The union of jazz music and singing has origins in Blues and Standards singers in the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s, such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Marion Harris. In the mid-1920s, Louis Armstrong's popularization of nonsense 'scat' vocalizations showcased the human voice as an art form within the field of jazz.
During the huge popularity of Big Band and Swing in the 1930s and 1940s, a wave of celebrated vocalists performing jazz standards and Traditional Pop emerged. Bandleaders such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey sought to employ singers, whilst Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan all defined an era which, by the 1950s, became the golden era of vocal jazz. The phrasing, intonation and overall expressiveness with which the lyrics are delivered have been hugely influential to the medium of singing as a whole ever since.
Vocal jazz has continued to exist and evolve, with The Manhattan Transfer and Bobby McFerrin finding success in the 1970s and ‘80s and older, prime-era singers such as Nina Simone, Helen Merrill, Maxine Sullivan and Abbey Lincoln still recording and performing during this time. In the 1990s and post-millennium, the genre still maintained a moderate degree of success, with solo singers such as Dianne Reeves, Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum demonstrating their influences and paying tribute to the great vocalists of the past.
Don't Know Why
Norah Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know why I didn't come
Left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
When I saw the break of day
I wished that I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Out across the endless sea
I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones
Driving down the road alone
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Something has to make you run
I don't know why I didn't come
I feel as empty as a drum
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
Thank you
Thank you
You guys are nice, thanks
We all need a little love, right?
Thanks for giving us lots of love
We love you
In Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why," the lyrics describe a sense of regret and longing. The singer describes their hesitation in coming to a loved one, waiting until they saw the sun and then leaving the loved one by the house of fun without any clear reason why they did not come. The singer then wishes they could fly away from this situation as they are left catching teardrops in their hand. The song continues on with the singer saying that their heart is drenched in wine, indicating that they are experiencing some kind of emotional pain or heartache, and that they cannot get the loved one off their mind.
Line by Line Meaning
I waited 'til I saw the sun
I held off until morning light
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
I left you by the house of fun
I departed from you at the amusement park
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
When I saw the break of day
As the sun began to rise
I wished that I could fly away
I longed to escape
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Rather than being stuck and helpless
Catching teardrops in my hand
Collecting the tears I've shed
My heart is drenched in wine
I'm completely absorbed in my emotions
But you'll be on my mind
Thinking of you will always occupy my thoughts
Forever
For all time
Out across the endless sea
Far across the vast ocean
I would die in ecstasy
Passing away filled with joy
But I'll be a bag of bones
But I'll end up as a lifeless skeleton
Driving down the road alone
Isolated on the open road
My heart is drenched in wine
I'm fully absorbed in my emotions
But you'll be on my mind
Thinking of you will always occupy my thoughts
Forever
For all time
Something has to make you run
Something must have driven you away
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
I feel as empty as a drum
I feel completely hollow inside
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
I don't know why I didn't come
I can't explain why I haven't arrived yet
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jesse Harris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@davidhipo5350
Lyrics:
I waited till I saw the sun
I don't know why I didn't come
I left you by the house of fun
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
When I saw the break of day
I wished that I could fly away
Instead of kneeling in the sand
Catching teardrops in my hand
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Out across the endless sea
I would die in ecstasy
But I'll be a bag of bones
Driving down the road alone
My heart is drenched in wine
But you'll be on my mind
Forever
Something has to make you run
I don't know why I didn't come
I feel as empty as a drum
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
I don't know why I didn't come
@gilbertkentbaluyot7709
My mom passed away yesterday, this is her favorite song. Too much pain I feel right now but I know she's in good hand. I love you mom!
@kotrinad5087
In the beginning it’s hard, but with time it gets a little easier!
@ashleywills8761
🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
@fionalwan21
Hope you always doing great man
@marinesniper513
Prayers up man, hope you’re okay!
@TASIAawful1
So hard to loose our mums I’m so sorry may she rest in love and light
@Byorin
If melancholy and nostalgia had a musical baby, it would be this timeless song.
@Leofiora
Really 🙏🙏👏👏👏
@DeditQ4
😢
@tomaszzasada7913
:O/)*