Born in Liberchies, Pont-à-Celles, Belgium into a family of Manouche Gypsies, Jean Reinhardt learned to play several instruments such as the banjo, violin and guitar from an early age; he spent most of his youth in Gypsy encampments close to Paris. His family made a living from crafting furniture, but included several amateur musicians who inspired Reinhardt. Eventually, Reinhardt was given a banjo-guitar, at which point he stopped playing the violin. During this period, he was inspired by two older Gypsy musicians, Gusti Mahla and Jean Castro. Able to make a living from his music from his teen years onwards playing in bal-musette halls in Paris, Reinhardt received little formal education until his adult life; he was taught the rudiments of literacy by fellow band member Stéphane Grappelli.
At the age of eighteen, Reinhardt was injured in a fire that ravaged the caravan he shared with Florine "Bella" Mayer, his first wife. They were very poor, and to supplement their income Bella made imitation flowers out of celluloid and paper; consequently, their home was full of this highly inflammable material. Returning from a performance late one night, Django apparently knocked over a candle on his way to bed. While his family and neighbors were quick to pull him to safety, he received first- and second-degree burns over half his body. His right leg was paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand were badly burnt. Doctors believed that he would never play guitar again and intended to amputate one of his legs. Reinhardt refused to have the surgery and left the hospital after a short time; he was able to walk within a year with the aid of a cane.
His brother Joseph Reinhardt, an accomplished guitarist himself, bought Django a new guitar. With painful rehabilitation and practice, Reinhardt relearned his craft in a completely new way, even as his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralyzed. Hence, he played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and managed to use the two injured digits only for chord work. After regaining his ability to play, Reinhardt resumed his career playing Parisian cafes. According to one story, during his period of recovery, Reinhardt was introduced to the aesthetics of American jazz when he purchased a 78rpm disc of "Dallas Blues" by Louis Armstrong at an Orléans flea market.
In 1934, Reinhardt and Parisian violinist Stéphane Grappelli were approached by hot club chief Pierre Nourry with the idea of forming a forming a new hot club group. Thus, the Quintette du Hot Club de France was formed, with Reinhardt's brother Joseph and Roger Chaput on guitar, and Louis Vola on double bass. Occasionally, Chaput was replaced by Reinhardt's best friend and fellow Gypsy Pierre "Baro" Ferret. As the group had no true percussion section, percussion was instead provided by the group's guitarists; the Quintette du Hot Club de France thus became one of the few well-known jazz ensembles composed only of string instruments.
Jean Sablon was the first singer to record with the Quintette, resulting in more than thirty collaborations from 1933 onwards. Vocalist Freddy Taylor participated on a few songs, such as "Georgia on My Mind" and "Nagasaki". A long line of recordings for Decca, HMV and Ultraphone ensured long-lasting international success for the Quintette.
As a composer, Reinhardt wrote several influential, highly original tunes recorded by the Quintette, ranging from the dulcet ballads "Daphne", "Nuages", and "Manoir de mes rêves", to mad swingers such as "Minor Swing" and the ode to his record label of the 1930s, "Stomping at Decca". With the passing of time, many of his songs became jazz standards in their own right.
Reinhardt also experimented with recordings outside the "comfort zone" of the Quintette; in March 1933 Reinhardt recorded two takes each of "Parce que je vous aime" and "Si, j'aime Suzy", vocal numbers with lots of guitar fills and great guitar support, using three guitarists along with an accordion lead, violin, and bass. In August of the following year, recordings were also made with more than one guitar (Joseph Reinhardt, Roger Chaput, and Django), including the first recording by the Quintette. In both years, it should be noted, the great majority of recordings featured a wide variety of horns, often in multiples, piano, etc.
Throughout his career, Reinhardt played and recorded with many American jazz legends such as Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart (who later stayed in Paris), and a led a jam-session and radio performance with Louis Armstrong. Later in his career, he performed with Dizzy Gillespie in France.
The outbreak of war in 1939 broke up the Quintette, with Grappelli remaining in London where the group was playing and Reinhardt returning to France. During the war years he led a big band, another quintet with clarinettist Hubert Rostaing in place of Grappelli, and after the liberation of Paris, recorded with such visiting American jazz artists as Mel Powell, Peanuts Hucko, and Ray McKinley. In 1946, Reinhardt took up the electric guitar and toured America as a soloist with the Duke Ellington Band, but his appearances were poorly received.
