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.
Runnin
Django Reinhardt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm all by myself
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
I'll lay right on the shelf
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't sit home, all alone
She'll soon find that I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
When I first met that gal of mine
It seemed just like a dream
But when she tho't she had me right
She started actin' mean
Like mary led her little lamb
She led me all the time
Until the worm had to turn
That's the reason I'm
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
No gal will ever make a fool of me
No gal! I mean just what I say
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
Wonder how I got that way
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
But now I got a cruel heart
With all that other foolishness I'm through
Gonna play the Villain part
Runnin' wild, lost control
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
Feelin' gay, reckless too
Care free mind all the time, never blue
Always goin' don't know where
Always showin', I don't care
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
"Runnin' Wild" is a classic jazz standard performed by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli with the Quintet of the Hot Club Of France. It tells the story of a man who has had a fight with his girlfriend and is now all alone. He's not going to sit home, feeling sorry for himself; he's going to show her that she's wrong about him. The song talks about the singer running wild, feeling gay and reckless, and not caring about anyone else.
The lyrics are quite poignant, and Reinhardt and Grappelli do an amazing job of evoking the emotions behind them. The melody is upbeat, but there's a hint of sadness there, too. The violin and guitar are perfectly matched, and they play off each other beautifully. The solos are masterful, filled with the kind of virtuosity that made Reinhardt and Grappelli two of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.
Overall, "Runnin' Wild" is a timeless classic that captures the essence of jazz. It's a song that showcases the incredible talent of its performers and speaks to something deeper within us all.
Line by Line Meaning
My gal and I, we had a fight
I had an argument with my girlfriend
And I'm all by myself
I'm feeling lonely now that she's gone
I guess she thinks now that she's gone
She probably believes that I'll stay sad and alone
I'll lay right on the shelf
But I won't dwell on it
I'm gonna show her she's all wrong
I'm going to prove her wrong
No lonesome stuff for mine
I won't be feeling sorry for myself
I won't sit home, all alone
I won't stay at home feeling sorry for myself
She'll soon find that I'm
She'll see that I'm not stuck in a rut
Runnin' wild, lost control
I'm living my life to the fullest, with no limits
Runnin' wild, mighty bold
I'm not afraid to take risks and live life boldly
Feelin' gay, reckless too
I'm feeling happy and carefree, and willing to take risks
Care free mind all the time, never blue
I have a free spirit and am never sad or down
Always goin' don't know where
I'm always on the move and don't have any one place I call home
Always showin', I don't care
I'm always out and about, not worrying about what others think
Don't love nobody, it's not worth while
I'm not interested in a serious relationship; it's not worth the heartache
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
I'm happy being single and living life to its fullest
When I first met that gal of mine
I remember when I first met my girlfriend
It seemed just like a dream
It was like a fairytale come true
But when she tho't she had me right
But once she thought I was hers for good
She started actin' mean
She began to treat me poorly
Like mary led her little lamb
She was bossy and always in control of me
She led me all the time
She was always telling me what to do
Until the worm had to turn
But eventually I had to stand up for myself
That's the reason I'm
And that's why I'm living life on my own terms
No gal will ever make a fool of me
I won't let any woman make me look like a fool
No gal! I mean just what I say
I'm serious, I won't be taken advantage of
I ain't the simpleton I used to be
I'm smarter and stronger now
Wonder how I got that way
I'm proud of the person I've become
Once I was full of sentiment, it's true
I used to be very emotional and romantic
But now I got a cruel heart
But now I'm hardened and not as easily swayed by emotion
With all that other foolishness I'm through
I'm done with all the silly romantic stuff
Gonna play the Villain part
I'm going to be the rebellious and adventurous one
All alone, runnin' wild. Runnin' wild
I'm living life on my own terms and enjoying it
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ARTHUR GIBBS, ARTHUR HARRINGTON GIBBS, JOSEPH GREY, JOSEPH W GREY, LEO WOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@manfredgotze1054
Great performance of this jazz number! Django at his best.
@jeffjeeves6337
Django and the guys always take me to my happy place!!
@owenmcgee8496
their 1937 recordings were their most exciting/popular and probably their best. Grappelli's end improvisation beginning at 2:19 and the way Django jumps in with added rhythm guitar after that (2:38) is just so funny/likeable
@davidwalker5054
its been said when american and british guitarists first heard django they could not believe what they were hearing i think it still applies to guitarists today
@davidwalker5054
I cant play the wrong notes this fast
@johnrothfield6126
django's solo: https://youtu.be/8tgmBDx9VJc?t=59
@miguelleiton3645
Un desubicado.....!!!!!!!
@bibi1944
Yes, and everybody in France was a resistance fighter?
@wesmuler
Les "soldats" nazis n'ont pas à être associés à cette musique. Cela désohonore la mémoire des Manouches et des Sinti. Retirez cette photo de ce diaporama !