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.
You Don't Know What Love Is
Billy Eckstine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
Until you've loved a love you've had to lose,
You don't know what love is.
You don't know how lips hurt
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost,
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost,
Do you know how a lost heart fears
At the thought of reminiscing,
And how lips that taste of tears
Lose their taste for kissing?
You don't know how hearts burn
For love that can, not live yet never dies.
Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes,
You don't know what love is.
The song "You Don't Know What Love Is" by Billy Eckstine is a classic jazz ballad that deals with the complex emotions of love, heartbreak, and loss. The lyrics express the idea that true love is not fully understood until it has been experienced in all its facets, including pain and sorrow. The first verse describes the idea that without experiencing the pain of losing a love, one cannot truly understand the full scope of what love is. The second verse goes on to describe the physical and emotional toll that love can take, including the cost of loving someone and losing them. The third verse deals with the fear and longing that comes with memories of lost love, and the final line of the song reinforces the notion that true love is a multi-faceted experience that can only be fully understood by those who have lived through it.
The song is notable for its emotional depth and for the powerful vocal delivery of Billy Eckstine. With a slow, mournful melody and beautifully poetic lyrics, it has become a classic in the jazz canon and has been covered dozens of times by other artists. Overall, the meaning of the song is clear: love is a transformative and often painful experience, but it is also something that is worth pursuing and cherishing, even in the face of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't know what love is
Love is not something you understand until you've experienced it yourself.
'Til you've learned the meaning of the blues
The sadness and pain of lost love is something you must feel to truly understand.
Until you've loved a love you've had to lose,
Love is not just about happiness, but also the risk of heartbreak and loss.
You don't know how lips hurt
Kissing someone isn't always painless, it can come with a hefty emotional cost.
Until you've kissed and had to pay the cost,
Love can be a costly endeavor, with heartbreak or sacrifice among the potential costs.
Until you've flipped your heart and you have lost,
Loving someone is risking the possibility of losing them, which can be a devastating experience itself.
You don't know what love is.
Overall, love is such an intense and complex feeling that without experiencing it firsthand, it's impossible to really comprehend its true depth and meaning.
Do you know how a lost heart fears
Being in love and losing someone can be so scary and traumatizing that it can prevent someone from wanting to experience love ever again.
At the thought of reminiscing,
Even the thought of looking back on past loves can be incredibly painful.
And how lips that taste of tears
Physical sensations like tasting salty tears can add to the emotional pain of heartbreak.
Lose their taste for kissing?
After experiencing heartbreak, someone may not want to engage in intimate acts like kissing anymore.
You don't know how hearts burn
When in love, the intensity of feeling can be overwhelming, and a broken heart can continue to ache even when the physical pain is gone.
For love that can, not live yet never dies.
Even when love feels to be gone, it can still survive in memories and emotions.
Until you've faced each dawn with sleepless eyes,
Heartbreak can impact someone's entire life, causing distress even outside of typical relationship times like during the night or early morning.
You don't know what love is.
Overall, love cannot be fully understood until it's been experienced, and heartbreak is an inherent part of that.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nick Zoohowza
on Jelly, Jelly
The “meaning” of Jelly Jelly seems to have been written by ChatGPT. Surely “jelly”, like “jelly roll” was intended in this song to refer to sex/genitalia, and not something to spread on toast.
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on Kiss Of Fire
Absolutely Absolutely Absolutely Amazing Grace his voice was"GOD"gift to us class jazz lovers listeners u'dig now can you dig dat baby,baby from da'conductor nelfoster from chocolate cle city ohio chocolate rocks...