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.
Can't Give You Anything But Love
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
In this song, the singer addresses his love interest, acknowledging the fact that he is broke and cannot provide her with materialistic things like diamond bracelets. He expresses his frustration with his financial situation but remains hopeful, stating that someday things will get better. In the meantime, all he can give her is love, and he encourages her to dream and scheme with him, with the belief that they will eventually find happiness together.
The lyrics convey a message of optimism and perseverance, emphasizing that material possessions are not the only things that matter in a relationship. The singer recognizes the importance of love and encourages his partner to focus on the positive aspects of their relationship and their future together. The lyrics are simple yet impactful, conveying a message that is still relevant today.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being penniless is really hard, my friend.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
This isn't a laughing matter, it's a terrible affliction.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from simply rotten to something worse.
Things are changing for the worse, my luck is simply awful at the moment.
Who knows, some day I will win too. I'll begin to reach my prime.
Perhaps someday, things will turn around for me and I'll finally start to thrive.
Now though I see what our end is, All I can spend is just my time.
I'm aware of our current predicament, and all I can offer is my time and companionship.
I can't give you anything but love, baby. That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
I may not have riches or wealth, but I have an abundance of love to give you.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile We're sure to find Happiness and I guess All those things you've always pined for.
Let's dream and make plans, we'll eventually find the happiness and all the things you've always wanted.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby. Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
It would be amazing to see you looking your best, sweetheart. I can't buy you diamond bracelets from a cheap store though.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby. I can't give you anything but love.
Until the day I can afford to spoil you, my love for you is the only thing I can offer.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid. You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
Great things take time and effort, and you have to put something in to get something out of it.
But I am willing to wait, dear, Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I'm willing to wait for better times to come, my dear, and I won't forget your loyalty and love.
You have a lifetime before you. I'll adore you, come what may.
You have your whole life ahead of you, and I will always love and cherish you no matter what happens.
Please don't be blue for the present, When it's so pleasant to hear you say
Don't be sad about the current situation, my love. It's nice to hear you speak to me so sweetly.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Shapiro Bernstein & Co Inc, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mariececilelassere
DJANGO you are a genius guitariste gypse love you for all you make...RIP with respect👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏
@JacobDavidCCunningham
Will you... fly me to work tomorrow?
...it is tomorrow
Man I love this movie so much, HH is one of my idols
@chawolino
The best guitarist of his time, Django Reihnhardt!
@flutter8712
"It must be clear Odile! Got it?"
@cerbie5
Beautiful tune. I'm still surprised that Francisco Tarrega doesn't have more of an influence on modern jazz and rock.
@JAMagicFilms
@sherman9009 Freddy Taylor, from 1936.
@EUROWEFILMS
This version was used in the Movie, THE AVIATOR.
@sherman9009
@JAMagicFilms thanks mate
@sherman9009
who sings??
@terrygray5231
The fiddle player is sick tonite