Brubeck's style ranged from refined to bombastic, reflecting his mother's attempts at classical training and his improvisational skills. Much of his music employed unusual time signatures, a fact jokingly referred to by his greatest hits album 'Time Signatures: A Career Retrospective'. Upon his death, a number of commentators noted his crossover appeal to mainstream pop audiences, something putting him in the company of other jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock among others.
How HighThe Moon
Dave Brubeck Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
There is no moon above
When love is far away too
Till it comes true
That you love me as I love you
Somewhere there's music
How near, how far
Somewhere there's heaven
It's where you are
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
The lyrics to How High The Moon by the Dave Brubeck Trio speak of a longing for love and the happiness that comes with it. The lyrics compare the feeling of being in love to being in heaven and how the absence of love is like the absence of the moon in the sky. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer hears the faint whisper of music, a hopeful reminder that love is out there. The second verse emphasizes the distance between the singer and their beloved, and how their presence would bring heaven to earth. The line, "The darkest night would shine, if you would come to me soon," highlights the power of love to dispel darkness and bring light into one's life.
The song's refrain, "How high the moon," is a callback to a popular jazz standard of the same name. The original song, composed by Morgan Lewis and lyrics by Nancy Hamilton, was written in 1940 and became a hit after being performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra with vocals by Helen Forrest. Dave Brubeck's version of the song is a jazz instrumental and showcases his signature improvisational style on the piano.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere there's music
There is music somewhere in this world
How faint the tune
The music is not very loud
Somewhere there's heaven
There is a place of great happiness somewhere in this world
How high the moon
This place of happiness is very idealistic and joyful
There is no moon above
The actual moon is not present in the sky
When love is far away too
Love is also absent and missing from this situation
Till it comes true
The situation will only change when love is finally present
That you love me as I love you
The love must be mutual and equal for this idealistic happiness to happen
How near, how far
This place of happiness is not easily accessible, yet not completely out of reach
It's where you are
This place of happiness is wherever the person one loves is located
The darkest night would shine
The happiness that can be achieved is so great that even in the worst of situations, it would make everything better
If you would come to me soon
For this to happen, the person being loved must come to the one doing the loving soon
Until you will, how still my heart
Until this happens, the one doing the loving will have a still, quiet heart without the happiness they desire
How high the moon
The idealistic happiness that is being sought is still very high and far from reach
Somewhere there's music
Again, there is still music somewhere in this world
How faint the tune
The music is still not very loud but still present
Somewhere there's heaven
The idealistic happiness is still out there somewhere
How high the moon
This happiness is still just as idealistic and exciting as before
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MORGAN LEWIS, NANCY HAMILTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Saxman1219 Jones
I love that when he goes up into the altissimo register, that he actually plays melodies; he doesn't just squeal. Paul is so cool, one time, he made ice put on a sweater! RIP
icecreamforcrowhurst
Spectacular Desmond solo. Great to hear the audience so excited about the music!
Bill Anton
My intro to jazz .... and life has not been the same since that day ... Happily
cooljazzr
Best solo ever by Paul! Especially love how they suddenly break into a Latin feel at 2:58
icecreamforcrowhurst
Wow what a reception! Pre-rock n roll when jazz was cool with the kids. Love it
Jay Francis
I am sure Johann Sebastian Bach would be totally pleased with the magnificent counter point in the out choruses!!!!!!!
Alfredo Remus
Histórico disco que me conmovió en mis principios como músico, inolvidable!
Nicholas Izzo
I originally bought this album in 1954 and I was hooked - I still have the original plus copies - It is a must for any jazz lover, Still the best - Heven is in for a real; treat
Chelly Ryan
my favorite album 50 yrs ago and still is!!!
Alfredo Remus
Uno de mis primeros discos en mi adolescencia.