Ros was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad. His mother was an Afro-Venezuelan and his father was of Scottish descent. He was the eldest of four children, having two sisters, Ruby and Eleanor, followed by a half-brother, Hugo. His parents separated after Hugo was born, and after various false steps Edmundo was enrolled in a military academy. There he became interested in music and learned to play the euphonium. From 1927-37 his family lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He played in the Venezuelan Military Academy Band as well as being a tympanist in the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra. Later he received a music scholarship from the government, and, from 1937–42, studied harmony, composition and orchestration at the Royal Academy of Music. At the same time he was the vocalist and percussionist in Don Marino Baretto's band at the Embassy Club, and also recorded several sides as a sideman to Fats Waller, who was visiting London in 1938.
In the 2000 New Year's Honours List, Ros (then aged 90), was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He turned 100 on 7 December 2010.
Ros was a Freeman of the City of London, having been admitted to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of Poulters on 5 January 1965 and subsequently clothed with the Livery of the Poulters' Company on 22 June 1965. He was a Mason, a member of Sprig of Acacia Lodge No 41, Javea, Spain.
Ros married twice: first to Britt Johansen in 1950. The first marriage produced two children, Douglas and Louisa. He designed and built a large house in Page Street, Mill Hill, London NW7, which he named Edritt House, after himself and his first wife. The house still stands, next to Copthall Girls' School. He remarried in 1971.
In August 1940, Ros formed his own rumba band, performing as Edmundo Ros and His Rumba Band. In 1941 he cut his first tracks with Parlophone, the first number being "Los Hijos de Buda". The band played regularly at the Coconut Grove club in Regent Street, attracting members of high society. Ros's bands were always based in London nightclubs or restaurants. The first was the Cosmo Club in Wardour Street; then followed the St Regis Hotel, Cork Street, the Coconut Grove and the Bagatelle Restaurant. At the Bagatelle a visit from Princess Elizabeth and party made his name. The future queen danced in public for the first time to Edmundo's music. In later years his orchestra was often invited to play at Buckingham Palace.
By 1946 Ros owned a club, a dance school, a record company and an artistes' agency. His band grew to 16 musicians and was renamed Edmundo Ros and His Orchestra. His number "The Wedding Samba", 1949, sold three million 78s. His album Rhythms of The South (1958) was one of the first high-quality LP stereo records: it sold a million copies. He was with Decca Records from 1944 to 1974, and altogether he made more than 800 recordings.
In 1951 Ros bought the Coconut Grove on Regent Street and in 1964 renamed it Edmundo Ros's Dinner and Supper Club. The club became popular for its atmosphere and music, but it closed in 1965, when legalised casino gambling had drawn away many of its best customers. During the 1950s and 1960s the Ros orchestra appeared frequently on BBC Radio, continuing into the early 1970s on Radio Two Ballroom.
In 1975, during Ros's seventh tour of Japan, his band's Musicians' Union shop steward tried to usurp Ros's authority by making arrangements with venues behind his back. Upon their return to the UK Ros organised a celebratory dinner after a BBC recording session and announced the disbanding of the orchestra. He destroyed almost all the charts (arrangement sheets), which conclusively ended the orchestra's existence.
Ros retired and moved to Jávea, Alicante, Spain. He gave his last public performance on 8 January 1994.
Mélodie d'amour
Edmundo Ros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shoo shoo little bird, go and find my love
Melodie d'amour, serenade at her window
Shoo shoo little bird, sing my song of love
Oh tell her I will wait, if she names a date
Tell her that I care, more than I can bare
For when we are apart, how it hurts my heart
This lovers melody will bring her back to me
Melodie d'amour, take this song to my lover
Shoo shoo little bird, go and find my love
Melodie d'amour, serenade at he window
Shoo shoo little bird, sing my song of love
Oh tell her how I yearn, long for her return
Say I miss her so, more than she could know
For when we are apart, how it hurts my heart
So fly oh fly away and say that I hope and pray
This lovers melody will bring her back to me
Melodie d'amour, serenade at her window
Shoo shoo little bird, tell her of my love
The lyrics of Edmundo Ros's song "Melodie D'amour" express the longing of a person who is separated from their lover. The singer requests a little bird to take his message of love to his beloved. The singer tells the bird to serenade his lover at her window with his melody of love. He further requests the bird to ask his lover to name a date, as he will wait for her. The desperation of the singer is evident as he explains how much he cares for his lover and how much it hurts his heart to be apart from her. He hopes that the melody of love that the bird sings will bring her back to him.
The use of a bird in the song is a metaphor for a messenger. The personification of the bird as a messenger of love is a recurring theme in music and literature. The use of the bird in the song also represents the freedom of love, which can transcend all barriers of distance and time.
The lyrics of "Melodie D'amour" are an example of the romanticism that was popular in the 1950s. The yearning and longing for a lover who is far away are common themes in romantic music. The song has been covered by various artists over the years and has remained a popular song about lost love. "Melodie D'amour" is an example of timeless music that continues to captivate audiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Melodie d'amour, take this song to my lover
I'm entrusting this melody to represent my love as you go deliver it to my lover.
Shoo shoo little bird, go and find my love
Bird, fly to where my sweetheart is and deliver this message of love from me.
Melodie d'amour, serenade at her window
Bird, sing this lovers melody at where my beloved stays, in hopes it will reach her heart.
Shoo shoo little bird, sing my song of love
Bird, sing this tune of affection so that it will remind my dearest of the warm feeling that we share.
Oh tell her I will wait, if she names a date
Ask her to choose a time when we can be together, and I will patiently look forward to it.
Tell her that I care, more than I can bare
Please let her know the magnitude of my emotions, a love that's too great for me to contain.
For when we are apart, how it hurts my heart
Being separated from her is a wound that only she can mend, and the pain is too much to bear.
So fly oh fly away and say that I hope and pray
Bird, fly away with my message of love, and may you find her in good spirits so that my hope and faith will bear fruit.
This lovers melody will bring her back to me
May this tune be the bridge that connects us together, as a testimony of our heartfelt love.
Oh tell her how I yearn, long for her return
Express to her how much I pine for her affection and how eagerly I await her homecoming.
Say I miss her so, more than she could know
Let her know that her absence is felt deeply, and it's hard to imagine how much I long for her.
Melodie d'amour, serenade at her window
Melt her heart with this singing of love under her window, a voice of love from a distance.
Shoo shoo little bird, tell her of my love
On wings of love, take my message to my darling and let her know of my affection.
Writer(s): Leo Johns, Henri Salvador
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.