The Lady is a Tramp

ORIGINAL LINER NOTES

In the spring of 1937 a new musical opened on Broadway, its title was "Babes in Arms" and there were a number of things to distinguish it. To begin with, "Babes in arms" was the very first Rodgers and Hart musical, that is to say, previously Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart has always worked with a collaborator on the book. This one they produce themselves and it was an astounding hit. Time magazine called a "dewy, precious comedy," which it was, of course dealing as it did with the misadventures of a group of preposterously talented teenagers. Among these teenagers, was a one-time child star now grown to a a full 16 years, with a warm, wide open smile, a gift for mimicry and a wonderful way of projecting a song. Her name: Mitzi green. And if the details set down in "Babes in Arms" have long since been forgotten, one of the songs Miss Green introduced certainly has not. Not to continue the memory quiz any longer, the song was called "The Lady is a Tramp"; it was a very good song then and now–two decades later–it serves handsomely as the title song for this album. As most of the critics suspected then and as everyone knows for certain today this song of Rodgers and Hart is a very skillful marriage of melody and lyrics. But in the 20 years that vocalists have had there go at "The Lady is a Tramp, the number who have understood the lyrics and interpreted them with the sardonic impact that's required is appallingly low. Anita O'Day is one singer, however, who can interpret a sardonic lyric the way it is intended–with irreverence and a particularly jaunty haut cur. Pricelessly, in short, as Larry hart would have liked to hear it
The sardonic lyric, in fact, is one of Miss Today’s specialties, as is evidenced in another tune included here– Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" from the 1930 musical, "The new Yorkers". Miss O'Day it is apparent of "Speak Low", a song containing the meticulously chosen words of Ogdén; " Speak Low" is from "One Touch of Venus", a Broadway hit of 1942 vintage. The compilation of tunes herein runs a fairly wide gamut, in fact, also encompassing a jump for joy version of "Lover Come Back to Me" and Buddy Pepper's tender hit song of 1953, Vaya Con Dios". There's even a touch of a more current rage in Miss O'Day's original "Rock n' Roll Blues". Taken together the songs in this album offer a well-rounded showcase for Miss O'Day's Husky-throated style, a most distinctive and exciting one.
Anita O'Day was born in Chicago, attending Carl Shurz High School in that city's Northwest Side. Although she has appeared mainly as a single in nightclubs in recent years she was a featured vocalist with Gene Krupa band on two occasions and also with the Stan Kenton band.

COVER PHOTO BY HERMAN LEONARD

ORIGINAL ALBUM ART DIRECTION BY SHELDON MARKS