Louis Armstrong (1901 - 1971) was a trumpet player, singer, and bandleader, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in the history of jazz.
Body and Soul
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Lyrics
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For you I sigh, for you, dear, only
Why haven't you seen it?
I'm all for you body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you I mean it
I can't believe it
It's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending?
It looks like the ending
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for the very taking
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
The song “Body and Soul,” popularized by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, has lyrics that express heartbreak and longing for a love interest who doesn’t seem to reciprocate the same feelings. The lyrics communicate the singer’s emotional state, as they express sadness and loneliness while longing for the attention and affection of the person they’re singing to. The phrase “body and soul” suggests that the singer is deeply in love with the person, as they’re willing to surrender themselves fully to this person, both physically and emotionally.
Furthermore, the lyrics convey a sense of frustration, as the singer wonders why the object of their affection hasn’t noticed their love. They express a willingness to prove their love and affirm that they’re sincere in their feelings. The final line, “I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul,” communicates a sense of devotion the singer has for their love interest.
Overall, the song expresses the pain and yearning involved in unrequited love, as well as a willingness to do whatever it takes to win over the person they’re singing to.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is sad and lonely
I am deeply unhappy and experiencing feelings of isolation.
For you I sigh, for you, dear, only
My feelings of longing and yearning are entirely directed towards you.
Why haven't you seen it?
I am bewildered by the fact that you have not recognized my emotions.
I'm all for you body and soul
I am completely devoted to you both physically and emotionally.
I spend my days in longing
All my waking moments are filled with the desire to be with you.
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I am constantly questioning why you are not reciprocating my feelings.
I tell you I mean it
I am being completely honest with you about the intensity of my feelings.
I'm all for you body and soul
Once again, I want to emphasize that my devotion to you is absolute and all-encompassing.
I can't believe it
I am having trouble comprehending the fact that you are not returning my affections.
It's hard to conceive it
I find it difficult to accept.
That you'd turn away romance
I cannot understand why you would reject the possibility of a romantic relationship with me.
Are you pretending?
I am unsure whether you are pretending to not have feelings for me.
It looks like the ending
I fear that our potential relationship may never come to fruition.
Unless I could have just one more chance to prove, dear
I desperately hope for an opportunity to show you how much you mean to me.
My life a wreck you're making
Your lack of affection for me is causing significant distress and turmoil in my life.
You know I'm yours for just the taking
Despite everything, I would still offer myself to you completely.
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul
Once again, I emphasize my willingness to submit to you both physically and emotionally.
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Edward Heyman, Frank Eyton, John Green, Robert Sour
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephaniedunn1993
My heart is sad and lonely
For you I sigh, for you dear only
Why haven't you seen it?
I'm all for you, body and soul
I spend my days in longing
And wondering why it's me you're wronging
I tell you, I mean it
I'm all for you, body and soul
I can't believe it, it's hard to conceive it
That you'd turn away romance
Are you pretending it looks like the ending
Unless, I could have one more chance to prove dear
My life a wreck you're making
You know I'm yours for just the taking
I'd gladly surrender
Myself to you, body and soul.
@MegaBanne
Meh, she ruins the A parts with scat and sings the B part wrong. You know like how you would do if you do not know how to turn of your artificial emotions. You could expect a job like that should inspire more enthusiasm, expect her to analyze the song at least, but no.
Ella Fitzgerald was great at her early days, just like Frank Sinatra. That was before they became parodies of them selves.
Ella Fitzgerald used to scat as a way of expressing emotion that where deeper than what her lyrics could express. She didn't force it nor did she overdo it. She used only when it was suitable. She was a true master of scat in that sense. Anyone can scat fast for hours, but it requires something extra to know how to inspire feelings trough scat song.
Frank Sinatra used to sing with passion. His artistic pauses where then an inherent part of his way of singing. Nothing forced, or over used. The length of the pauses depended on what they where used for. It could be the common short pauses that existed between most words to make each word ring by them selves. He would then switch to not using these pauses to enhance to feeling that comes with legato, which often is overused in jazz song.
Some times he would intentionally introduce slightly longer pauses to enhance the feeling that what he is saying is hard for him to say. Which gives the feeling that he speaks from his heart. Some times he would intentionally introduce slightly longer pauses before words to show sincerity in what he says by overly clarifying words. It would depend on how he sings. In "I'll never smile again" he would use it in a way that it sounds almost as if tries to sing while sobbing, but with out the distorted voice a snivels. In "It's a lovely day tomorrow" he uses such pauses to show sincerity and clarity, due to how it is a song that tries to tell you that everything will get better.
It wouldn't matter that much if it wasn't for the fact that singers like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald became the symbols of jazz song even when we should have given up on them decades before. Jazz song became a symbol of soulless sell out jazz, done by greedy old people. It became taboo.
There is absolutely nothing perfect with this performance. Just sad and desperate old people who can't move on and develop. I guess it is so much easier to just find out what people likes about you and then overdo it for some extra cash. There will always be the blind fans who can accept what ever the fuck from someone for as long as it is that someone who sings it.
@BobPattersonJazzGuitar
Don't you love how Frank handled that intro? These two were the pinnacle of the art of modern voice.
@eryksonsoares
Absolutely!
@Tristan_SingsJazz
It was nice of him!
@ahmadrashaad9164
Agreed!
@Aerohead317
Absolutely amazing
@dadlms
i found out that's a part of a song in Gypsy Muscial <3
@GO-bk1iq
With her sweet voice (her whole life her voice remained sweet), her incredible ear and sense of time, there is no one like Ella.
@lzclaudio1
💙
@herman9938
❤️
@djangorheinhardt
Yes she was blessed with perfect pitch or as some call it ' absolute pitch ' A few singers have it ,or had it,Jack Jones, Nate king Cole, Buddy Greco ,Vera Lynne , Vic Damone ,Ella and guitarist Joe Pass .He did an album with Ella and it came to discussing keys and Joe Pass said," Just start singing and I'll know what key you're in " Lucky Joe and Lucky Ella .I think I have got Van Gogh 's ear for music,the one he cut off ! !! ( is that how you spell Van Gogh ? )