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.
Lady Be Good
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's terribly sad but true,
All dressed up, no place to go
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
I must win some handsome guy
Can't go on like this,
I could blossom out I know,
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh, lady, be good to me
I am so awfully misunderstood
So lady, be good to me
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all-alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh lady be good to me.
The lyrics to Django Reinhardt's "Lady Be Good" follow the story of a lonely woman who is dressed up with nowhere to go, feeling blue each evening. She longs to find a handsome man to whisk her away and bring some excitement into her life, believing that she could "blossom out" with somebody just like him. The plea in the chorus "Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good / Oh, lady, be good to me" is her hope that someone will take notice of her and give her a chance to find happiness.
The opening line "Listen to my tale of woe" sets the tone for the song, portraying a sense of melancholy and disappointment. However, the playful and catchy melody of the song contrasts with the sad lyrics and gives the feeling of hopefulness and excitement, possibly reflecting the woman's own hope that things will turn around for her.
Overall, Reinhardt's "Lady Be Good" is a mix of emotions - longing, hope, and sadness - all rolled into one catchy and enjoyable tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to my tale of woe,
Pay attention to my sad story,
It's terribly sad but true,
It's very unfortunate, but it really happened,
All dressed up, no place to go
I'm ready for a good time, but I don't have anywhere to go,
Each evening I'm awfully blue.
Every night I feel very sad,
I must win some handsome guy
I need to find a good-looking man to be with,
Can't go on like this,
I can't continue feeling this way,
I could blossom out I know,
I have the potential to flourish,
With somebody just like you. So
If I were with someone like you, then
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Dear attractive and charming lady, please be kind to me,
Oh, lady, be good to me
Please treat me well,
I am so awfully misunderstood
People don't understand me and it bothers me greatly,
So lady, be good to me
Therefore, I plead with you again to treat me kindly,
Oh, please have some pity
Please feel sympathy for me,
I'm all-alone in this big city
I feel very lonely in this large city,
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
I confess that I'm like a lost child wandering alone,
So lady be good to me.
I implore you again to treat me with kindness,
Oh lady be good to me.
Once again, I appeal to you to be nice to me.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dingoswamphead
I thought Stephane was playing with unusual vibrancy, but actually there are three violinists. Enough to balance Django.
@1crashit
Big Django fan. Who are the violinists on this song? They have that Pappa John Creech sound, to me. Thanks...
@Kuyunu
Eddie South, American and Michael Warlop were on violin alongside Stephane
@tucizyma1
it's a great pity people do not follow that artist that kind of inerpret.
@danettekogut2266
Django~being goood ! Dd
@lornebain3831
reminds me of short wave.... innernet little rough.... great music though.
@lornebain3831
that's good...
@louisekennedy2860
Oh sadie be good to me oh sweet and lovely
@danettekogut2266
Dd :)