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.

Exactly Like You
Count Basie Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I used to have a perfect sweetheart
Not a real one, just a dream
A wonderful vision of us as a team
Can you imagine how I feel now
Love is real now, it's ideal
You're just what I wanted
And now it's nice to live
Paradise to live

I know why I've waited
Know why I've been blue
Prayed each night for someone
Exactly like you

Why should we spend money
On a show or two
No one does those love scenes
Exactly like you

You make me feel so grand
I want to hand the world to you
I hope you'll understand
Each foolish little scheme I'm schemin'
And dream I'm dreamin'

Now I know why mother
Taught me to be true

She meant me for someone
Exactly like you

Overall Meaning

Count Basie's song Exactly Like You tells the story of a man who used to have an imaginary perfect sweetheart that was just a dream. He imagined that they were a perfect team, but now he has found real love and it's even better than his dream. He knows why he has been waiting so long; he has been praying for someone exactly like his current love. He realizes that he doesn't need to spend money on shows, because no one does those love scenes exactly like his lover.

Line by Line Meaning

I used to have a perfect sweetheart
I once had a very good fantasy partner

Not a real one, just a dream
The companion was not real, only in my thoughts

A wonderful vision of us as a team
I had a great fantasy of being a team with the partner

Can you imagine how I feel now
I'm delighted now that love is true

Love is real now, it's ideal
My love is now true and ideal

You're just what I wanted
You are the exact person I was hoping for

And now it's nice to live
Life is now better than before

Paradise to live
Life feels like paradise now

I know why I've waited
I finally understand why I waited (for you)

Know why I've been blue
I know why I was sad before I met my love

Prayed each night for someone
I would pray for a true love every night

Exactly like you
Exactly like my love (perfect match)

Why should we spend money
Why spend money unnecessarily

On a show or two
To watch a few movies or shows

No one does those love scenes
Love scenes are not as good as the real thing

Exactly like you
As perfect as you

You make me feel so grand
You make me feel so good and important

I want to hand the world to you
I want to give you everything I can

I hope you'll understand
I hope you can comprehend how I feel

Each foolish little scheme I'm schemin'
Every silly idea I come up with

And dream I'm dreamin'
Every dream I dream

Now I know why mother
I finally understand why mother

Taught me to be true
Told me to be honest with myself

She meant me for someone
She knew I was meant to be with a certain person

Exactly like you
Like my perfect match/my love

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy Mchugh

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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