Eckstine was an American jazz singer and bandleader who also played trumpet, valve trombone, and guitar. He also performed briefly as Billy X. Stine. His nickname was Mr. B. Although best known as a singer, his openness to new music made him a strong influence on modern jazz, particularly bebop, as he gave employment to many of the musicians who founded the style.
After singing with the Earl Hines band from 1939 to 1943 he led his own band from 1944 to 1947. The band featured at various times a large number of rising jazz stars, including:
Saxophones: Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Lucky Thompson, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, Budd Johnson, Leo Parker
Trumpets: Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro
Drums: Art Blakey
Singers: Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan
Eckstine later formed an octet, then went solo, becoming a popular ballad singer while remaining an important figure in jazz. His huge, distinctive baritone made him one of the first African American singers to have mainstream success. He was the composer of the blues classic "Jelly, Jelly" and also recorded the R&B top hit "Stormy Monday Blues" in 1942 (not to be confused with T-Bone Walker's 1947 "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)"). Most of his success as a singer came with ballads, including "Everything I have is Yours", "Blue Moon", "Caravan," "Prisoner of Love," "You Go to My Head," and "That Old Black Magic". His last hit was "Passing Strangers", a duet with Sarah Vaughan released in 1957.
Eckstine was a style leader and noted sharp dresser. He designed and patented a high roll collar that formed a B over a Windsor-knotted tie, which became known as a Mr. B. Collar. In addition to looking cool, the collar expanded and contracted without popping open, which allowed his neck to swell while playing his horns. The collars were worn by many a hipster in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
In 1984, Eckstine recorded his final album, I Am A Singer, featuring beautiful ballads arranged and conducted by Angelo DiPippo.
Prisoner of Love
Billy Eckstine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doesn't belong to me
Someone who can't be faithful
Knows that I have to be
Wonder if I am wrong to give her my loyalty
Why should I be a lone soul
Why can't I be my own soul
Too weak to break the chains that bind me
I need no shackles to remind me
I'm just a prisner of love
For one comand I stand and wait now
From one who's master of my Fate now
I can't escape for it's too late now
I'm just a prisoner of love
What's the good of my caring if someone is sharing
Those arms with me
Although she has another
I can't have another
For I'm not free
She's in my dreams awake or sleeping
Up on my knees to her I'm creeping
My very life is in her keeping
I'm just a prisoner of love.
Love.
Prisoner of Love is a powerful love ballad by Billy Eckstine. The lyrics explore the theme of unrequited love and the emotional toll it takes on the victim in a romantic relationship. The singer is torn between his loyalty to someone who does not belong to him and his own desire to be free from the emotional chains that bind him. He wonders if he is wrong to give his loyalty to someone who cannot reciprocate it. The lyrics also portray a sense of powerlessness and frustration that he cannot have the one he loves because she belongs to someone else.
The lyrics in the second verse reveal the extent of his emotional entrapment. He is unable to escape and break the chains that bind him. He feels like a prisoner of love, waiting for a command to free him, which never comes. It’s clear that he can't break free from his love addiction, and it’s causing him so much pain. The last lines of the song reflect his desperation by acknowledging that he will always be a prisoner of his own love.
