Born in Liberchies, Pont-Ă -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 StĂŠphane 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 OrlĂŠans flea market.
In 1934, Reinhardt and Parisian violinist StĂŠphane 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 rĂŞves", 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.
I'll Never Be the Same
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
I'll never be the same never be the same again
I'll never be the same
Stars have lost their meaning for me
I'll never be the same
Nothing's what it once use to be
And when the songbirds that sing
Tell me it's spring
I can't believe their song
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I'll never be the same
There is such an ache in my heart
Never be the same since we're apart
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I know down deep inside
The lyrics to Django Reinhardt's song "I'll Never Be the Same" express a deep sense of loss and heartbreak that the singer is experiencing following a breakup. The stars have lost their meaning, implying that everything that once seemed beautiful and awe-inspiring now feels hollow and empty. The singer declares that they will never be the same again because nothing is as it was before the relationship came to an end. Even the natural world seems to be mocking the singer's pain, as the songbirds' cheerful songs about the arrival of spring only serve to remind the singer of their loneliness and sadness.
The poignant line, "once love was king but kings can be wrong," further underscores the sense of disillusionment and betrayal the singer feels, as they come to terms with the fact that the intensity of their love has turned out to be transitory and fleeting. The song ends on a heartbreaking note, as the singer acknowledges that there may be moments where they can put on a brave face and hide their pain behind a smile, but they know deep down that they will never truly be the same again.
Overall, the lyrics to "I'll Never Be the Same" are a powerful expression of the grief and heartbreak that often accompany the end of a relationship. Through Reinhardt's soulful guitar playing and the singer's plaintive vocals, the song evokes a sense of loss and longing that is both universal and deeply personal.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never be the same
My life has been permanently altered
Stars have lost their meaning for me
Even the stars in the sky hold no significance or wonder for me anymore
I'll never be the same
My perspective and outlook on life will never be the same as it was before
Nothing's what it once use to be
Everything that used to bring me joy and happiness has now lost its luster and appeal
And when the songbirds that sing
Even the cheerful chirping of birds is now a painful reminder of my loss
Tell me it's spring
The arrival of a new season does not bring me the same joy and hope it used to
I can't believe their song
I find it hard to believe in the beauty and positivity they sing of
Once love was king but kings can be wrong
I used to believe in the power and influence of love, but now I see that it is not infallible
There is such an ache in my heart
The pain and longing I feel after losing what I held dear is unbearable
Never be the same since we're apart
My life has been forever changed since the person I loved is no longer with me
Though there's a lot that a smile may hide
I may appear to be doing okay on the surface, but the pain I feel inside is hidden behind my smile
I know down deep inside
Despite my attempts to hide it, I know that my pain is real and ever-present
I'll never be the same never be the same again
My life has been permanently altered and I can never go back to the way things were before
Lyrics Š O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gus Kahn, Matt Malneck, Frank Signorelli
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Admoth
The name Django Reinhardt should never show up by itself in this! Specially in this particular song. Grappelli is awsomeness incarnate!
wygtam
One of the co-composers Matty Malneck was a violinist.
Uoieieiiei
A friend is giving me a list of music and this sounds so different and gooddd
Hank J
Do you remember the rest of the list?
BuyBenco
What are the first four chords he's playing in the intro (Django)?
Jose Priority
Been trying to figure that out myself
KER JI
superbe superbe superbe
Uoieieiiei
Superbe superbe superbe đ
KER JI
superbe superbe superbe
KER JI
superbe superbe superbe