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.
Lover Come Back to Me
Charlie Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I let you
We broke the ties that bind
I wanted to forget you
And leave the past behind
Still, the magic of the night I met you
Seems to stay forever in my mind
And high above
The moon was new
And so was love
This eager heart of mine was singing
Lover where can you be
You came at last
Love had its day
That day is past
You've gone away
This aching heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I'm so lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
When I remember every little thing
You used to do
I grow lonely
Every road I walk along
I walk along with you
No wonder I am lonely
The sky is blue
The night is cold
The moon is new
But love is old
And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine is singing
Lover come back to me
The lyrics of Charlie Parker's song Lover Come Back to Me are a poignant reminder of lost love and aching hearts. The opening lines of the song set the tone of regret and sorrow. The singer laments that his lover has gone away, and though he himself may have let her leave, he still wishes that things could have been different. He had wanted to move on and leave the past behind, but the memory of their meeting on a magical night remains etched in his mind.
The next few lines of the song paint a picture of a beautiful moonlit night when love was new and the singer's heart was full of hope and eagerness. He wonders where his lover is and longs for her to return. The chorus of the song starts with an admission that love had its day, but now it is gone. The singer's heart aches with loneliness, and he calls out to his lover to come back to him.
The final stanza repeats the sentiments of the chorus, with the singer remembering every little thing that his lover used to do and walking every road with her in his heart. The sky is blue, the night is cold, and the moon is new, but love is old, and the singer waits for his lover to return.
Overall, the song is a sad but beautiful tribute to lost love and the enduring pain of heartbreak. It captures the universal feeling of longing for a lost love and the hope that they might return.
Line by Line Meaning
You went away
You left me
I let you
I didn't fight for you
We broke the ties that bind
We ended our relationship
I wanted to forget you
I tried to move on from you
And leave the past behind
I wanted to forget everything that happened between us
Still, the magic of the night I met you
The memory of the night I met you is still vivid in my mind
Seems to stay forever in my mind
I can't forget the night I met you
The sky was blue
The sky was clear
And high above
Far above the ground
The moon was new
The moon was in its first phase
And so was love
Our love was new and fresh
This eager heart of mine was singing
I was filled with happiness and excitement
Lover where can you be
I miss you and wonder where you are
You came at last
You finally came back to me
Love had its day
Our love was strong and passionate
That day is past
That time has gone and our love has faded
You've gone away
You left me again
This aching heart of mine is singing
I am hurting and longing for you
When I remember every little thing
When I recall every detail of our time together
You used to do
The things you used to do for me
I'm so lonely
I feel incredibly alone without you
Every road I walk along
Every path I take
I walk along with you
I can't help but think of you and miss you
No wonder I am lonely
It's no surprise that I feel lonely without you
The night is cold
The night is chilly
But love is old
Love has been around for a long time
And while I'm waiting here
While I'm waiting for you to come back
This heart of mine is singing
My heart is filled with longing and sadness
Lover come back to me
Please come back to me and fill the void in my heart
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, DistroKid, TuneCore Inc., CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, ONErpm, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN, II, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN, SIGMUND ROMBERG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lastknowngood0
A gathering of Eagles, Bird is outrageous as usual, Fats is dynamite as is Flip & Sonny as well. Hank et al are just awesome in this JATP Group performing at Carnagie Hall NYNY! Yeah!
michael roach
Excellent session!It would have been nice to have been there.
Girard Dunn
Sonny criss solo a masterpiece, to me he’s up there with Charlie Parker.
Pascal Thouvenin
Up to Parker? Bird is the absolute boss, there is a Jazz before him, and after him, the sound, the tune, the time, the ideas, the compositions, the influence.
Most of the melodic ideas of Sonny Criss come from Bird's recordings , he is very repetitive; the following of both's life speaks by itself.
Frisbieinstein
It's too much variations on the same lick for me. But it sure is energetic. Giving it everything he's got.
FGTV FAN
Times like this 🙄 Really REALLY want to go back 🔙 and Experience as well as I Can... What A Wonderful Joyous and Enthusiastic Time to be ALIVE ‼️👁️👏🏾😁
cj green
Awesome
Troy Ellis
This man was a FREAK of nature in the form of a musician !
Grant Koeller
5:35 Bird's solo starts!!!
ichabe dichlieb
Dat trombone solo, man!