Once in a while a musician comes along with impecca… Read Full Bio ↴Beegie Adair Bio
Once in a while a musician comes along with impeccable technique, deep understanding of the jazz repertoire, an innate tendency to swing and the rare ability to communicate the heart and soul of a tune to listeners. That musician is Beegie Adair.
About her music Adair says, “Falling in love with jazz is like falling in love with a person, except with jazz you never get over it.” About Beegie (say B-G) Adair, what do others say?
Jazz great Helen Merrill salutes her “inventive jazz sense, her wonderful sense of time and improvised melody.”
Christopher Louden of Jazz Times magazine says Adair is “an accomplished artist with a delicate touch.”
The Los Angeles Times calls her music “Elegant.”
Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.”
Intrigued? So are thousands of jazz fans, who agree with critics about Adair’s sophisticated and listenable jazz performances, and who have made her recordings among the biggest sellers in the jazz world.
Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002.
Kentucky born and raised, Adair lives and records in Nashville – something of a surprise to people who associate the city solely with country music. In fact Nashville lives up to its “Music City” nickname by hosting a vibrant jazz scene, in which she has been a leading light for decades. A sought-after studio musician in her early days there, Adair accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash – and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee.
Her guests on Improvised Thoughts, Beegie’s radio talk/music show on the local NPR affiliate, included such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson and Helen Merrill. She has guested on McPartland’s Piano Jazz show and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson, among many others.
When she’s not in the studio or appearing in clubs and concert halls around the country, Adair wears a variety of hats, from adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University to teacher and mentor at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Recently she co-wrote and scored an innovative theatrical production, Betsy, which in April 2006 premiered off-Broadway in New York.
She has recorded eight projects for Village Square Records in Nashville; her most recent CDs are Sentimental Journey, a popular collection of World War II-era songs, and a solo piano recording, Quiet Romance.
She performs solo and with the Beegie Adair Trio, whose members include drummer Chris Brown, a veteran of the Maynard Ferguson ensemble, and bassist Roger Spencer, who has played with the Les Brown Band, Ray Conniff, the Page Cavanaugh Trio and Pete Jolly. They are, she says, “my main guys. They’re so tuned into the way I visualize music that it’s effortless to play with them.”
In clubs and concert venues from Los Angeles to New York, Beegie and her “main guys” win kudos from audiences and critics alike who appreciate her unique take on classic jazz. She fell in love with the music a long time ago, and indeed she’s never gotten over it -- a love affair the jazz world is much the better for.
They All Laughed
Beegie Adair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world thought the heights were too high to climb
But people from missouri never incensed me
Oh, I wasn't a bit concerned
For from hist'ry I had learned
How many, many times the worm had turned
They all laughed at christopher columbus
They all laughed when edison recorded sound
They all laughed at wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly
They told marconi
Wireless was a phony
It's the same old cry
They laughed at me wanting you
Said I was reaching for the moon
But oh, you came through
Now they'll have to change their tune
They all said we never could be happy
They laughed at us and how!
But ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh now?
They all laughed at rockefeller center
Now they're fighting to get in
They all laughed at whitney and his cotton gin
They all laughed at fulton and his steamboat
Hershey and his chocolate bar
Ford and his lizzie
Kept the laughers busy
That's how people are
They laughed at me wanting you
Said it would be, "hello, goodbye."
But oh, you came through
Now they're eating humble pie
They all said we'd never get together
Darling, let's take a bow
For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?"
"They All Laughed" is a song about perseverance and triumph in the face of ridicule and skepticism. The singer reflects on how many great inventors and pioneers were laughed at and doubted by the world before they achieved their goals. The lyrics highlight the fact that the fear of the unknown and the desire to maintain the status quo can lead people to dismiss and mock innovative ideas and individuals.
The first two stanzas describe the odds against the singer and how they drew inspiration from history to overcome them. The third stanza lists several examples of historical figures who were initially ridiculed for their ideas and inventions, but eventually succeeded. The fourth stanza describes how people scoffed at the singer's desire to be with their loved one, but now that they have achieved their goal, those same critics must acknowledge their success.
The fifth stanza continues the list of historical figures who faced ridicule and adversity before triumphing, such as the construction of Rockefeller Center and the creation of the cotton gin. The final stanza celebrates the victory of the singer and their loved one, who were told they could never be happy together but proved their critics wrong.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to pursue their dreams and ignore the naysayers, emphasizing that with persistence and hard work, anything is possible.
Line by Line Meaning
The odds were a hundred to one against me
I was not expected to succeed by most people.
The world thought the heights were too high to climb
Many believed that the goals I set for myself were impossible to achieve.
But people from missouri never incensed me
As someone from Missouri, I was not easily discouraged by naysayers.
Oh, I wasn't a bit concerned
I was not worried about what others had to say about my goals.
For from hist'ry I had learned
I had studied historical figures who had been ridiculed for their ideas and later proven right.
How many, many times the worm had turned
I had seen many instances where those who were once mocked ultimately prevailed.
They all laughed at christopher columbus
Christopher Columbus was ridiculed for his belief that the world was round.
When he said the world was round
Columbus was met with scorn when he announced his theory that the world was not flat.
They all laughed when edison recorded sound
Thomas Edison's invention of recorded sound was not initially taken seriously by many.
They all laughed at wilbur and his brother
Wilbur Wright and his brother were laughed at for their attempts to invent a flying machine.
When they said that man could fly
Many people did not believe that humans would ever be able to fly.
They told marconi
Many people dismissed Guglielmo Marconi's invention of wireless communication.
Wireless was a phony
Many believed that wireless communication was not a legitimate invention.
It's the same old cry
People have a tendency to ridicule new ideas and inventions before accepting them.
They laughed at me wanting you
Others made fun of my desire to be with you.
Said I was reaching for the moon
Many believed that my goal of being with you was unrealistic.
But oh, you came through
Despite the odds, you fulfilled my desire to be with you.
Now they'll have to change their tune
Those who laughed at my goal now have to admit they were wrong.
They all said we never could be happy
Many people believed that our relationship would never work out.
They laughed at us and how!
Others openly ridiculed our relationship.
But ho, ho, ho!
Despite the doubts of others, our relationship has succeeded.
Who's got the last laugh now?
Those who laughed at us must now acknowledge our happiness together.
They all laughed at rockefeller center
When Rockefeller Center was first built, many people thought it was a joke.
Now they're fighting to get in
Today, Rockefeller Center is highly sought after and competitive to access.
They all laughed at whitney and his cotton gin
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin was initially ridiculed.
They all laughed at fulton and his steamboat
Robert Fulton's invention of the steamboat was initially mocked.
Hershey and his chocolate bar
Milton Hershey faced ridicule when he announced his intention to mass-produce chocolate bars.
Ford and his lizzie
Henry Ford's Model T car was initially dismissed as unimportant.
Kept the laughers busy
Despite the mockery, Ford continued to improve and innovate his automobiles.
Said it would be, "hello, goodbye."
Others were certain that my relationship with you would not last long.
Now they're eating humble pie
Those who doubted our relationship must now admit that they were wrong.
They all said we'd never get together
Many people believed that we would never end up in a relationship.
Darling, let's take a bow
Despite the skepticism around us, we ended up together and deserve credit for that.
Hee, hee, hee!
We can now laugh at those who doubted our relationship.
Let's at the past laugh
Let's move past the mockery we faced and focus on our happiness together.
Ha, ha, ha!
We can now laugh out loud at the doubters and skeptics around us.
Who's got the last laugh now?
Despite the doubts of others, the fact that we are together and happy means that we are the ultimate victors over those who mocked us.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., RALEIGH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind