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.
You Don
Earl Hines Lyrics
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But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
And "I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!"
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
I know I must be dreaming
The lyrics of Earl Hines's song "You Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" express the heartbreak of unrequited love. The singer declares his deep love for someone he knows he can never have. He laments that despite his feelings, he can see that he has no chance with this person; others already avoid them, perhaps implying that they are already taken or simply uninterested in romance.
The singer then imagines a world where the object of his affections might reciprocate his love. He suggests that if they were to give it a chance, they might find that they really do belong together. Unfortunately, he recognizes that this is all just a dream; he knows that his love will never be returned to him.
The song's melancholy tone is underscored by Hines's signature jazz piano playing, which lends the song a sense of longing and nostalgia. Overall, "You Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance" is a mournful yet beautiful testament to the pain of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your love so badly, I love you, oh, so madly
Expressing a deep desire for love and affection from someone he loves deeply.
But I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!
Feeling hopeless and defeated, knowing that the chances of being with the person he loves are very slim.
I thought at last I'd found you, but other lovers surround you
Thinking that he had finally found the one he loves, but realizing that there are other people who are vying for their attention and affection.
And 'I don't stand a ghost of a chance with you!'
Reiterating that the chances of being with the person he loves are extremely low.
If you'd surrender just for a tender kiss or two
Musing about the possibility that the person he loves might reciprocate his feelings and be willing to be with him if they were to share some intimate moments together.
You might discover, that I'm the lover meant for you
Hoping that if the person he loves were to give him a chance, they would realize that they are meant to be together.
And I'd be true, but what's the good of scheming
Promising to be faithful and committed to the person he loves if they were to be together, but acknowledging that there is no use in trying to manipulate or deceive them into being with him.
I know I must be dreaming
Coming to terms with the fact that his desire to be with the person he loves might just be a fantasy and not a reality that can come true.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Popular Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind