Parker is commonly considered the greatest bebop jazz musician. In terms of influence and impact, his contribution to jazz was so great that Charles Mingus commented that if Bird were alive today, he would think he was living in a hall of mirrors. Bird's talent is compared almost without argument to such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and his reputation and legend as one of the best saxophonists is such that some critics say he was unsurpassed.
A founding figure of bebop, Parker's innovative approach to melody, rhythm and harmony have exerted an incalculable influence on jazz.. Several of Parker's songs have become standards of the repertoire, and innumerable musicians have studied Parker's music and absorbed elements of his style.
Parker became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical (seeking to study with Edgard Varese and Stefan Wolpe) to Latin music (recordings with Machito), blazing paths followed later by others.
Parker was known for often showing up to performances without an instrument and borrowing someone else's at the last moment. At more than one venue he played on a plastic Grafton saxophone; later, saxophonist Ornette Coleman used this brand of plastic sax in his early career. On one particular occasion before a concert in Toronto, Canada, he had sold his saxophone to buy drugs, and at the last minute, he, Dizzy Gillespie and other members of Charlie's entourage went running around Toronto trying to find a saxophone. After scouring all the downtown pawnshops open at the time, they were only able to find a Grafton, which Parker proceeded to use at the concert that night. This concert is documented on the album Jazz at Massey Hall. The album is considered one of the greatest live recordings in Jazz history.
Parker's battles with alcoholism and heroin addiction ranged from his teenage years until his death from pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer at thirty-four. The toll that the drug had taken on his relatively young body was quite profound - a doctor examining Parker's body estimated him to be around sixty years old.
During his lifetime, tribute was paid to Parker when a new nightclub in New York was named Birdland in his honour in 1949.Three years later, George Shearing wrote "Lullaby of Birdland", which was named for both Parker and the nightclub.
Other phenomena also occurred in the United States after the death of Parker, particularly the use of the term "Bird lives" in graffiti throughout New York hours after his death, and later as the title of a contemporary art piece of the same name, created by sculptor Robert Graham in 1999. Despite its widespread use, Ted Joans is usually credited with its inception.
I Surrender Dear
Charlie Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sworn enemy of love
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear And shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
The lyrics to Charlie Christian's "I Surrender Dear" express the emotions of someone who has been humbled by their own pride and realizes they need to confess their feelings of love. The singer describes their pride as a "sad, splendid liar" and admits that it kept them from expressing their true emotions in the past. However, they have now surrendered their pride and are ready to confess their love to the person they have been pushing away.
The singer acknowledges that they have been playing a game of "stay away" with their love interest, but they now realize that they cannot live without them. They admit that the little negative things they were doing were maybe part of the game, but they don't care who is to blame. The singer is willing to surrender everything to be with their love, saying "To you my love, my life, my all, I surrender, dear."
Overall, the lyrics of "I Surrender Dear" are a heartfelt confession of love from someone who has been held back by their own pride. It is a song about finally letting go of fear and expressing one's true emotions to the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Pride, sad, splendid liar,
My pride has made me act like I'm happy, but really I am sad and it is leading me to lie and deceive others.
Sworn enemy of love
My pride is preventing me from expressing my true feelings and inhibiting my ability to love.
Kept my lips from saying
My pride has caused me to hold back my true emotions and refrain from expressing myself.
Things I was thinking of.
I have been holding back my true feelings and perspectives, not allowing them to be known by others.
But now my pride you've humbled,
My pride has been brought down and weakened by my current situation and circumstances.
I've cast it to the winds,
I have let go of my pride and allowed it to no longer control me or my actions.
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
The emotional toll of holding onto my pride has left me feeling defeated and heartbroken.
My confession begins.
I am now ready to reveal my true feelings and thoughts to the person I am addressing.
We've played the game of stay away
We have been avoiding each other and holding back our true feelings about one another.
But it cost more that I can pay.
The price of avoiding each other and not expressing our true feelings has become too high for me to bear.
Without you I can't make my way,
I feel lost and directionless without the person I am addressing in my life.
I surrender, dear.
I am giving up my pride and confessing my true feelings to this person.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
I may appear to be prideful and happy, but that is not my true nature.
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
My prideful demeanor is just a facade, and not a true representation of who I am.
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
My true love and feelings for this person are buried deep within me.
Little mean things we were doing
The petty actions we took towards each other were just part of a game we were playing.
Must have been part of the game,
Our hurtful actions towards each other were a necessary part of the overall courtship and romance.
Lending a spice to the wooing,
Our playful teasing and argumentation helped to add excitement and attraction to the relationship.
But I don't care who's to blame.
I am not interested in assigning blame for the petty arguments, I just want to move forward with the person I'm addressing.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Under the cover of darkness and quietness surrounding us at night,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
At that time, you will hear my heart crying out to you
To you my love, my life, my all
As you are my love and the most important thing in my life
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
Written by: GORDON CLIFFORD, HARRY BARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind