Powell was perhaps the first pianist to vocalize on the piano, meaning that he transfered his vocalized improvisations directly through his hands to the instrument. This gave his music a deep connection to time, which is an artifact of the human voice. Previously, horn players were more likely to express their improvisations vocally, as the mouth and breath are directly tied to the performance of horn players.
Powell suffered from Bi-Polar Disorder, and in November 1947, Powell was admitted to Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where he stayed for more than a year, receiving electroconvulsive therapy which caused severe memory loss. The young Jackie McLean and Sonny Rollins became friendly with Powell on his release from the hospital, and Powell recommended McLean to Miles Davis. However, Powell suffered from mental illness throughout his life, and had a reputation for his strange behaviour. In fact his problems, exacerbated by a beating from the police in 1945 for being disorderly, could all be attributed to being a manic depressive, although his illness was almost certainly a key driver of his immense creative talent. He was also an alcoholic, and even small quantities of alcohol had a profound effect on his character, making him aggressive. Powell's continued rivalry with Charlie Parker, while essential to the production of brilliant music, was also the subject of disruptive feuding and bitterness on the bandstand, as a result of Powell's troubled mental and physical condition. He spent all of 1952 (and parts of many subsequent years) in a hospital. When he was out of the hospital, he was often locked up in a hotel room and was usually denied receiving the money he earned performing.
It is generally agreed that his best recordings are those made prior to 1954, both for Blue Note Records and for Norman Granz (at Mercury Records, Norgran Records, Clef Records and later on Verve Records).
After 1953 (when Powell attempted suicide), his style became darker and slower. Many jazz critics pronounced him "washed up" during the last decade of his career. There were a few recordings which never should have been issued (Verve from January 1955 and Roulette Oct. 1964). Still, he continued to play with great intensity even without the speed that made him famous in the 1940s. His late 1950s Blue Note recordings are recommended. Bud performed regularly with drummer Kenny Clarke and bassists Oscar Pettiford or Pierre Michelot. He performed brilliantly as a sideman for Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, and Dexter Gordon on recordings in the early 1960s. As late as 1962 he recorded concerts in Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland, in which he played as brilliantly as he had played in the late 1940s. Powell moved to France in 1959, when his life was extended by several years under the care of a fan named Francis Paudras, whose book "Dance of the Infidels" is required reading for any Powell fan. Paudras' friendship produced many impromptu recordings and was the basis for the 1987 Bernard Tavenier film "Round Midnight", for which Dexter Gordon received a best actor Oscar nomination (as a fictional composite of Bud Powell and Lester Young).
Paudras and Powell returned to Birdland in the fall of 1964 to initial critical acclaim. Bud despised the drummer he had to play with and soon lost his regular engagement at Birdland. After Paudras returned to France without Powell, ESP-disk's founder became Bud's legal guardian, but let Bud self-destruct from late 1964 until his death in July, 1966. Bud's last recordings were a haunting, sparse "Round Midnight" from Carnegie Hall in March 1965 and other trio tracks from January 1966 on the mysterious "Ups 'n Downs" album.
He is survived by his daughter Celia, who has been reissuing Paudras' recordings of her father on the Pablo and Piadrum labels.
Sure Thing
Bud Powell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yea?
Play that dance song
I just want you to listen?
Never thought that there could be
Can be a girl for me
Never though I could find this kinda love in my lifetime
I got the girl of my dreams
I?e found my sure thing
You my thing for long while
Though I never be tied down
Guess I never felt anyone ready for real love
If you want to get real love
Got me thinking my future plans
Makes me want to step up to the plate and be a good man
Some look forever
And never find the joy I?e found in you (ohh)
So true?
You make me want to do right
Come home to you every night
You?e changed my life
Like I? in love for the first time
You make me want to settle down
This love in you I?e found
You me want to get the ring
Cause I?e found my sure thing
(never though, never though) Never thought that there could be
Can be a girl for me
Never though I could find this kinda love in my lifetime
(Never though) No one never though that she can make me so happy
I got the girl of my dreams
I found my sure thing
Made you promises I?e never meant to anyone
And it not about sex
I have a deeper love
You have this inner beauty I?e never seen
So incredible
So appealing
(Baby)
I give up everything just to have the joy
The joy that you bring
Cause my everything
Like a cool breeze on a summers day
So refreshing to me
Cause you the real thing
You make me want to do right
Come home to you every night (home)
You change my life (changed it)
Like I in love for the first time (like i? in love)
You make me want to settle down (settle down)-acap
The lyrics to Ruff Endz's song "Sure Thing" describe the singer's profound love and devotion for a woman whom he didn't believe he would ever find. He sings about how this love has changed his life and has made him want to be a better man. The woman he sings about is different from anyone he has ever met, and he is grateful to have found her. He asserts that he is willing to give up anything just to be with her and to have the joy that she brings to his life.
The lyrics paint a picture of a man who has finally found what he was looking for in a relationship. He is overcome with emotions, and his expressions of love and admiration for the woman he has found are genuine and heartfelt. The song captures the essence of a true and lasting love that is rare and cherished.
Overall, "Sure Thing" is a love song that celebrates the power of finding the right person to share your life with. It speaks to the deep emotional connection that can be forged between two people and the happiness and fulfillment that can result from such a connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Never thought that there could be
I never believed that it was possible
Can be a girl for me
To find a girl who could understand and accept me
Never though I could find this kinda love in my lifetime
I never thought I would find such a profound love in my life
No one never though that she can make me so happy
Nobody ever expected her to make me so happy
I got the girl of my dreams
I finally found the girl who is perfect for me
I?e found my sure thing
I have found my perfect match and I am sure of it
You my thing for long while
You have been on my mind for a long time
Though I never be tied down
Although I never wanted to be in a committed relationship
Guess I never felt anyone ready for real love
I never believed that someone was ready for true love
If you want to get real love
If you want to experience real love
Got me thinking my future plans
You made me think about my future and what I want to achieve
Makes me want to step up to the plate and be a good man
You inspire me to be a better man and take responsibility
Some look forever
Some people search their whole lives
And never find the joy I?e found in you (ohh)
And they never find the happiness that I have found in you
So true?
It is completely true
You make me want to do right
You inspire me to make the right choices
Come home to you every night
I want to come home and be with you every night
You?e changed my life
You have had a profound impact on my life
Like I? in love for the first time
I feel like I am in love for the first time because of you
You make me want to settle down
You make me want to stop being a bachelor and settle into a stable life with you
This love in you I?e found
I have found a deep and genuine love in you
You me want to get the ring
You make me want to propose and get engaged
Cause I?e found my sure thing
Because I am certain that I have found my perfect partner
Made you promises I?e never meant to anyone
I have made promises to you that I have never made to anyone else
And it not about sex
Our love is not based purely on physical intimacy
I have a deeper love
I have a profound love that goes beyond physical attraction
You have this inner beauty I?e never seen
You have a beauty that goes beyond physical appearances and I have never seen anything like it before
So incredible
It is truly amazing
So appealing
It is very attractive to me
(Baby)
As a term of endearment
I give up everything just to have the joy
I would sacrifice everything just to have the happiness that you bring me
The joy that you bring
The happiness that you bring to my life
Cause my everything
Because you are my everything
Like a cool breeze on a summers day
You make my life feel refreshed and rejuvenated like a cool breeze on a hot summer day
So refreshing to me
You bring a refreshing energy to my life
Cause you the real thing
Because you are genuine and authentic
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind