William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904– April 26, 1984) was a jazz pianist,… Read Full Bio ↴William "Count" Basie (August 21, 1904– April 26, 1984) was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, and bandleader.

As a pianist, he had a distinctive and influential style (the song title "Splanky" is an onomatopoetic reference to the sound of his playing), equally at home in the barrelhouse and the concert hall. Willie "The Lion" Smith, James P. Johnson, and Fats Waller were among his influences.

As a bandleader, he created an organization (built upon the remains of Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra) that was a favorite both of dancers and of vocalists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and, of course, Billie Holiday. Equally important, it kept many musicians employed through lean years. Many jazz musicians of note built their chops and earned their bread and butter in Basie's organization.

In addition to Basie, the swinging "All American Rhythm Section" of his orchestra included greats such as Walter Page (bass), Jo Jones (drums), and Freddie Green (guitar). It was the greatest, most swinging rhythm sections in the history of jazz. Chief among its vocalists were, first, Jimmy Rushing and, later, Joe Williams. Over the years it boasted sidemen and soloists like Herschel Evans (tenor sax), Lester Young (tenor sax), Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (tenor sax), Buddy Tate (tenor sax), Illinois Jacquet (tenor sax), Earle Warren (alto sax), Jack Washington (alto & baritone sax), Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), Buck Clayton (trumpet), Thad Jones (trumpet), Snooky Young (trumpet), Benny Morton (trombone), Benny Powell (trombone), and Dicky Wells (trombone).

Basie also collaborated with artists such as Zoot Sims and Oscar Peterson, and recorded with ensembles large and small, including the Count Basie Trio, the Count Basie Sextet, and the Kansas City Seven. Notable arrangers included Eddie Durham (who helped shape the Basie Orchestra's sound) and Neal Hefti.

Cherry Red
Count Basie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Run here, pretty mama
Sit down on your daddy's knee
So I can tell everybody
How you've been sending me

Mama, if this is your secret
You better keep it to yourself
Because if you tell me

I might, I might tell somebody else

I like it red, big fat mama
With the meat shakin' on her bone
And every time she walks down the street
Some steely the woman and longs to home
And longs to home

I want you to take me, pretty mama
?

I want you to love me, mama
Till my face turns like cherry red

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Count Basie and His Orchestra's song Cherry Red explore themes of desire and seduction. The singer urges a woman referred to as "pretty mama" to sit on his knee so he can tell everyone how she's been sending him signals. The lyrics suggest a seductive relationship between the two, and the singer warns the woman to keep their secret to herself because he might betray her trust by telling someone else.

The singer's physical attraction to the woman is evident when he describes his preference for "red, big fat mama[s]" with meat "shakin' on her bone." The woman's physical appearance is so alluring that other men on the street "steel" themselves when she walks by. The song's lyrics conclude with the singer asking the woman to take him and love him until his face turns "cherry red."

Overall, the song communicates a lighthearted, playful attitude towards desire and seduction, with a focus on physical attraction and pleasure.

Line by Line Meaning

Run here, pretty mama
Come over here quickly, beautiful woman

Sit down on your daddy's knee
Take a seat on your elder's lap

So I can tell everybody
I want to share my story with the world

How you've been sending me
How you've been making me feel

Mama, if this is your secret
If this is your private matter, dear woman

You better keep it to yourself
It is advisable to keep it within yourself

Because if you tell me
If you disclose it to me

I might, I might tell somebody else
I might reveal it to someone else

I like it red, big fat mama
I prefer it to be vibrant red, with a full-bodied woman

With the meat shakin' on her bone
With the flesh jiggling on her frame