Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian David Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one." His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame, Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and '80s.
Baker was born and raised in a musical household in Yale, Oklahoma; his father, Chesney Baker, Sr., was a professional guitar player, and his mother, Vera (née Moser) was a talented pianist who worked in a perfume factory. His maternal grandmother, Randi Moser, was Norwegian. Baker began his musical career singing in a church choir. His father introduced him to brass instruments with a trombone, which was replaced with a trumpet when the trombone proved too large.
Baker received some musical education at Glendale Junior High School, but left school at age 16 in 1946 to join the United States Army. He was posted to Berlin, where he joined the 298th Army band. After leaving the army in 1948, he studied theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles. He dropped out in his second year, however, re-enlisting in the army in 1950. Baker became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco, but was soon spending time in San Francisco jazz clubs such as Bop City and the Black Hawk. Baker once again obtained a discharge from the army to pursue a career as a professional musician.
Baker's earliest notable professional gigs were with saxophonist Vido Musso's band, and also with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, though he earned much more renown in 1952 when he was chosen by Charlie Parker to play with him for a series of West Coast engagements.
In 1952, Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which was an instant phenomenon. Several things made the Mulligan/Baker group special, the most prominent being the interplay between Mulligan's baritone sax and Baker's trumpet. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like bebop giants Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the two would complement each other's playing with contrapuntal touches, and it often seemed as if they had telepathy in anticipating what the other was going to play next. The Quartet's version of "My Funny Valentine", featuring a Baker solo, was a hit, and became a tune with which Baker was intimately associated.
The Quartet found success quickly, but lasted less than a year because of Mulligan's arrest and imprisonment on drug charges. Baker formed his own quartet with pianist and composer Russ Freeman in 1953, along with bassists Carson Smith, Joe Mondragon, and Jimmy Bond and drummers Shelly Manne, Larry Bunker, and Bob Neel. The Chet Baker Quartet found success with their live sets, and they released a number of popular albums between 1953 and 1956. In 1953 and 1954, Baker won the Down Beat and Metronome magazines' Readers Jazz Polls, beating the era's two top trumpeters, Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. Down Beat readers also voted Baker as the top jazz vocalist in 1954. In 1956, Pacific Jazz released Chet Baker Sings, a record that increased his profile but alienated traditional jazz fans; he would continue to sing throughout his career.
Due to Baker's chiseled features, he was approached by Hollywood studios, and he made his acting debut in the film Hell's Horizon, released in the fall of 1955. He declined an offer of a studio contract, preferring life on the road as a musician. Over the next few years, Baker fronted his own combos, including a 1955 quintet featuring Francy Boland, where Baker combined playing trumpet and singing. In 1956 Chet Baker completed an eight month tour of Europe, where he recorded Chet Baker In Europe.
He became an icon of the West Coast "cool school" of jazz, helped by his good looks and singing talent. Baker's 1956 recording, released for the first time in its entirety in 1989 as The Route, with Art Pepper, helped further the West Coast jazz sound and became a staple of cool jazz.
Baker began using heroin in the 1950s, resulting in an addiction that lasted the remainder of his life. At times, Baker pawned his instruments for money to maintain his drug habit. In the early 1960s, he served more than a year in prison in Italy on drug charges; he was later expelled from both West Germany and the United Kingdom for drug-related offenses. Baker was eventually deported from West Germany to the United States after running afoul of the law there a second time. He settled in Milpitas in northern California, where he played in San Jose and San Francisco between short jail terms served for prescription fraud.
In 1968, Baker was savagely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in The Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. He stated in the film Let's Get Lost that an acquaintance attempted to rob him one night but backed off, only to return the next night with a group of several men who chased him. He entered a car and became surrounded. Instead of rescuing him, the people inside the car pushed him back out onto the street, where the chase by his attackers continued, and subsequently he was beaten to the point that his teeth, never in good condition to begin with, were knocked out, leaving him without the ability to play his horn. He took odd jobs, among them pumping gas. Meanwhile he was fitted for dentures and worked on his embouchure. Three months later he got a gig in New York City.
Between 1966 and 1974, Baker mostly played flugelhorn and recorded music that could mostly be classified as West Coast jazz.
After developing a new embouchure resulting from dentures, Baker returned to the straight-ahead jazz that began his career. He relocated to New York City and began performing and recording again, including with guitarist Jim Hall. Later in the 1970s, Baker returned to Europe, where he was assisted by his friend Diane Vavra, who took care of his personal needs and otherwise helped him during his recording and performance dates.
From 1978 until his death in 1988, Baker resided and played almost exclusively in Europe, returning to the USA roughly once a year for a few performances. This was Baker's most prolific era as a recording artist. However, as his extensive output is strewn across numerous, mostly small European labels, none of these recordings ever reached a wider audience, even though many of them were well received by critics, who maintain that the period was one of Baker's most mature and rewarding. Of particular importance are Baker's quartet featuring the pianist Phil Markowitz (1978–80) and his trio with guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse (1983–85).[citation needed] He also toured with saxophonist Stan Getz during this period.
In 1983, British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "Shipbuilding", from the album Punch the Clock. The song exposed Baker's music to a new audience. Later, Baker often featured Costello's song "Almost Blue" (inspired by Baker's version of "The Thrill Has Gone") in his concert sets, and recorded the song for Let's Get Lost, a documentary film about his life.
The video material recorded by Japanese television during Baker's 1987 tour in Japan showed a man whose face looked much older than he was, but his trumpet playing was alert, lively and inspired. Baker recorded the live album Chet Baker in Tokyo with his quartet featuring pianist Harold Danko, bassist Hein van de Geyn and drummer John Engels less than a year before his death, and it was released posthumously. Silent Night, a recording of Christmas music, was recorded with Christopher Mason in New Orleans in 1986 and released in 1987.
Baker's compositions included "Chetty's Lullaby", "Freeway", "Early Morning Mood", "Two a Day", "So Che Ti Perderò" ("I Know I Will Lose You"), "Il Mio Domani" ("My Tomorrow"), "Motivo Su Raggio Di Luna" ("Tune on a Moon Beam"), "The Route", "Skidadidlin'", "New Morning Blues", "Blue Gilles", "Dessert", and "Anticipated Blues".
At about 3:10 am on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the Prins Hendrikkade, near the Zeedijk, the street below his second-story room of Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident. A plaque outside the hotel memorializes him and the room he was staying in, No. 210, is named "The Chet Baker Room".
Baker is buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
- Baker was photographed by William Claxton for his book Young Chet: The Young Chet Baker. An Academy Award-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, Let's Get Lost, portrays him as a cultural icon of the 1950s, but juxtaposes this with his later image as a drug addict. The film, directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber, was shot in black-and-white and includes a series of interviews with friends, family (including his three children by third wife Carol Baker), associates and women friends, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life, and with interviews with Baker from his last years.
- Time after Time: The Chet Baker Project, written by playwright James O'Reilly, toured Canada in 2001 to much acclaim. The musical play Chet Baker – Speedball explores aspects of his life and music, and was premiered in London at the Oval House Theatre in February 2007, with further development of the script and performances leading to its revival at the 606 Club in the London Jazz Festival of November 2007.
- Baker was reportedly the inspiration for the character Chad Bixby, played by Robert Wagner in the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals. Another film, to be titled Prince of Cool, about Baker's life, was cancelled as of January 2008.
- In 1991, singer/songwriter David Wilcox recorded the song "Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song" on his album Home Again, speculating on what might have been Baker's last thoughts before falling to his death. The song was later covered by k.d. lang as "My Old Addiction" on her 1997 album Drag.
- The song "Chet Baker", which appears on the 2007 CD Wally Page and Johnny Mulhern: Live at the Annesley House, by Irish folk singer-songwriter Wally Page, describes the end of Baker's life in Amsterdam.
- Jeroen de Valk has written a biography of Baker which is available in several languages: Chet Baker: His Life and Music is the English translation.
Other biographies include James Gavin's Deep In A Dream—The Long Night of Chet Baker, and Matthew Ruddick's Funny Valentine. Baker's "lost memoirs" are available in the book As Though I Had Wings, which includes an introduction by Carol Baker.
- He is portrayed by Ethan Hawke in the 2015 film Born to Be Blue.
- The Australian electronica musician Nicholas James Murphy chose Chet Faker as his stage name, in order to pay homage to Chet Baker, who was a big influence for him.
Honors
In 1987 Chet Baker was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
In 1989 he was elected to Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame by that magazine's Critics Poll.
In 1991 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
In 2005 Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and the Oklahoma House of Representatives proclaimed July 2 as "Chet Baker Day".
In 2007 Mayor of the City of Tulsa, Kathy Taylor, proclaimed December 23 as "Chet Baker Day".
On October 10, 2015 Yale, Oklahoma held the inaugural Chet Baker Jazz Festival in Baker's honor.
I Fall In Love Too Easily
Chet Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fall in love too fast
I fall in love too terribly hard
For love to ever last
My heart should be well schooled
'Cause I've been fooled in the past
But still I fall in love so easily
I fall in love too fast
My heart should be well-schooled
'Cause I've been fooled in the past
But still I fall in love too easily
I fall in love too fast
"I Fall in Love Too Easily" is a beautiful ballad by Chet Baker that talks about his vulnerability towards love. The lyrics express his tendency to fall in love too quickly, too easily, and too terribly hard. Baker acknowledges that he has been fooled in the past, but still can't escape the trap of falling in love again and again.
Baker's voice is hauntingly beautiful, with the soft melody in the background makes this song even more poignant. The repeating lines of "I fall in love too easily" give a glimpse into the emotions of a passionate lover who knows he is setting himself up for heartbreak. Despite the pain, Baker continues to lose himself in the experience, making the same mistake repeatedly.
The lines "My heart should be well schooled/Cause I've been fooled in the past" suggest that Baker has learned from his past experiences, but his heart still refuses to listen to his head. He knows that falling in love too easily is not good for him, but it's not something that he can control. The song perfectly captures the struggle between the mind and the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
I fall in love too easily
I tend to fall in love with people too quickly and easily.
I fall in love too fast
My romantic feelings develop at an accelerated pace, before knowing the person well enough.
I fall in love too terribly hard
My love can be so strong and intense that it hurts deeply if it doesn't work out.
For love to ever last
This intensity makes it difficult for relationships to endure for long periods of time.
My heart should be well schooled
My past experiences with love should have taught me to be more cautious and less impulsive.
'Cause I've been fooled in the past
I have been deceived or let down by someone I loved before.
But still I fall in love so easily
Despite my past traumas, I am still vulnerable to quick infatuation and strong emotional connections.
I fall in love too fast
This tendency can lead to rash decisions, and unrealistic expectations in relationships.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGamingHandbook
Lyrics:
I fall in love too easily
I fall in love too fast
I fall in love too terribly hard
For love to ever last
My heart should be well-schooled
'Cause I've been fooled in the past
But still I fall in love so easily
I fall in love too fast
My heart should be well-schooled
'Cause I've been fooled in the past
But still I fall in love too easily
I fall in love too fast
@erinmontoya1128
I fell for a girl named Mia. Short hair, radiant smile, and an unusual sense of pure optimism. Took me two weeks to fall way too hard way too fast. We would talk every day for hours on end. It was the only time I've ever been that vulnerable and open with someone.
Went on two dates, the second being the last. We just stopped talking after that and for a long time the question "What did I do wrong?" kept permeating the back of my mind. It was the first time I actually cried myself to sleep.
A year has gone by and we met again briefly. She just apologized saying she wasn't in the right state of mind at the time. I smiled and did the polite thing and said "it's okay" then left. You know you've got it bad when you're looking at them and they're looking forward, just not at you.
I know I'll get over it eventually and I'll probably fall again. But for know I just feel like shit, just wish it wasn't so slow for the pain to fade away.
(Update):
Omg thanks for all the likes, didn't expect my story to resonate with so many. Lol I still remember when the comment section was just like a virtual bar of us sharing our sob stories. For y'all wondering, I'm in a much better place now than when I last wrote the comment. I have no resentments nor regrets for what happened. She didn't owe me anything and I think it was for the best that we stayed apart. I learned what it's like to truly be alone and realized that it's actually pretty nice. So for those who like my story and who are going through it rn I just want to let you know that it's okay to feel sad when it doesn't turn out the way you want to.
Healing won't be linear, there'll be days where you'll be fine and days where all that pain will come again. But ultimately, it'll shape you into a much more iridescent person of you allow yourself to. And you'll be fine enough to take a chance on not only yourself but in other people as well. It sounds corny, but that's what the truth usually is in my experience. Hope y'all have a good one 👍
@Lps.Tallic
I am Also in love with my best friend forever. No one else understands me like he does but I don't know If he likes me back.
I told him I liked him once accidentally, I was drunk but it was all cool , I cried cause he said he wasn't interested at the time but since then we're so close now that he only talks to a few people.
I was planning on telling him when I'd see him in a few weeks but I'm too scared too ,I know we might be able to salvage our friendship like before but this time I genuinely love him , not just because he's good looking or whatever like the first time I liked him.
I told him a bunch of stuff that happened which I never told to anyone because I was scared to , and he Is the only one who makes me feel better .
I really don't know what to do but I wish you the best of luck homie 🧡 I hope it turns out good for you in the end :3
@chevalierkaaro2878
@@randomman4628
The remark came from my left.
I glanced at the man - a new face. He was sporting a black three-piece. His akubra hat obscured most of his face, only showing a crooked smirk and a three-day beard. Got a pretty keen eye for him to read my notepad. Or maybe he's ust a very, very curious man.
" Who are you, the spanish inquisiton? " I asked.
His smirk grew wider.
" Nobody, " he drawled, while nursing his martini. " Just a random... Fan, if you will. Of him. " He pointed at the singer onstage.
A grin grew on my face. " Nice taste."
I extended my hand. " You can call me Id." He grabbed and shaked my hand, his grin now almost touching his ears. " Call me Just. "
@hotandsillycinnamonrollget6697
I still remember her smile man. She was smart, cute, and sweet. We had been talking and seeing each other on and off for the past 5 months. She always said she wanted to be just friends. We got pretty close, she would share her deepest emotions with me and I would tell her that I had feelings for her. She would tell me I was handsome and that I was the most intellegent and sweetest guy she ever met.
I should of cut it off from the begining. I fell in love with her. The thought of her got me through the day. It turns out she had been seeing some guy from tinder the past 2 months and I completly broke down. I couldn't eat or sleep for a whole day. I cried for the first time since my grandfather died. It felt like I was stabbed over and over again.
We got into a massive fight. A few days later I mustered the courage to do the right thing. I said I was sorry and I wished that she would genuianly find happieness one day (she's not happy in her current relationship but dosen't want me) and tried to move on.
I still think about her sometimes. I have a hard time with understanding emotional feelings and connecting on a level like that. I just thought I finally found the right one.
We're gonna make it fellas ;_;
@jaylyn3913
...To the one that got away
To the soulmate found while at your worst
To the lovers who fought after sleepless nights, so desperate to get it right together...
May time heal your heart fully,
And may you find new purpose on your way there.
Stay hopeful my friends.
Salute🙏🏼
@073gaming4
Me when the cashier says “have a nice day”
@gero3015
Man i felt this on a spirutual level,I feel like i instantly get feelings for anyone who shows me the slightest bit of attention
@nikomike9369
Damn I feel that 100%
@reno8494
@@gero3015 that's sad...
@gero3015
@@reno8494 im aware of that
@gero3015
@@reno8494 i guess its a form of coping from being lonely all the time
@fob1xxl
This song sounds like my life. From a teenager, to adult I always fell quickly in love. It took me years to be able to take it slow and just let things happen. I matured and realized I had alot to offer and I shouldn't be so desperate to be loved. I At the age of 31 I did just that . Met the love of my life that lasted for 40 years until they passed in 2017. You find love when you're NOT looking for it !
@suhanashaikh242
I hope you had the best life, with the ONE, im 20 now and I think ill keep on falling in love for a while now. but I aspire to be like you. and people like you.
@jazzcrusader3062
How do I stop falling in love so easily? How does one control his heart? I feel like I’m pretty much aware of everything, yet I can’t escape the cycle. I’m only a kid so puberty makes this near impossible.. however, I’ve never let that stop me
@yinyangvtubing5028
@@jazzcrusader3062 I'm a feeling person but for me it helped to look at everything from a realistic perspective whenever I started getting feelings plus I'm way to lazy for all the stress that I would cause.