It was widely believed, for many years, that Beiderbecke's real name was Leon Bismark Beiderbecke. It is now known that this — like so many other myths about Beiderbecke — is untrue. His real name was Leon Bix Beiderbecke. Bismark was a family name, reflecting the family's German origins, but it was not given to Beiderbecke. "Bix" was a family nickname of his father and older brother, given him as a proper name.
Leon Bix Beiderbecke was born in Davenport, Iowa to a middle-class family. As a teenager he would sneak off to the banks of the Mississippi to listen to the bands play on the riverboats that would come up from the south.
Partially due to frequent absences due to illness, Beiderbecke's grades suffered. His parents felt that sending him to the exclusive Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, would provide the attention and discipline needed to improve his schooling.
Beiderbecke's schooling there soon suffered when the only subjects he showed avid interest in were music and sports. Bix soon began going into Chicago as often as possible to catch the hot jazz bands of the day at clubs and speakeasies around Chicago, and too often didn't return in time or was found out the next day.
Beiderbecke was soon asked to leave the Academy due to his academic failings and extra-curricular activities in Chicago, and began his musical career in earnest.
Beiderbecke first recorded with his band "The Wolverine Orchestra" (usually called just The Wolverines, named for "Wolverine Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton because they played it so often) in 1924, then became a sought-after musician in Chicago, Illinois and New York City, New York. He made innovative and influential recordings with Frankie Trumbauer ("Tram") and the Jean Goldkette Orchestra. When the Goldkette Orchestra disbanded after their last recording ("In My Merry Oldsmobile"), in May 1927, Bix and Trumbauer, a 'C' Melody and alto saxophone player, briefly joined Adrian Rollini's band at the Club New Yorker, New York, before moving on to the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, the most popular and highest paid band of the day.
Beiderbecke suffered health problems from an early age, though the relentless schedule of the road and heavy drinking leading to alcoholism began to contribute to and exacerbate a decline in his health. Bix suffered from severe pain in his legs and other ill effects of prohibition era alcohol and with declining work around the New York City area, he took a turn for the worse.
Though his death certificate described the cause of death as pneumonia, and he was in seriously ill health, the circumstances immediately surrounding his death are still unclear. He died at the age of 28, in his apartment at 43-30 46th Street, Sunnyside, Queens, within the confines of the City of New York on August 6, 1931.
Coquette
Bix Beiderbecke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
Breaking hearts you are ruling
Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
You know, my little coquette, I love you.
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
Now, maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
Now, you know, my little coquette, I love you.
The lyrics to "Coquette" tell the story of someone who loves a girl, referred to as a "little coquette". The singer is pleading with the girl to stop fooling around and breaking hearts, as she is also the object of someone else's true affections. The singer warns that someday the girl will fall in love just as he did, and perhaps the one she loves will also be fooling around. The song ends with the singer admitting his love for the girl, despite her coquettish behavior.
The lyrics, while straightforward, capture the sentiment of unrequited love and the frustration that comes with it. It also serves as a warning to the girl, possibly reflecting the societal expectations of women's behavior at the time the song was written (1928). The use of the word "coquette" adds an air of playfulness and flirtation to the song, which may have added to its popularity.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear me, why you keep fooling
Listen to me, why do you continue to play games
Little coquette, making fun of the one who loves you
You are teasing the one who truly cares for you, little player
Breaking hearts you are ruling
You hold power over those whose hearts you break
Little coquette, true hearts tenderly dreaming of you.
Genuine hearts are dreaming about being with you, little flirt
Someday you'll fall in love as I fell in love with you.
One day, you will understand the depth of my love for you
Maybe the one you love will just be fooling too.
Perhaps the person you love will also be toying with your affection
And when you are alone with all your regrets,
When loneliness consumes you with remorse
You know, my little coquette, I love you.
You must realize, my darling flirt, that I have always loved you
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JOHN WALDO GREEN, GUS KAHN, CARMEN LOMBARDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jourwalis
Beautiful girls and nice music.
John Whitehead
Great Music - Lovely pics - Thanks
Alessandro Miniero
Bix si impone sempre
mohitoness
everyone wanted to hear Bix, and his cornet was always crystal clear. He knew how to subdue himself very well; just listen to him playing behind the voice of Seger Ellis in "Blue River". You can barely hear him
Eldridge R. Johnson
Wow how did you get both takes?
Atticus Jazz
The first take was the issued take in 1928. The second one is in the Memorial Album.