As Orin noted below, the incomparable Anita O’Day passed away this week. Born Antia Belle Colton, O’Day’s long and path-breaking career was marked by important recordings, as well as a series of drug problems (both of which she wrote about in her autobiography, High Times, Hard Times).
Among the songs for which O’Day was known was “And Her Tears Flow Like Wine,” which she first recorded in 1944 with Stan Kenton. Here’s a taste:
How he loved the old racehorses
He would bet them every day
One day he caught a winner
And the cabbage wasn’t hay
He indulged in fancy spending
Ordered rings, cars, and furs
But alas, alack like a stab in the back
She found out they were not hersAnd her tears flowed like wine
Yes, her tears flowed like wine
She’s a real sad tomato, she’s a busted valentine
Cause her mama done told her that a man is darn unkind.