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't We
Bert Kaempfert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 tune Didn'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 "Didn't We" by Bert Kaempfert describe a sense of almost achieving something but ultimately falling short. The song is filled with regret and nostalgia for the near misses of the past. The opening lines "This time we almost made the pieces fit/didn't we?" are a melancholic acknowledgment of an almost perfect union that didn't come to fruition. The next line "This time we almost made some sense of it/didn't we?" continue the same theme of almost but not quite. The singer goes on to describe the answer that he had in his hand, but when he touched it, it turned to sand, indicating that whatever he had been striving for simply slipped through his fingers.
The second half of the song continues with the theme of missed opportunities. The singer describes how "this time we almost sang our song in tune/didn't we, love?" This line is a reflection on a relationship that almost worked out but ultimately failed. The chorus then repeats the phrase "Didn't we almost make it?" several times, a poignant reminder of opportunities missed and nostalgic reflections on lost opportunities.
In conclusion, Bert Kaempfert's "Didn't We" is a beautifully crafted song with poignant and melancholic lyrics exploring themes of nostalgia, regret, and missed opportunities. The song reflects on relationships and the hopes and dreams we have for the future. Even though we may fall short of our goals, it is still worth trying again and again.
Line by Line Meaning
This time we almost made the pieces fit
We nearly managed to fit everything together perfectly this time.
Didn't we?
Right?
This time we almost made some sense of it
We were very close to understanding everything this time around.
Didn't we?
Agreed?
This time I had the answer, right here in my hand
I was so confident that I had the solution this time, I was holding it in my hand.
Then I touched it and it had turned to sand
But when I attempted to put my plan into action, it all fell apart.
This time we almost sang our song in tune
We were close to hitting all the right notes while we sang our song this time around.
Didn't we, love?
Right, my dear?
This time we almost made it, made it to the moon
We nearly accomplished something that seems incredibly difficult, like reaching the moon.
Didn't we, love?
Agreed, my love?
This time we almost made our poem rhyme
We came very close to making all of our words fit together perfectly in our poem this time around.
This time we almost made that long hard climb
We almost succeeded in completing a difficult journey that we've been working on for a long time.
Didn't we almost make it?
We were so close to achieving our goal, weren't we?
Didn't we almost make it?
We almost accomplished what we set out to do, right?
Didn't we almost make it this time?
We were this close to succeeding this time around, weren't we?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY L WEBB
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind