes
The air gets clean and the seas get wide
And I can do anything
The pain it won't even cross my mind
But there's wonder in everything
The rope gets loose and the chains unbind
And I can do anything
Hope, it's the light that strikes
That burns inside of me
It's a blinding light but somehow I can see...again
When I've lost my way
It's becoming very clear
And it's coming around again
Every now and again sometimes
I get lost on the wind of a dream
The air gets clean and the seas get wider
I can do anything
The pain it won't even cross my mind
But it's a wonder and everyday
The ropes get loose and the chains unbind
And I can do anything
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
My spirt takes to fly
The colors fill the sky
And I'm free
Oh-oh...
It's coming around again
It's coming around again
It's coming around again
Every now and again sometimes
I get lost on the wind of a dream
The air gets clean and the seas get wide
And I can do anything
The pain it won't even cross my mind
But there's wonder in everything
The rope gets loose and the chains unbind
And I can do anything
Every now and again sometimes
I get lost on the wind of a dream
The air gets clean and the seas get wide
And I can do anything
The pain it won't even cross my mind
But there's wonder in everything
The rope gets loose and the chains unbind
And I can do anything
The lyrics of Una Mae Carlisle's song "I Would do Anything for You" express the overwhelming power of love and hope. The lyrics describe a feeling of being lost in a dream, where the pain of life is momentarily forgotten and anything seems possible. The wave of love that the singer rides on may never reach the shore, but in that moment, they are completely consumed by it. The imagery in the lyrics suggests a sense of wonder and freedom, as if the singer's spirit takes flight and the colors fill the sky.
The song is ultimately an uplifting and empowering anthem that speaks to the human desire for hope and possibility. The repetition of the phrase "It's coming around again" reinforces the idea that, no matter how lost and overwhelmed we may feel at times, there is always the possibility of renewal and rebirth. The song is a reminder to keep pushing forward and to hold onto the things that give us hope and inspiration.
Line by Line Meaning
Love, it's the wave I ride
Love is the force that propels me forward in life, much like waves in the ocean carry a surfer.
That won't ever reach the shore
Love is a continuous journey with no destination, much like the ocean's waves never reaching the shore.
Overwhelmed by the tide
Sometimes the intensity of my feelings for someone can be overwhelming, like the power of ocean tides.
Of wanting nothing more..tonight
At this moment in time, I only desire to be with the person I love.
Than to take this time and make it all mine
I want to fully embrace and enjoy the present moment with my loved one.
It's coming around again
Love is cyclical, and I am excited for the feeling of falling in love again.
Every now and again sometimes
Occasionally, I feel lost or unsure of my path in life.
I get lost on the wind of a dream
I become absorbed in my dreams and imagination, losing sight of reality.
The air gets clean and the seas get wide
In these moments of clarity, the world seems fresh and open to new possibilities.
And I can do anything
I feel limitless and empowered, ready to tackle any challenge that comes my way.
The pain it won't even cross my mind
During these moments of liberation, I am free from the emotional pain that normally plagues me.
But there's wonder in everything
I am filled with awe and fascination by everything around me.
The rope gets loose and the chains unbind
The constraints that normally hinder me seem to disappear, leaving me free to explore and create.
Somewhere between the darkness and the light
During times of introspection, I find myself in a liminal space between the known and the unknown.
My spirit takes to fly
My soul feels liberated and able to explore the world beyond the physical realm.
The colors fill the sky
My experiences become more vivid and colorful, revealing new perspectives and insights.
And I'm free
Through this creative and introspective process, I feel truly liberated and unencumbered by the limitations of everyday life.
Contributed by Bailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Erin Smith
its called i would do MOST anything for you just sayin'