On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Ella & Basie Lyrics


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Walked with no one and talked with no one
And I had nothing but shadows
Then one morning you passed
And I brightened at last
Now I greet the day and complete the day
With the sun in my heart
All my worry blew away
When you taught me how to say

Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street

I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over

If I never have a cent
I'd be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet




On the sunny side of the street
Grab your street

Overall Meaning

In "On The Sunny Side Of The Street," the singer describes how they used to walk aimlessly without any clear direction or purpose, feeling lost and alone. However, the singer's life changes when they encounter someone who makes them feel alive and brings sunshine into their world. The singer encourages the listener to leave their worries behind and join them in walking on the sunny side of the street where life is sweet and full of joy.


The opening lines of the song paint a bleak picture, with the singer feeling isolated and disconnected from the world around them. The arrival of the person who brightens their day is a turning point, and the mood of the song shifts to one of hope and joy. Through the singer's words, we see how love and human connection can transform even the darkest of days and how the simplest of pleasures, like walking on a sunny street, can bring immense happiness.


Line by Line Meaning

Walked with no one and talked with no one
I was lonely and had no one to talk to


And I had nothing but shadows
My life was dark and gloomy


Then one morning you passed
But one day, you came into my life


And I brightened at last
And suddenly, everything seemed brighter


Now I greet the day and complete the day
I start and end my day with a positive attitude


With the sun in my heart
And my heart is filled with happiness


All my worry blew away
All my worries disappeared


When you taught me how to say
Because you taught me how to be happy


Grab your coat and get your hat
So let's go!


Leave your worry on the doorstep
Don't worry about anything, just leave it behind


Just direct your feet
Just move forward


To the sunny side of the street
And let's go to the bright side of life


Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
Can't you hear the happy sound of your footsteps?


And that happy tune is your step
You're so happy that your steps become a happy tune


Life can be so sweet
Life can be really sweet


On the sunny side of the street
As long as we stay on the sunny side of life


I used to walk in the shade
I used to be unhappy


With those blues on parade
And my unhappiness was like a parade of sadness


But I'm not afraid
But I'm not afraid anymore


This Rover crossed over
Because I've crossed over to the other side ā€“ the happy side


If I never have a cent
Even if I'm poor


I'd be rich as Rockefeller
I'll still feel rich and happy


Gold dust at my feet
There could be gold dust on the ground under my feet


On the sunny side of the street
As long as I'm on the sunny side of life




Lyrics Ā© SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@ilovesillybandz124

Grab your coat and get your hat
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet
To the sunny side of the street
Can't you hear a pitter-pat?
And that happy tune is your step
Life can be so sweet
On the sunny side of the street
I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover crossed over
If I never have a cent
I'll be rich as Rockefeller
Gold dust at my feet
On the sunny side of the street
I used to walk in the shade
With those blues on parade
But I'm not afraid
This Rover has crossed over
If I never, never have a cent
I'll be rich as Rockefeller
With gold dust at my feet
On a sunny, sunny side of the street
On a sunny, sunny side of the street



@anon8740

@Amon Gƶth That video has nothing to do with "stealing" copyrighted works, it's not really related to the content of your comment at all.

Also, I really don't think sampling and remixing is a problem at all. If anything, it's an extension of musical culture taking advantage of new technologies. Taking other people's works and making them your own has been a part of music for centuries. Composers would often take a tune written by someone else and write variations on them, and performers would create their own cadenzas at the ends of pieces where appropriate.

This continued as jazz arose, with legends such as Louis Armstrong taking old tunes like "When The Saints Go Marching In" and making it swing, Miles Davis turning "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White into a jazz standard, or John Coltrane taking "My Favourite Things" from the sound of music and transforming it into an expressionistic masterpiece. And this isn't even mentioning how much people cover each other in jazz, causing some songs to be so common they become jazz standards.

And it keeps going. Over half of the Beatles' first studio album being cover songs, written by others.

Back then artists had other artists' sheet music, and they made of it what they could, playing with the ideas laid out on the page to make their own art out of what came before.

But today, we don't just have sheet music, we have access to the actual sound of other artist's music and are even lucky enough to have tools to creatively play with their recordings! I think it would be a disservice to music, as an art and a tradition, to NOT use this amazing opportunity at our fingertips to create our own art out of what came before.



All comments from YouTube:

@Sraheens1

Saw her twice...Chicago Jazz Fest and Ravinia....very lucky guy am I. I adore her...from the very time I heard her voice...it was 1979 and I was over a friendā€™s house who had a ton of albums...mostly rock...he said pick anything you like....I saw her face on the cover of ā€œElla In Berlinā€ and decided I wanted to hear her...at the first sound of her voice...that was it - hands down. Couldnā€™t believe anyone could sing like that...still canā€™t.

@inlawjosiewhales

this is such a nice story!

i agree - thereā€™s no one else like her. sheā€™s unbelievable! what a true gift she had and think of how lucky are we are that she shared it with the world :)

@cockeyedoptimista

Go Chicago! May I ask when you saw her at the Jazz Fest and Ravinia? I saw her once when I was studying in France one summer but I didn't fully appreciate her at that time and she also was already pretty old.

@TooLittleInfo

It's impossible to stay in a bad mood listening to Ella Fitzgerald. Her singing is just so filled with the joy of music-making. Always.

@alysdexia

The brass ruins it.

@MerleOberon

I'm lucky to be old enough to see Miss Fitzgerald in concert, a wonderful evening!

@crystal_channel

Come thru Ella!

@sophiecrook6608

I can't tell you how jealous I am !!!!

@analoghorn

Lucky you, daddy o

@Cynicaltoast

Lucky!!

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