In addition to her many album releases, Vikki Carr has played concerts for fans around the world, as well as appeared on stage, and television. She has starred in productions of South Pacific, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. In 2002 she starred in the Reprise production of Steven Sondheim's beloved musical Follies in Los Angeles, garnering glowing reviews from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Two years later, Los Angeles PBS affiliate, KCET, filmed a special Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias: a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940s and 1950s originally composed by Latinos, and featuring guest appearances by Jack Jones, Pepe Aguilar and Arturo Sandoval. PBS again tapped Vikki to host and star in a production celebrating the music of Mexico, Fiesta Mexicana, which was featured on all PBS stations for their June 2008 pledge drive.
Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children, began performing at the tender age of four singing "Adeste Fidelis" in Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty Records in 1961. She recorded "He's a Rebel", which first became a hit in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable release, It Must Be Him, which charged up the charts in England. A year later, the single was released in the United States and earned Carr three Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck. After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits, including With Pen in Hand, for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, The Lesson, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, and For Once in My Life.
Her international appeal was so great that she was invited to perform at a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, followed by sold-out shows throughout Europe. In the States, Carr became a darling of the White House, performing regularly at State Dinners and at President Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural celebration. President Gerald Ford called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President Bill Clinton.
A frequent musical guest on major network variety shows of celebrities like Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, and Carol Burnett, Carr also taped six specials for London Weekend TV. As an actor, she appeared on the Bing Crosby Show, Mod Squad, Fantasy Island, and co-hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World of the World pageants. She was the first woman to regularly guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. She was also a visitor and guest host on Michael Jackson's ABC radio show.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad. Frank Sinatra once said, "She possesses my kind of voice", Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business", and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald named her among their three favorite female singers of all time. Elvis Presley was also very fond of her and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in which she attended.
Vikki Carr has received numerous prestigious awards, including:
- Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Latino Spirit Award (2003)
- Tito Guizar Award (2003)
- Trefoil Award (2002)
- Inductee of the Latino Legends Hall of Fame (2000)
- Imagen Foundation "Humanitarian Award (1998)
- Hispanic Heritage Award (1996)
- Nosotros Golden Eagle Award (1988)
- Hispanic Woman of the Year (1984)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1981)
- Doctorate in Law from San Diego University (1974)
- Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University (1974)
- American Guild of Variety Artists' "Entertainer of the Year" (1972), and
- The Los Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" (1970)
She has also earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award, and was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award. In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected both as an artist and a humanitarian, Carr devotes time to many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971 she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
"My voice is a gift and a gift is nothing unless you can share it. The Foundation is one of the ways that I am able to share my gift", said Carr. "The Foundation seeks to help young Mexican-American students achieve their goals through a college education, something I myself was never able to do."
Official website: http://www.vikkicarr.com/
If I Were Your Woman
Vikki Carr Lyrics
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you'd have no other woman, you'd be weak as a lamb.
If you had the strength to walk out that door,
My love would over rule my sense, and I'd call you back for more,
If I were your woman.
If I were your woman, and you were my man. Um baby.
She tears you down darlin', says you're nothing at all.
You're like a diamond but she treats you like glass.
Yet you beg her to love you, but, me you don't ask.
If I were your woman, If I were your woman.
If I were your woman, here's what I'd do,
I'd never, no, no, stop loving you.
Yeah, yeah, um
Life is so crazy, a love is unkind.
Because she came first, darling, will she hang on your mind?
You're a part of me, and you don't even know it.
I'm what you need, but I'm too afraid to show it.
If I were your woman, If I were your woman,
If I were your woman, here's what I'd do.
Never, no, no, no, stop loving you, ah, yeah.
If I were your woman, here's what I'd do.
Never, never stop loving you if
I were your woman, and you were my man, these lyrics by Vikki Carr would be the perfect anthem to our love story. The opening line sets the narrative for a woman who longs to be in a relationship where she is the only one. She desires a man who is devoted to her completely and would never turn to anyone else. The lyrics that follow express her vulnerability and how she would willingly lose her sense if it meant calling her man back for more. The unrelenting love she has for him is evident in the way she sings about him.
As the song continues, the lyrics address the presence of another woman in the man's life who constantly tears him down. The singer expresses her willingness to be the one to pick him up and show him the love he deserves. She sees his potential and recognizes that he is like a diamond, yet he is treated poorly by the other woman. This is a common theme in relationships, where one person sees the worth of the other, but they fail to recognize it themselves. In the chorus, the singer reiterates that if she were his woman, she would never stop loving him, highlighting the intensity and tenacity of her feelings for him.
In the final verse, the singer contemplates the complexities of love and how it can be unkind. She recognizes that another woman came first, and she wonders if that will always be at the forefront of his mind. However, she herself is a part of him and wishes to show him that he needs her in his life. She is too afraid to express her emotions fully, but the love that she has for him will never cease.
Overall, Vikki Carr beautifully captures the longing and yearning of a woman who seeks to be devoted to a man who reciprocates the same level of emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
If I were your woman and you were my man,
If we were together in a romantic relationship, I would not allow anyone else to come between us and you would be completely devoted to me.
you'd have no other woman, you'd be weak as a lamb.
You would never be unfaithful to me and you would be so completely in love with me that you would do anything to make me happy.
If you had the strength to walk out that door,
If you ever thought about leaving me, it would break my heart and I would do everything in my power to convince you to stay.
My love would over rule my sense, and I'd call you back for more,
My love for you would be so strong that I would ignore any logical reasons for why we shouldn't be together and I would always want you by my side.
She tears you down darlin', says you're nothing at all.
The person you are with now is emotionally abusive and constantly belittles you, making you feel worthless.
But, I'll pick you up darling, when she lets you fall.
I will always be there for you when the person you are with now hurts you and makes you feel like you are nothing.
You're like a diamond but she treats you like glass.
You are an amazing and valuable individual, but the person you are with now does not see or appreciate your worth and treats you poorly.
Yet you beg her to love you, but, me you don't ask.
Even though the person you are with now mistreats you, you continue to hope that they will love you while you ignore the fact that I am right here, ready and willing to give you the love and respect you deserve.
Life is so crazy, a love is unkind.
Love can be unpredictable and can sometimes bring pain and heartache.
Because she came first, darling, will she hang on your mind?
The fact that you were with someone before me still bothers me and I wonder if you still think about them and have feelings for them.
You're a part of me, and you don't even know it.
You are a huge part of my life, even though you may not realize it and may not see the potential for a future together.
I'm what you need, but I'm too afraid to show it.
I believe that I am the perfect person for you and that we are meant to be together, but I am scared to express my feelings and risk rejection.
If I were your woman, here's what I'd do.
If I were in a romantic relationship with you, this is what I would do for you and how I would treat you.
I'd never, no, no, stop loving you.
My love for you would be never-ending and I would never stop caring for you.
Yeah, yeah, um
A simple vocalization to add emphasis or emotion to the previous line.
Never, never stop loving you if
Again, I would never stop loving you, no matter what happens or where life takes us.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gloria Jones, Pamela Joan Sawyer, Clay Mc Murray
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind