Adderley is remembered for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy", a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including on the epochal album Kind of Blue (1959). He was the brother of jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.
The name 'Canonball' is supposed to have originated from his being nicknamed 'cannibal' in his youth, on account of his prodigious eating
Early life and career
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Adderley moved to New York in the mid-1950s. His nickname derived originally from "cannibal", a title imposed on him by high school colleagues as a tribute to his voracious appetite.
His educational career was long established prior to teaching applied instrumental music classes at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cannonball moved to Tallahassee, Florida when his parents obtained teaching positions at Florida A&M University. Both Cannonball and brother Nat played with Ray Charles when Charles lived in Tallahassee during the early 1940s. Cannonball was a local legend in Florida until he moved to New York City in 1955, where he lived in Corona, Queens.
It was in New York during this time that Adderley's prolific career began. Adderley visited the Cafe Bohemia, where Oscar Pettiford's group was playing that night. Adderley had brought his saxophone into the club with him, primarily because he feared that it would be stolen, and he was asked to sit in as the saxophone player was late. That performance established his reputation.
Prior to joining Miles Davis' band, Adderley formed his own group with his brother Nat after signing onto the Savoy jazz label in 1957. He was noticed by Miles Davis, and it was because of his blues-rooted alto saxophone that Davis asked him to play with his group.
Adderley joined the Miles Davis Sextet in October 1957, three months prior to John Coltrane's return to the group. Adderley played on the seminal Davis records Milestones and Kind of Blue. This period also overlapped with pianist Bill Evans' time with the sextet, an association that led to recording Portrait of Cannonball and Know What I Mean?.
His interest as an educator carried over to his recordings. In 1961, Cannonball narrated The Child's Introduction to Jazz, released on Riverside Records.
Band leader
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet featured Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat Adderley on cornet. Cannonball's first quintet was not very successful; however, after leaving Davis' group, he formed another, again with his brother, which enjoyed more success.
Later life
By the end of the 1960s, Adderley's playing began to reflect the influence of the electric jazz, avant-garde, and Davis' experiments on the album Bitches Brew. On his albums from this period, such as Accent on Africa (1968) and The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free (1970), he began doubling on soprano saxophone, showing the influence of Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. In that same year, his quintet appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and a brief scene of that performance was featured in the 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Clint Eastwood. In 1975 he also appeared (in an acting role alongside Jose Feliciano and David Carradine) in the episode "Battle Hymn" in the third season of the TV series Kung Fu.
Joe Zawinul's composition "Cannon Ball" (recorded on Weather Report's album Black Market) is a tribute to his former leader. Pepper Adams and George Mraz dedicated the composition "Julian" on the 1975 Pepper Adams album (also called "Julian") days after Cannonball's death.
Songs made famous by Adderley and his bands include "This Here" (written by Bobby Timmons), "The Jive Samba", "Work Song" (written by Nat Adderley), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (written by Joe Zawinul) and "Walk Tall" (written by Zawinul, Marrow and Rein). A cover version of Pops Staples' "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?" also entered the charts.
Adderley was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity (Gamma Theta chapter, University of North Texas, '60, & Xi Omega chapter, Frostburg State University, '70) and Alpha Phi Alpha (Beta Nu chapter, Florida A&M University).
Adderley died of a stroke in 1975. He was buried in the Southside Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. Later that year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
People Will Say We're in Love
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't please my folks too much
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Your sighs are so like mine
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't start collecting things
Give me my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
People will say we're in love.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't look so vain with me
Don't stand in the rain with me
People will say we're in love!
Don't take my arm too much
Don't keep your hand in mine
Your hand feels so grand in mine
People will say we're in love!
Don't dance all night with me
Till the stars fade from above.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will say we're in love.
The lyrics of "People Will Say We're in Love" convey a sense of paranoia or concern about what others might think, particularly regarding the relationship between the singer and the person they address in the song. The opening lines ask why people invent stories that link their names together, and the second line suggests that the neighbors gossip behind closed doors. The singer then offers a practical list of things to avoid: throwing bouquets, pleasing the singer's family too much, laughing too much, sighing and gazing, collecting things, praising too much, looking too vain, standing in the rain, taking the singer's arm too much, dancing all night. All of these actions, the singer seems to suggest, will lead people to believe that they are in love.
The song can be interpreted in a few different ways. On one hand, it could be seen as a commentary on social norms and the pressure to conform to certain expectations. The singer is aware of what others will think, and so they try to hide their affection or attraction to the other person. On the other hand, it could be seen as a playful or coy expression of love, with the singer using irony and humor to downplay their feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they think up stories that link my name with yours?
Why do people make up lies about us having a relationship together?
Why do the neighbors chatter all day, behind their doors?
Why are our neighbors talking behind our backs all the time?
I know a way to prove what they say is quite untrue.
I have a plan to show everyone that their rumors about us are false.
Here is the gist, a practical list of "donts" for you.
I have a list of things you should avoid doing to dispel these rumors.
Don't throw bouquets at me
Don't show too much affection towards me in public by giving me flowers.
Don't please my folks too much
Don't try too hard to impress my parents.
Don't laugh at my jokes too much
Don't show too much interest in me by laughing at my jokes excessively.
People will say we're in love!
Otherwise people will think we're romantically involved with one another.
Don't sigh and gaze at me
Avoid showing too much longing and desire towards me through your sighs and gazes.
Your sighs are so like mine
Your sighs are similar to what I would do when I'm in love.
Your eyes mustn't glow like mine
Don't make your eyes sparkle with passion when you look at me.
Don't start collecting things
Don't start items that would remind you of me and our supposed romantic relationship.
Give me my rose and my glove.
Only keep things that have no romantic connotations between us, such as my rose and my glove.
Sweetheart they're suspecting things
Hey darling, people are getting suspicious of us.
Don't praise my charm too much
Don't tell me how charming I am too often as it might implicate that we're romantically involved.
Don't look so vain with me
Don't act too proud and self-absorbed when we're together.
Don't stand in the rain with me
Don't put us in a romantic movie-like setting, such as standing in the rain together.
Don't take my arm too much
Don't hold my arm or lean on me excessively, as it could be seen as romantic behavior.
Don't keep your hand in mine
Don't hold hands with me or touch me too often, as it could suggest that we're in love.
Your hand feels so grand in mine
Admitting that you like holding my hand and how it feels when we touch is a sign of romantic involvement.
Don't dance all night with me
Avoid spending too much time with me in public events, such as dancing together all night.
Till the stars fade from above.
Until the end of the night, when everything calms down and people start talking.
They'll see it's alright with me
People will notice that there is nothing romantic going on between us.
People will say we're in love!
Otherwise, if we keep acting like we're romantically involved, people will keep believing that we're in love.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, IMAGEM MUSIC INC
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@geminisax6115
Tremendous solo
@JerryAttric42
Philly Joe's swing and drive are almost too much to bear here. this is PJJ at his peak. his second exchange of 'fours' [6:40 ] kills me every time I hear it.
@michaelprice7955
beautiful
@ghairraigh
"Don't throw bouquets at me!" Lyrics DO matter! ... how else can you really understand this tune without knowing what he is singing? This instantly became one of my favorite recordings the first time I heard it, some 40-odd years ago. Back then I reacted with wonder at his choice of a somewhat obscure, corny tune from "Oklahoma" as a source for improvisation. In defiance to the first line of the lyrics, I have been 'throwing bouquets' right back at Cannonball ever since - TURN IT UP!
@lesterwyoung
Lovely version of this tune from the show "Oklahoma" by Rodgers & Hammerstein.