Though he has recorded a couple of straight jazz albums, most of his recordings contain "pop-jazz" which is a type of instrumental pop music. Bob James was an important figure in turning 1970s fusion jazz more commercial. For their album One on One, Earl Klugh and Bob James received a Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of 1981.
"Angela", the instrumental theme from the sitcom Taxi, is probably Bob James' most well-known work to date.
With his song "Take Me To The Mardi Gras", Bob James secured his place in hip-hop history when the song was sampled by Run-DMC in their song "Peter Piper" from the Raising Hell release. "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" has been sampled in numerous hip-hop songs since "Peter Piper", including Eric B. & Rakim's "Don't Sweat The Technique", the Beastie Boys' "Hold It Now, Hit It", and by Timbaland, in Missy Elliot's "Work It".
Another song by Bob James that has also been frequently sampled by the hip-hop and electronic music community is "Nautilus", being sampled by artists such as DJ Premier, Pete Rock, A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Cam and Luke Vibert, and Ghostface Killah. Nautilus has been covered by current touring acts as diverse as Greyboy Allstars and Sound Tribe Sector 9.
Bob James' recordings have practically defined pop/jazz and crossover during the past few decades. Very influenced by pop and movie music, James has often featured R&B-ish soloists (most notably Grover Washington Jr.), who add a jazz touch to what is essentially an instrumental pop set. He actually started out in music going with a much different direction.
In 1962, Bob James recorded a bop-ish trio set for Mercury, and three years later his album for ESP was quite avant-garde, with electronic tapes used for effects. After a period with Sarah Vaughan (1965-1968), he became a studio musician, and by 1973 was arranging and working as a producer for CTI.
In 1974, James recorded his first purely commercial effort as a leader; he later made big-selling albums for his own Tappan Zee label, Columbia, and Warner Bros., including collborations with Earl Klugh (Cool, One on One) and David Sanborn (Double Vision). Listeners who prefer challenging jazz to background dance music will be consistently disappointed by Bob James' post-1965 albums.
James is a member of smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay and is a Yamaha Artist.
You Are So Beautiful
Bob James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I'm sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won't lose no sleep on that,
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
Yes, she caught my eye,
As we walked on by.
She could see from my face that I was,
Flying high. [ - video/radio edited version]
Fucking high. [ - CD version]
And I don't think that I'll see her again,
But we shared a moment that will last 'til the
end.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
I saw your face in a crowded place,
And I don't know what to do,
'Cause I'll never be with you.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful.
You're beautiful, it's true.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face,
When she thought up that I should be with you.
But it's time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.
The song "You Are So Beautiful" by Bob James is an emotional track that narrates the story of the singer seeing someone special and feeling a connection with them. The song revolves around how the singer sees an angelic woman on the subway, who smiles at him but is with another man. The singer admits that he won't lose any sleep over it because he had a plan in mind. The chorus repeats the words "You're beautiful"; the singer saw the woman's face in a crowded place, and he doesn't know what to do because he'll never be with her.
The song has a melancholic vibe to it since the singer seems to be helpless in his situation. He is taken in by the beauty of the woman he saw, and he knows deep down that they would never "be together". The lyrics "There must be an angel with a smile on her face when she thought up that I should be with you" demonstrate that the singer feels like he missed his chance with the woman he saw. The song conveys a tragic ideal that sometimes we want something so much, but it just isn't meant to be.
Line by Line Meaning
My life is brilliant.
The singer feels that their life is exceptional and full of potential.
My love is pure.
The singer's feelings towards someone else are genuine and untainted.
I saw an angel. Of that I'm sure.
The singer saw someone who was beautiful and seemingly perfect to them.
She smiled at me on the subway.
The person the artist saw on the subway reacted positively to their presence.
She was with another man.
The person the artist saw on the subway was already in a relationship with someone else.
But I won't lose no sleep on that, 'Cause I've got a plan.
The singer will not let the fact that the person they saw is already with someone else discourage them because they have a plan to pursue them anyway.
You're beautiful. You're beautiful. You're beautiful, it's true.
The singer finds the person they saw to be extremely attractive and perfect for them.
I saw your face in a crowded place, And I don't know what to do, 'Cause I'll never be with you.
The artist saw the person they are attracted to in a public setting, but they realize that they will likely never be in a relationship with them.
Yes, she caught my eye, As we walked on by. She could see from my face that I was, Flying high. [ - video/radio edited version] Fucking high. [ - CD version]
The artist's encounter with the person they saw was fleeting but impactful and left them feeling ecstatic.
And I don't think that I'll see her again, But we shared a moment that will last 'til the end.
The artist does not believe they will have another chance encounter with the person they saw, but the moment they shared will stay with them forever.
There must be an angel with a smile on her face, When she thought up that I should be with you.
The singer believes that fate or a higher power orchestrated their encounter with the person they saw because they are meant to be together.
But it's time to face the truth, I will never be with you.
The artist has come to terms with the fact that they will not be able to pursue a relationship with the person they saw and must move on.
Writer(s): Bruce Fisher, Billy Preston
Contributed by Cameron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.