As the son of a vicar, he had his first singing experiences in a church choir. He attended Ripon College, where he also sang non-professionally with a group called the Indigos, and graduated in 1962. He went on to earn a master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, and worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco before joining a small jazz club trio headed by George Duke and deciding that he would make professional singing his life in 1968
He appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, the Troubador and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and David Frost, while he expanded his nightclub appearances to include performing at the Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi, among others.
He was spotted by Warner Bros. in 1975 and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him into international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.
One of Jarreau's most commercially and artistically successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well-known for his scat singing and the ability to perfectly imitate conventional guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We are the World" and sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand."
He has toured and performed with such greats as Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Rick Braun. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
A Sleepin' Bee
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're bewitched and deep in Love's long look at the land.
Maybe I dream but she seems sweet and golden as a crown.
And the sleepin bee done told me, that I'd walk with nmy feet off the ground
With my one true lover I have found.
The lyrics to Al Jarreau's song "A Sleepin' Bee" poetically convey the intense feeling of being in love. The opening line sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics by referring to a bee that is asleep in the palm of the singer's hand. This metaphor is apt as it describes the feeling of being awestruck and paralyzed by the feeling of love. The singer feels bewitched and entranced, underlining the intense emotions that love can bring about.
The second line goes on to expand on the feelings the singer is experiencing by likening them to a "long look at the land". This reference indicates that the feeling of love is something that is vast and all-encompassing, like a landscape that unfolds endlessly before one's eyes. The singer then dreams about their true love, who they see as "sweet and golden as a crown". This particular reference is interesting as it alludes to royalty and suggests that the singer sees their lover as someone who is regal and deserving of respect and admiration.
Finally, the singer reveals that the "sleepin bee done told" them that they would "walk with [their] feet off the ground" with the lover they have found. This line underlines the transformative power of love and how it can make one feel as though they are floating or weightless. As a whole, these lyrics demonstrate the poetic ways in which people can describe the intense and transformative feeling of love.
Line by Line Meaning
When a bee lies sleepin in the palm of your hand
When you hold a sleeping bee in your hand, you are engulfed in a moment of magic and wonder, you feel love all around.
You're bewitched and deep in Love's long look at the land.
You feel enchanted and under a spell of love as you look around and marvel at the beauty of the world.
Maybe I dream but she seems sweet and golden as a crown.
Perhaps it's just my imagination, but the bee appears as a symbol of something valuable, something as precious as a crown.
And the sleepin bee done told me, that I'd walk with nmy feet off the ground
The sleeping bee whispered to me that I will feel weightless, like I am walking on air, I will feel elated.
With my one true lover I have found.
I have found my one true love and together we are experiencing this moment of pure bliss and enchantment.
Contributed by Landon I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mellow Motif
Great song, great singing and delivery --- he reallllly swings :) I have this album and I still couldn't help but to listen here again and again! Thanks for posting. We definitely need more versions of great songs like these on YouTube (most that I found aren't even jazz)
Somaria Torres
great song and interpretation, that´s jazz!!!
Georges Prudenté
I thank you for this excellent sharing. Al Jarreau, always so precise in this art.
Andrew Conanan
You're welcome, Georges!
Terry Loder
JUST found this song. Ed Finn, who was Roger Williams' guitarist told me it was recorded a block from me in Rock Island Illinois, in a house owned by the Sotos Brothers. We were just getting started as a bunch of rockers. Amazing recording!!! We wound up recording Chicago!! and it wasn't this good.
Andrew Conanan
This was from AJs 1965 album. You must me in you teens back then?
Terry Loder
@Andrew Conanan Yup Junior in HIgh School at Davenport Central. I walked the bridge since it was my senior year. 65/66
Mima García Cantora🎵
Unt tema grandioso pero poco apreciado e infravalorado como el jazz en general. Gracias por subirlo!
Dude on a computer
If you liked this, must look up The Masquerade Is Over from same album...brilliance!
law2461
Another winner for Al Jarreau.