Palmieri's parents emigrated to New York from Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1926 and settled down in Spanish Harlem, a Hispanic ghetto located in Manhattan. As a child, Palmieri, (who was born Carlos Manuel Palmieri), taught himself to play the piano by ear. He went to school in the city's public school system but, when he was 7 years old, his father enrolled him at The Juilliard School, where he took piano lessons. By the time Palmieri was 14 years old, he found himself with his 5 year old brother, Eddie participating in many talent contests and together they won many prizes. It was at this time that his godfather introduced him to the music of the Latin bands - an experience which inspired him to become a musician.
In 1943, when still only 16 years old and still in high school, he made his professional debut as a piano player for the Osario Selasie Band. He graduated from High School in 1946, and immediately went to play for various bands. He made his recording debut with the song "Se Va La Rumba" as a member of the Rafael Muñoz Band.
In October 1947, Tito Puente, the musical director of the Fernando Alvarez Band, was impressed with Palmieri and hired him to play for his band at the Copacabana Club; here he played with Tito until 1953 and during the 1950s he played with various bands. Besides having played with Tito Puente, he played with Pupi Campo's Band and worked on Jack Paar's CBS daytime television show. Palmieri also formed a couple of bands which performed at the Palladum Ballroom - these were however shortlived because of a lack of work. During this time, he also worked as an accompanist for other bands.
Palmieri worked for several years in Chicago, but returned to New York and formed a band called "Charanga La Duboney". While performing at the Monte Carlo Ballroom, Palmieri heard a young man by the name of Johnny Pacheco playing the flute - the playing so impressed him that he hired him on the spot. The mixture of Pacheco's flute with the strings of the violins in Palmieri's band led to the 1960s Charanga craze in the United States. Palmieri was signed by the United Artists Record company and had several Latino hits. Palmieri did however suffer various setbacks - first Pacheco left the band and then United Artists cancelled his contract because of a conflict of interest with their other recording star, Tito Rodriguez. This led to Palmeiri's signing with the Alegre Records label and with whom he had two best selling "hits" with "Como Bailan La Pachanga" and "La Pachanga Se Baila Asi".
When the Charanga craze declined in popularity, Palmieri switched to the new trend, the Boogaloo, by replacing the flute and violins with three trumpets and two trombones, he also dropped the word "Charanga" from his bands name and it became renowned simply as "La Duboney". In 1965, he scored a hit with "Tengo Maquina y Voy a 60" (Going like 60) and in 1967 with "Hay Que Estar En Algo/Either You Have It or You Don't". In 1968, Palmieri recorded "Latin Bugalu" under the Atlantic Records label, which was also released in the United Kingdom.
In the 1970s, Palmieri worked as the musical director for Tito Puente's television show "El Mundo de Tito Puente" (Tito Puente's World). He also taught and lectured about Latin music and culture at various educational institutions. After reorganizing his band, Palmieri played the organ and recorded "La Hija de Lola" (Lola's daughter) and "La Vecina" (The neighbor). In 1971, he provided his organ playing talents to some of his brother's recordings.
I'll Be Around
Charlie Palmieri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
I'll never be the same never be the same again
I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
"I'll Never Be The Same" is a song by Charlie Shavers that expresses the singer's feelings of loss, heartbreak, and melancholy after a break-up. The lyrics capture the sense of emptiness and loss that the singer is experiencing, as he reflects on how his life has changed since his relationship ended. The song is a classic torch song, with a slow, mournful melody that perfectly captures the mood of the lyrics.
The first two lines of the song, "I'll never be the same / Stars have lost their meaning for me" sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer is saying that his life has lost its meaning now that the love of his life is no longer with him. The loss of his partner has made him feel disconnected from the world around him, and even the stars in the sky no longer have any significance.
The next verse of the song talks about how the singer is unable to believe the songbirds when they sing about the arrival of spring. This shows how his sense of joy and wonder at the world has been replaced by a deep sense of sadness and disbelief. The song also touches on the theme of how even things that were once certain, like love, can turn out to be wrong. The singer acknowledges that once he thought love was everything, but now he knows that even "kings can be wrong".
Overall, "I'll Never Be The Same" is a poignant and emotionally charged ballad that communicates the depth of the singer's loss and sadness. Its lyrics capture the universal experience of heartbreak and remind listeners that even though they may feel alone in their pain, they are not the only ones who have ever felt this way.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be the same
I have changed so much that I will never be the same person again
Stars have lost their meaning for me
Things that I once found great and amazing no longer interest me
Nothing's what it once use to be
The things that I knew and loved has now become unrecognizable
And when the songbirds that sing, Tell me it's spring, I can't believe their song
Even when things around me seem to signal a new beginning (like spring), I still can't shake off the feeling of melancholy
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I used to have someone special in my life, but even the strongest love can falter
There is such an ache in my heart, Never be the same since we're apart
Losing that special someone has left a void in my life and I can never fill it again
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide, I know down deep inside, I'll never be the same never be the same again
I may try to put on a happy face, but deep down inside, I know that I'll never be able to return to the person that I once was
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gus Kahn, Matt Malneck, Frank Signorelli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnnynoirman
TERRIFIC!