Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956), aka "Brownie," was an Am… Read Full Bio ↴Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956), aka "Brownie," was an American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25 in a car accident, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings. Nonetheless, he had a considerable influence on later jazz trumpet players, including Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and Freddie Hubbard, among others. He was also a composer of note: two of his compositions, "Joy Spring" and "Daahoud", have become jazz standards.

He won the Down Beat critics' poll for the 'New Star of the Year' in 1954; he was inducted into the Down Beat 'Jazz Hall of Fame' in 1972 in the critics' poll. Sandoval described him as "one of what we call the mandatory trumpet players" who was "one of the greatest trumpet players of all time".

Wilmington, Delaware, (where Brownie was born and is buried), hosts an annual jazz fest in his honor. Sponsored by the cities arts commission known as Citifest, the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival is a FREE week long event held mostly in outdoor venues at various locations in Wilmington. The festival usually occurs the 3rd week in June of each year.

Noteable websites are:
The Clifford Brown Jazz Festival: http://www.cliffordbrownjazzfest.com
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown_Jazz_Festival
Brownie, the unofficial memorial website: http://cliffordbrown.net

If I Love Again
Clifford Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I often wonder why he came to me
Brought such a flame to me

And let it die
And if another love should find my heart
It will remind my heart of your goodbye

With every new love you

Will come back to me
In others eyes, its you I see
If I love again
Though its someone new

If I love again
It'll still be you
In someone else's firm embrace
I'll close my eyes but see your face

If I love again
I'll find other charms
But I'll make believe, you are in my arms
And though my lips whisper

"I love you"
My heart will not be true

I'll be loving
Every time I love again

Overall Meaning

Clifford Brown's lyrical masterpiece "If I Love Again" poses an introspective contemplation of the nature of love and its impact on one's past, present, and future. The melancholic yet hopeful lyrics depict the singer's realization that the love that had once kindled and burned intensely has now been extinguished, leaving behind a void that he fears will never be filled again. He ponders the reasons that led to the end of the romance that had meant so much to him and wonders if he will ever find love again. The singer is resigned to the fact that if he does fall in love again, it will be impossible for him to completely let go of his former flame.

In the second segment of the song, the singer expresses a fear that is familiar to many who have ever loved and lost. He fears that if he were to find love again, he would not be able to give his new lover the entirety of his heart but would instead be holding on to the memories of his previous lover. The lyrics consequently outline the insecurities and apprehensions that follow heartbreak, as well as acknowledging that while love can be discovered again, one can never truly let go of past romances.

Line by Line Meaning

I often wonder why he came to me
I continuously question why he suddenly came into my life

Brought such a flame to me
He ignited such a strong feeling in me

And let it die
He let the fire in our love extinguish

And if another love should find my heart
If I fall in love again

It will remind my heart of your goodbye
It will always bring back memories of how we parted ways

With every new love you
Whenever I love someone new

Will come back to me
I will never forget about you

In others eyes, its you I see
I see you reflected in their eyes

If I love again
If I ever fall in love again

Though its someone new
Even if it's with a different person

It'll still be you
My heart will always belong to you

In someone else's firm embrace
While being held by someone else

I'll close my eyes but see your face
I'll imagine that it's you holding me

I'll find other charms
I'll discover new qualities to love

But I'll make believe, you are in my arms
But I'll pretend that it's you holding me

And though my lips whisper 'I love you'
Even if I say 'I love you'

My heart will not be true
My heart will always belong to you

I'll be loving
I'll never stop loving you

Every time I love again
Each time I fall in love with someone new

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MURRAY JACK, BEN OAKLAND, JACK MURRAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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