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/
So far away
Vikki Carr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're just time away
Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again would only do me good
Oh how I wish I could but you're so far away
I can't say much of anything that's new
But if I could only work this life out my way
I'd rather spend it being close to you
But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're so far away
So far away, yeah, you're so far away
Traveling around sure gets me down and lonely
Nothing else to do but close my mind
And I sure hope the road don't get to own me
There's so many dreams that I've yet to find
But you're so far away
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
And it doesn't help to know you're so far away
So far away, yeah, you're so far away
Vikki Carr's song "So Far Away" portrays a feeling of loneliness and longing for someone who is far away. The opening line, "Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?" sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer wonders why people are so mobile and can't stay in one place, which only adds to her feelings of isolation. The lyrics suggest that the person she's missing is someone she has a history with, as the lines "Long ago I reached for you and there you stood" and "Holding you again would only do me good" imply that they've been together before.
The chorus emphasizes the longing the singer feels for this person. She wishes they were closer so she could see their face and hold them again. The repetition of the line "you're so far away" drives home the distance between the two people. The second verse continues with the theme of mobility, with the singer expressing a desire to find a way to be with the person despite the challenges of travel. She would rather be near them than have the freedom to explore the world.
Line by Line Meaning
So far away
Expressing the distance between two people who are not physically together.
Doesn't anybody stay in one place any more?
Wondering why people do not stay in one place anymore.
It would be so fine to see your face at my door
Wishing to see the face of someone dear who is far away.
And it doesn't help to know you're just time away
Being aware that time is the only thing that separates the two individuals.
Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Reflecting on a time when the person in question was much closer.
Holding you again would only do me good
Realizing that being with the person again would be beneficial.
Oh how I wish I could but you're so far away
Feeling the impossibility of being with the person due to distance.
One more song about moving along the highway
Reflecting on how life involves a lot of travel.
I can't say much of anything that's new
Not having anything new to say about the experience of travel.
But if I could only work this life out my way
Wishing to have control over one's life and circumstances.
I'd rather spend it being close to you
Expressing the desire to be physically close to the person in question.
Traveling around sure gets me down and lonely
Admitting that travel can be a lonely experience.
Nothing else to do but close my mind
Not having much to do but to think and reflect.
And I sure hope the road don't get to own me
Expressing the fear of being consumed by a life of travel.
There's so many dreams that I've yet to find
Acknowledging a desire to explore the world and to fulfill one's dreams.
So far away, yeah, you're so far away
Reiterating the sadness and difficulty of being far away from someone important.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Carole King
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind