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

Yesterdays
Clifford Brown Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Days I knew as happy
Sweet sequester days
Olden days, golden days
Days of mad romance and love

Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Joyous free and flaming life

Forsooth, was mine
Sad am I, glad am I
For today I'm dreaming of yesterdays

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Days I knew as happy
Sweet sequester days
Olden days, golden days
Days of mad romance and love

Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Joyous free and flaming life
Forsooth, was mine
Sad am I, glad am I
For today I'm dreaming of yesterdays

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Days I knew as happy
Sweet sequester days
Olden days, golden days
Days of mad romance and love

Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Joyous free and flaming life
Forsooth, was mine
Sad am I, glad am I

For today I'm dreaming of yesterdays
Yesterdays

Overall Meaning

In "Yesterdays," Clifford Brown sings about fond memories of days gone by. He reminisces about the happy and carefree times of his youth, and the joy and passion that accompanied them. With a voice full of longing, he pines for the past, dreaming of days filled with romance and love. The repetition of the chorus, with its emphasis on the bittersweet nature of remembering past happiness, underscores the poignancy of Brown's emotions.

As an instrumental jazz piece, the melody of "Yesterdays" conveys a sense of melancholy and nostalgia. Its bluesy, minor-key tonality lends itself to Brown's wistful lyrics, creating a mournful yet beautiful atmosphere. The song's slow tempo and the use of dynamic variations, such as crescendos and decrescendos, add to the emotional impact of the piece.

Interestingly, "Yesterdays" has been covered by many different artists over the years, including Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, and Frank Sinatra, among others. Its enduring popularity speaks to the universality of its theme, which resonates with listeners of all ages and backgrounds.

Line by Line Meaning

Yesterdays, yesterdays
Remembering the days gone by

Days I knew as happy
Recalling the times that were filled with joy

Sweet sequester days
Memories of peaceful and quiet days

Olden days, golden days
Thinking of the past, it seemed like a happier time

Days of mad romance and love
Thinking of the times of wild passion and love

Then gay youth was mine, truth was mine
Reminiscing on the time of youth and vigor when honesty was all there was

Joyous free and flaming life
Being boundless in one's experiences

Forsooth, was mine
It was rightfully mine

Sad am I, glad am I
Feeling both melancholy and grateful

For today I'm dreaming of yesterdays
Longing for the past and wishing they could go back

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEROME KERN, OTTO HARBACH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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