Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, (28 December 1… Read Full Bio ↴Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, (28 December 1903 – 22 April 1983) was a jazz musician, often referred to as "the first modern jazz pianist".

In 1928 (on his 25th birthday) Hines began leading his own big band. For over 10 years his was "The Band" in Al Capone's Grand Terrace Cafe — Hines was Capone's "Mr Piano Man". Hines recorded for Victor in 1929, then after a gap for Brunswick from 1932-1934, Decca from 1934-1935, then after another gap, Vocalion from 1937-1938 and Bluebird from 1939-1942 (nearly all among the best Black Jazz of the era). From the Grand Terrace, The Earl Hines Orchestra (or "Organization" as he more happily referred to it) broadcast on "open mikes", sometimes five nights a week and over many years, coast to coast across America — Chicago being well placed to deal with the U.S. live-broadcasting time-zone problem. Hines's band became the most broadcast band in America. Sometimes Nat "King" Cole was Hines's relief pianist (though Cliff Smalls was his favorite) and it was here with Hines that Charlie Parker got his first professional job...until he was fired for his time-keeping — by which Hines meant Parker's inability to show up on time despite Parker resorting to sleeping under the Grand Terrace stage in his attempts to do so. Hines led his big band until 1947, taking time out to front the Duke Ellington orchestra in 1944 while Duke was ill...but the big-band era was over. (Thirty years later, Hines's 20 solo "transformative versions" of his "Earl Hines Plays Duke Ellington" recorded in the 1970s were described by Ben Ratliff in the "New York Times" as "as good an example of the jazz process as anything out there".)

At the start of 1949 Hines rejoined Armstrong in the latter's "All Stars" "small band", where Hines stayed through 1951. He then led his own small combo around the States and Europe. At the start of the jazz-lean 1960s he settled in Oakland, California, opened a tobacconist's, and came close to giving up the profession. Then, in 1964 Hines was "suddenly rediscovered" following a series of concerts in New York. He was the 1965 "Critics' Choice" for Down Beat Magazine's "Hall of Fame". From then till he died he recorded endlessly both solo and with jazz notables like Cat Anderson, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Gonsalves, Sonny Greer, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Budd Johnson, Jimmy Rushing, Stuff Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Venuti and Ben Webster. Possibly more surprising were Elvin Jones, Peggy Lee, Charles Mingus, Dinah Washington — and Ry Cooder. But his most acclaimed recordings of this period were his dazzling and endlessly inventive solo performances, which could show him at his very best, "a whole orchestra by himself".[12] Solo tributes to Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin were all put on record in the 1970s. Hines also toured Europe again regularly at this time, and added Asia, Australia and the Soviet Union to his list of State Department–funded destinations. At the top of his form, Hines also displayed his endearing quirks (not to say grunts) in these performances. Sometimes he sang as he played, especially his own "They Never Believed I Could Do It - Neither Did I". In 1975 he made an hour-long "solo" film for British TV out-of-hours in a Washington nightclub: the "New York Herald Tribune" described it as "The greatest jazz-film ever made". He played solo in The White House and played solo for the Pope — and played (and sang) his last job a few days before he died in Oakland, quite likely somewhat older than he had always maintained.

It Had to Be You
Earl Hines Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It had to be you, it had to be you.
I wandered around and finally found the somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me feel blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.

Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.

For nobody else gave me a thrill.
With all your faults, I love you still,
It had to be you, wonderful you,
It had to be you.

It had to be you, it had to be you.
I wandered around and finally found somebody who
Could make me be true, could make me be blue,
And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.

Some others I've seen might never be mean
Might never be cross or try to be boss,
But they wouldn't do.

For nobody else gave me a thrill.
With all your faults, I love you still.

It had to be you, wonderful you

It had to be you.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Earl Hines's song "It Had to Be You" express the overwhelming feeling of love and assurance that the right person has been found. The first two lines, "It had to be you, it had to be you", emphasize that the person singing has found their perfect match. The following line, "I wandered around and finally found the somebody who", indicates that this person has searched high and low and has finally found the one they have been looking for.

The next line, "Could make me be true, could make me feel blue", suggests that this person has brought out the singer's true self and has maybe caused them to feel vulnerable at times. The line, "And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you", reflects the idea that just thinking about this person can bring joy even during times of sadness.

The line, "Some others I've seen might never be mean, might never be cross, or try to be boss, but they wouldn't do", is a comparison to other people that the singer has come into contact with, indicating that none of them could compare to the person they are now with. The final lines, "With all your faults, I love you still, It had to be you, wonderful you", express the idea that the singer loves the person they are with despite any imperfections and that the person they are with is wonderful and perfect for them.

Line by Line Meaning

It had to be you, it had to be you.
Out of all the people in the world, I knew deep down that it had to be you for me.

I wandered around and finally found the somebody who Could make me be true, could make me feel blue, And even be glad just to be sad thinkin' of you.
After searching for a long time, I finally found someone who makes me feel genuine, even if it sometimes means feeling sad when I think about them.

Some others I've seen might never be mean Might never be cross or try to be boss, But they wouldn't do.
While I've met other people who are nice or easy to get along with, they would never be able to fill the role you have in my life.

For nobody else gave me a thrill. With all your faults, I love you still,
No one else has ever made me feel as exhilarated as you do, and despite your flaws, I still love you unconditionally.

It had to be you, wonderful you,
Once again, I reiterate that it had to be you specifically, with all your wonderful qualities that make you the person I want to be with.

It had to be you.
This phrase is repeated throughout the song to emphasize the strong conviction that the other person is the perfect fit for the singer.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Isham Jones, Gus Kahn

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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