Some of his recordings on electric guitar late in his life are bop escapades where his playing sounds frantic and jagged, a world apart from the jubilant swing of old. However, starting in January 1946, Reinhardt and Grappelli held several sporadic reunions where the bop influences were more subtly integrated into the old swing format of the glory days of the Quintette. In the 1950s, Reinhardt became more reclusive, remaining in Europe, playing and recording sporadically until his death from a stroke on 16 May 1953 in Fontainebleau, France.
Body & Soul
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
In Django Reinhardt's song "Body and Soul," the singer expresses their deep longing and devotion to their love interest. The singer is consumed by their love for this person, and they express sadness and loneliness because they can't be with them. The song is filled with vivid imagery, and the singer describes their heartache by saying, "My heart is sad and lonely." They make it clear that their love is real and pure, saying "I'm all for you body and soul." The singer doesn't understand why their love interest hasn't seen their devotion yet and spends their days wondering why they are being wronged.
The song's lyrics are powerful in their portrayal of unrequited love. The singer is heartbroken because their love interest won't give them a chance, saying "Are you pretending? It looks like the ending unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear." Through these lyrics, Reinhardt captures the painful experience of wanting someone who doesn't want you back.
Overall, "Body and Soul" is a song about love and desire. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is hopelessly devoted to someone who doesn't reciprocate their feelings. The emotions conveyed in the song are raw and vulnerable, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I am feeling unhappy and isolated in my emotion
For you I sigh, for you dear only
You are the only one in my mind and heart whom I desire the most
Why haven't you seen it
I am wondering why you are not recognizing my feelings for you
I'm all for you body and soul
I am completely devoted to you both physically and emotionally
I spend my days in longing
Most of my time I spend longing for you to be with me
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I am questioning why are you causing me pain and suffering
I tell you I mean it
I am confessing to you that I am sincere and honest about my feelings for you
I'm all for you body and soul
I am completely devoted to you both physically and emotionally
I can't believe it
I am expressing my disbelief about the current situation
It's hard to conceive it
It is difficult for me to understand why it's happening to me
That you'd turn away romance
It is surprising to me that you are rejecting my efforts to establish a romantic connection with you
Are you pretending
I am questioning whether you are faking your own emotions towards me
It looks like the ending
To me it seems like the end of the road, like everything that I wanted with you is over
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
If I could only have one more opportunity to show you how much you mean to me and how sincere my feelings are
My life a wreck you're making
You are causing great damage and distress to my life
You know I'm yours for just the taking
You know that I am willing to give in to you, to be with you
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
I am willing to give myself completely to you both physically and emotionally
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Paul Michael Barry, Phil Simpson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marty Sobel
I first heard him when I was 11. I am now 72 and I still listen with amazement. There is one thing that is for sure. Adversity makes it all happen. Django just would not give up.
Chan Souvannarath
I love this song, superb guitar solos, that cough is really cool. Django never repeated his solos.
James Haigh
Like Charlie Parker - after he played his "famous alto break" on "A Wonderful Night In Tunisia" his mates said that he could never play it again. He proceeded to play it exactly the same note for note every time they played the song.
Сергей Косицкий
Таких музыкантов,как Джанго Рейнхардт и Стефан Грапелли,объеденил сам Бог!! То, как они играют вместе,я готов слушать и слушать бесконечно. Наслаждение, просто неописуемо,потому что они создают, буквально рай, в звуках музыки,что даёт всем нам веру в прекрасное,которое ещё существует на нашей планете!!
Triple R2017
My absolute favorite song. Delightful unexpectedly playful rendition.
JimmyDeLocke
There are so many modern guys playing this stuff, and they are all fantastic! But I'm sure they would all agree when I say that Django is in a class by himself.
MrJimmienoone
Before Django, even the very best (Eddie Lang, Dick McDonough, Carl Kress, ...) would not even have dreamed of playing something like this. He turned the guitar into a completely new instrument.
2emeraldeyes
I'm so surprised there hasn't been a movie made about Django! And if "they" do one it better be good because his artistic legacy deserves it.
Chan Souvannarath
It's not easy since there are so many versions or accounts. Gypsies live by their own rules they probably tell tall tales. The music speaks for themselves.
Paul Connah
Documentary, yes. Biopic, no!