Overall, the song is a deeply affecting portrayal of love's many complications and the frustrations that come with it. Billy Eckstine's velvet voice adds to the emotion in the lyrics, giving them an added layer of melancholy and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone that I belong to
The person I love and feel attached to is not mine to have
Doesn't belong to me
The person I love is already committed to someone else
Someone who can't be faithful
The person I love is known for being unfaithful
Knows that I have to be
I, on the other hand, am devoted and loyal to her
Wonder if I am wrong to give her my loyalty
I question whether my loyalty is misplaced and if I should direct it elsewhere
Why should I be a lone soul
I ask myself why I must suffer alone
Why can't I be my own soul
I wish I could be free and independent
Alone from night to night you'll find me
I spend my nights alone and lonely
Too weak to break the chains that bind me
I lack the strength to break free from my emotional attachment
I need no shackles to remind me
I do not require physical restraints to be held captive
I'm just a prisner of love
I am trapped by my love for her
For one command I stand and wait now
I eagerly await any sign of affection or attention from her
From one who's master of my Fate now
I have given her control over my life and destiny
I can't escape for it's too late now
I am incapable of breaking free from her grip on me
What's the good of my caring if someone is sharing
I question the value of my love when she is already sharing it with someone else
Those arms with me
She shares her physical intimacy with another person, not just me
Although she has another
Even though she is committed to someone else, I still cannot love anyone else
I can't have another
I am unwilling or unable to direct my feelings elsewhere
She's in my dreams awake or sleeping
I am haunted by thoughts of her, both day and night
Up on my knees to her I'm creeping
I am subservient to her, willing to do anything to win her love
My very life is in her keeping
My happiness and well-being are fully dependent on her affection
I'm just a prisoner of love.
Once again, I am trapped by my own love for her
Love.
The song's ultimate subject matter
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ENRIQUE ELIAS GARCIA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Enrique Aldanondo
Solo de noche en noche me encontrarás,
Demasiado débil para romper la cadena que me ata.
No necesito ningún grillete para recordarme,
porque solo soy un prisionero de amor.
Por una orden estoy de pie y espero ahora,
para alguien que es el amo de mi destino ahora.
No puedo escapar, porque ya es demasiado tarde,
porque solo soy un prisionero de amor.
¿Cuál es el bien de mi cuidado,
¿Si alguien más comparte esos brazos conmigo?
Aunque ella tiene otra,
y no puedo tener otra,
porque no soy libre.
Está en mis sueños, despierta o dormida,
De rodillas a ti, cariño, me estoy arrastrando.
Mi propia vida está en tu cuidado,
porque solo soy un prisionero de amor.
¿Cuál es el bien de mi cuidado,
¿Si alguien más comparte esos brazos conmigo?
Aunque ella tiene otra,
No puedo tener otra, porque no soy libre.
Está en mis sueños, despierta o dormida,
De rodillas a ti mi corazón llora.
Mi propia vida está en tu cuidado,
porque solo soy un prisionero de amor.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Alone from night to night you’ll find me,
too weak to break the chain that binds me.
I need no shackle to remind me,
for I’m just a prisoner of love.
For one command I stand and wait now,
for one who ‘s master of my fate now.
I can’t escape, for it’s too late now,
for I’m just a prisoner of love.
What’s the good of me caring,
if someone else is sharing those arms with me?
Although she has another,
and I can’t have another,
for I’m not free.
She’s in my dreams, awake or sleeping,
upon my knees to you darling I’m creeping.
My very life is in your keeping,
for I’m just a prisoner of love.
What’s the good of me caring,
if someone else is sharing those arms with me?
Although she has another,
I can’t have another, for I’m not free.
She’s in my dreams, awake or sleeping,
upon my knees to you my heart is weeping.
My very life is in your keeping,
for I’m just a prisoner of love.
Jane Smith
My mother saw him perform in the 1950's. She told me that when he came on to the stage in an all-white suit, the women gasped. What a talented, handsome man he was.
Rita Pacitti
And a complete gentle man. He was so respected by his many fans, truly loved by all. What a voice!
Laura Buffone
He must have been captivating in person! All white suit, that beautiful rich voice, wow!
Michael Rivera
True TALENT ! No chorus, doble voice, reverb, special effect, just true rich voice. A most have in your jazz collection
Dale Baker
I don’t believe I have heard him before, man Billy can sing, and he has the looks too. Amazing talent.
Sandy Petersen
I love Billy Eckstine's voice.
Rita Pacitti
Never will there be another!
Ronald Fazekas
He sounded like no one else!
Vinnie Knight
I met Billy Eckstine at Rodney Dangerfields Club in NYC and in Bermuda what a singer and wonderful person he was.
silvermist1216
He has a lovely voice. I'm playing catchup when reading about these great artists.