Hubbard was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and associated in his youth with various musicians in Indianapolis, including Wes Montgomery and Montgomery's brothers. Chet Baker was an early influence, although Hubbard soon aligned himself with the approach of Clifford Brown (and his forebears: Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie).
Hubbard's jazz career began in earnest after moving to New York City in 1958. While there, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton, J. J. Johnson, Philly Joe Jones, Oliver Nelson, and Quincy Jones, among others. He gained attention while playing with the seminal hard bop ensemble Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, appearing on such albums as Mosaic, Buhaina's Delight, and Free For All. He left the Messengers in 1964 to lead his own groups and from that time maintained a high profile as a bandleader or featured as a special guest, but never merely a sideman.
Along with two other trumpeters also born in 1938, Lee Morgan (d. 1971) and Booker Little (d. 1961), Hubbard exerted a strong force on the direction of 1960s jazz. He recorded extensively for Blue Note Records: eight albums as a bandleader, and twenty-eight as a sideman. Most of these recordings are regarded as classics. Hubbard appeared on a few early avant-garde landmarks (Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz, Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and John Coltrane's Ascension), but Hubbard never fully embraced free jazz, though it did influence his playing.
After leaving Blue Note, Hubbard recorded for the Atlantic label and moved toward a more commercial style. His next label was CTI Records where he recorded his best-known works, Red Clay, First Light, and Sky Dive. By 1970, his fiery, melodic improvisation and phenomenal technique established him as perhaps the leading trumpeter of his day, but a series of commercially oriented smooth jazz albums spawned some negative criticism. After signing with Columbia Records, Hubbard's albums were almost exclusively in a commercial vein. However, in 1976, Hubbard toured and recorded with V.S.O.P., led by Herbie Hancock which presented unadulterated jazz in the style of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet (with Hubbard taking the place of Davis).
1980s projects moved between straight-ahead and commercial styles, and Hubbard recorded for several different labels including Atlantic, Pablo, Fantasy, Elektra/Musician, and the revived Blue Note label. The slightly younger Woody Shaw was Hubbard's main jazz competitor during the 1970s and 1980s, and the two eventually recorded together on three occasions. Hubbard participated in the short-lived Griffith Park Collective, which also included Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White.
Following a long setback of health problems and a serious lip injury in 1992, Hubbard played and recorded occasionally, but not at the high level that he set for himself during his earlier career.
On December 29, 2008, Hubbard's hometown newspaper, Hubbard died from complications from a heart attack suffered on November 26 of the same year.
I Wished I Knew
Freddie Hubbard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I knew you place no one above me
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
I wish I knew, but only you can answer.
If you don't care, why let me hop[e and pray so
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so,
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
The lyrics to Freddie Hubbard’s song ‘I Wished I Knew’ are an open confession of the singer’s unrequited love. The song is a plea for the object of the singer’s affection to acknowledge their relationship, and to make clear whether their feelings for each other are genuine or not. The singer holds a deep desire to be loved by someone like the subject, demonstrating the depth of their admiration. However, the ambiguity of the song's lyrics, as the singer suggests that they have been misled by their love interest, highlights the uncertainty and vulnerability inherent in many relationships.
The repetition of ‘I wished I knew,’ throughout the song, emphasizes the lack of clarity and the confusion that the singer feels about their love interest’s true emotions. The use of rhetorical questions such as ‘Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you? What shall I do?’ communicates the singer's desperation to find a solution but ultimately, they will only be able to do so once the subject provides an answer. Overall, “I Wished I Knew” is a song about the struggle of unrequited love, where the singer is caught up in their feelings and confused about how to proceed with their affections.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew someone like you could love me
I desire to know if it's possible that someone like you could love me
I wish I knew you place no one above me
I desire to know if you truly have no one else you value more than me
Did I mistake this for a real romance?
Am I incorrect in perceiving this as an actual romantic connection?
I wish I knew, but only you can answer.
I long for the answer, but I know that only you can provide it.
If you don't care, why let me hope and pray so
If you're not concerned, then why give me false hope to encourage my hopes and prayers?
Don't lead me on, if I'm a fool just say so
Please don't deceive me and waste my time; if I'm a fool, tell me the truth directly.
Should I keep dreaming on, or just forget you?
Which is more sensible, to maintain my fantasies or to abandon my illusions about you completely?
What shall I do, I wish I knew
I am at a loss for what actions to take, and I wish I possessed greater clarity or direction.
Contributed by Madison P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.