Art Blakey and Horace Silver formed the Jazz Messengers in 1955 and co-led … Read Full Bio ↴Art Blakey and Horace Silver formed the Jazz Messengers in 1955 and co-led it. When Silver dropped out in the group's first year the group name was changed to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Wayne Shorter was a long-standing member of the group, joining after the departure of Benny Golson, while other young musicians like Curtis Fuller, Donald Byrd, James 'Blood' Ulmer,Jymie Merritt, Hank Mobley, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons and Wynton Marsalis would come and go. Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers continued to perform until shortly before Blakey's death in 1990.

Art Blakey continues to be a legend among drummers, while the works of his Jazz Messengers are treasured among jazz musicians.

Body and Soul
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Lyrics

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My heart is sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul

I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it

I'm all for you body and soul

I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear

My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

My life a wreck you're making

You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

Overall Meaning

The song "Body and Soul" is a ballad about unrequited love. The lyrics express the singer's longing for someone who does not return the same feelings. The opening lines characterize the singer's emotional state with a heavy description of sadness and loneliness in their heart. The next lines emphasize that the singer's love and affection are reserved for only the person they are addressing. The line "Why haven't you seen it" highlights the singer's feeling of confusion and frustration about the lack of reciprocation.

As the song progresses, the singer reveals that they spend their days in longing and wondering why the person they adore is not responsive to their overtures. They implore them to see that the singer is "all for you body and soul," which underlines the depth of their feelings. The singer expresses disbelief that the person they love could reject their proposal of romance, asking, "Are you pretending?" The song then moves towards a more desperate tone, with the singer saying that their life is in ruins because of the unrequited love they are experiencing. Despite this, they say they would still surrender themselves entirely to the person they love if given the chance.

Overall, "Body and Soul" conveys the pain of unrequited love and captures the depth of emotion that comes with unfulfilled desire. The melody’s sad and haunting tones add to its wistful and melancholic character.

Line by Line Meaning

My heart is sad and lonely
I'm feeling miserable and desolate

For you I sigh, for you dear only
I yearn for you with all my heart, exclusively

Why haven't you seen it
I wonder why you haven't realized my love for you

I'm all for you body and soul
I'm entirely devoted to you, down to the core of my being

I spend my days in longing
I spend most of my time pining for you

And wondering why it's me you're wronging
And questioning why you're treating me unfairly

I tell you I mean it
I declare my sincerity without hesitation

I'm all for you body and soul
I'm completely yours, heart, mind and soul

I can't believe it
I'm incredulous

It's hard to conceive it
It's difficult to believe it's true

That you'd turn away romance
That you would reject our love