He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and studied at the School of Music there. A multi-instrumentalist, he was hired by Hans Busch to play with his orchestra before serving as a bandsman in the German Navy during World War II. He later formed his own big band, toured with them, then worked as an arranger and producer, making hit records with Freddy Quinn and Ivo Robic. In 1961, he hired The Beatles to back Tony Sheridan on "My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean)," "When the Saints Go Marching In," "Ain't She Sweet" and "Cry for a Shadow," in a session for Polydor. These turned out to be the Beatles' first commercial recordings. When Beatles manager Brian Epstein asked Kaempfert about further promoting The Beatles, Kaempfert informed Epstein that the company was only interested in The Beatles as Tony Sheridan's backup group. (It also turned out British Decca executive Dick Rowe turned them down in favor of local beat combo Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.) He then released The Beatles from their contract with Polydor.
Didn
Bert Kaempfert Lyrics
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Didn't we?
This time we almost made some sense of it
Didn't we?
This time I had the answer, right here in my hand
Then I touched it and it had turned to sand
This time we almost sang our song in tuneDidn't we, love?
This time we almost made it, made it to the moon
Didn't we, love?
This time we almost made our poem rhyme
This time we almost made that long hard climb
Didn't we almost make it?
Didn't we almost make it?
Didn't we almost make it this time?
The lyrics of Bert Kaempfert's song "Didn't We" are filled with a sense of regret and longing for what could have been. The repetition of the phrase "Didn't we?" throughout the song highlights the many missed opportunities and almost-successes that the singer has experienced. The opening line, "This time we almost made the pieces fit," speaks to a relationship or situation where everything seemed to be falling into place, but ultimately it did not work out.
The second verse talks about almost achieving a major milestone - making it to the moon. This could be interpreted literally, but more likely it is a metaphor for achieving a lofty goal. The line "Then I touched it and it had turned to sand" is a powerful image that symbolizes the ephemeral nature of success and how easily it can slip away. The final verse is about the creative process, where the singer and someone else - presumably a collaborator - almost wrote a great poem or song. The line "Didn't we almost make that long hard climb" suggests that they were close to reaching their goal but for some reason, they fell short.
Overall, the song reflects on the human experience of almost succeeding, but ultimately falling short. It captures the pain of missed opportunities and hints at the fragility of success. The song is a classic example of Kaempfert's talent for creating beautiful, emotional music that resonates with people.
Line by Line Meaning
This time we almost made the pieces fit
We were close to resolving our problems and making everything fall into place
Didn't we?
Right?
This time we almost made some sense of it
We almost had clarity and understanding of our relationship
This time I had the answer, right here in my hand
I thought I finally figured out what we needed to do to make it work
Then I touched it and it had turned to sand
But then everything fell apart and my solution was useless
This time we almost sang our song in tune
We were in sync emotionally and our relationship was harmonious
Didn't we, love?
Right, my love?
This time we almost made it, made it to the moon
We came very close to achieving our shared goals
Didn't we, love?
Right, my love?
This time we almost made our poem rhyme
We nearly had a perfect love story
This time we almost made that long hard climb
We almost made it through the difficult times that were threatening our relationship
Didn't we almost make it?
We were so close to making it work, weren't we?
Didn't we almost make it?
We almost succeeded, didn't we?
Didn't we almost make it this time?
We were really close to getting it right this time, weren't we?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY L WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind