Byrd primarily looked up to Django Reinhardt. He moved to Washington, D.C., to study classical guitar with the renowned Sophocles Papas. He later moved to Italy where he studied with Andrés Segovia. In the early 1960's he was on a State Department tour in South America where he was introduced to a new music, the bossa nova, which was the musical passion of Brazil beginning in the late 50's. Jazz saxophonist Stan Getz had been in Brazil about six months earlier than Byrd, also on a State Department tour, where he, too, was exposed to the bossa nova. A short time later Getz called Byrd in D.C. and suggested the idea that they collaborate on a bossa nova album. That album was the introduction of bossa nova to North America.
He is perhaps most well known as a collaborator with Stan Getz on the Jazz Samba album, which featured many themes of bossa nova, and of course, samba.
This Can't Be Love
Charlie Byrd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
High on a hill it call to me
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care!
My love waits there in San Francisco,
Above the blue and windy sea.
Your golden sun will shine for me!
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill it calls to me
To be where little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars!
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care!
My love waits there in San Francisco,
Above the blue and windy sea.
When I come home to you, San Francisco
The lyrics to Charlie Byrd's song "This Can't Be Love" paint a vivid picture of a love that transcends distance, time, and even the elements. The song opens with the singer admitting to having left their heart in San Francisco - a city that symbolizes not only the physical place, but also all the emotions and memories that are tied up in it. The city's iconic hills and cable cars are then conjured up, suggesting a sense of elevation and motion - a climb towards something greater. Even the morning fog, which can be cold and unforgiving, is imbued with a sense of romance and possibility. Ultimately, the singer's love waits for them in San Francisco, and upon returning, they are greeted with the city's golden, life-sustaining sun.
Line by Line Meaning
I left my heart in San Francisco
I have left my emotional attachment in San Francisco
High on a hill it calls to me
The nostalgic memories of my time in San Francisco is calling out to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars!
I crave to belong in a place where I can observe everything from above, and the cable cars are my means of transport for this purpose.
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care!
Even though the weather condition may not be comfortable, my attachment overpowers any other inconvenience.
My love waits there in San Francisco,
The thing that holds my emotional attachment is still present in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea.
The place where my heart lies is above the ocean, where the sea breeze can take away all my fatigue and stress.
When I come home to you, San Francisco,
When I visit San Francisco again, which I consider my emotional home, and where my memories live.
Your golden sun will shine for me!
The warmth of San Francisco is always welcoming for me, and it will make me feel comfortable again when I return.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind