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.
Up jumped spring
Freddie Hubbard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Throw my heart away each spring
Now a spring romance
Hasn't got a chance
Promised my first dance to winter
All I've got to show's a splinter
For my little fling
That never left the post
I lay in my room
Starring up at the ceiling
Spring can really hang you up the most
Morning kiss wakes trees and flower
And to them my life
To drink a toast I walk in the park
Just to kill those lonely hours
Spring can really hang you up the most
All afternoon
Those birds tweet-a-tweet I know their tune
This is love this is it
Heard it before
And I know the score
And I decide that love is a bore
Love seem sure around the new year
Now it's April
Love is just a ghost
Spring arrived on time
But what became of you, dear
Spring can really hang you up the most
Spring can really hang you up the most
Spring is here
There's no mistaken
Robins build their nest from coast to coast
My heart tries the same
So they won't hear it breaking
Spring can really hang you up the most
College boys are riding somewhere
Tender passion there it grows
But I'm on the shelf with last years easter bonnet
Spring can really hang you up the most
Love came my way
I'm holding the last
We had our day
Now that's all in the past
Spring came along
A season of song
For love's sweet promise
But something went wrong
Doctor's once prescribed a tonic
Sulfur and molasses was the dose
Didn't help me a bit
My condition must be chronic
Spring can really hang you up the most
All alone, the party's over
Winter was a gracious host
But when you keep praying
For snow to hide the clover
Spring can really hang you up the most
The lyrics of Freddie Hubbard's song "Hang 'Em Up" are rich with metaphors and analogies describing the pain and disappointment of a love that once blossomed in the springtime but has now withered away. The singer likens their former romantic self to a "sentimental thing" that threw their heart away each spring, eagerly anticipating the new loves to come. Now that they have grown older and wiser, they know that a spring romance holds no chance of survival. They have even promised their first dance to winter, a time of hibernation and reflection, but all they have to show for their little fling is a splinter.
As the singer describes their longing for love and companionship, they also bemoan the arrival of spring, which only serves to remind them of the love they have lost. The morning kiss that wakes the trees and flowers is a stark contrast to their own loneliness, and they walk in the park only to kill those lonely hours. The birds tweet-a-tweet, reminding the singer of the promises of love they heard before, only to realize that love is a bore. They were sure of love around the new year, but now that it's April, love is just a ghost, and spring can really hang them up the most.
The final verse of the song brings everything full circle, as the singer reflects on the passing of time and the inevitability of change. Spring is here, and the robins are building their nests, but the singer's heart is still broken. They remember the tender passion of college boys, but they feel like they are on the shelf with last year's Easter bonnet. Love came their way, but it's all in the past, and something went wrong. The doctor's tonic of sulfur and molasses did nothing to cure their chronic condition. All alone, the party is over, and winter was a gracious host, but when you keep praying for snow to hide the clover, spring can really hang you up the most.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was a sentimental thing
In the past, I used to be emotionally attached to people and things
Throw my heart away each spring
I used to give away my heart too easily, especially during the spring season
Now a spring romance
Currently, I am in a romantic relationship during springtime
Hasn't got a chance
However, it seems like this relationship is not going to work out
Promised my first dance to winter
I expected to have a longer lasting relationship with someone during winter
All I've got to show's a splinter
But all that remains now are insignificant remnants of that relationship
For my little fling
For that short-lived and unimportant relationship
Spring, this year has got me feeling like a horse
This year, spring is making me feel restless and stuck in one place like a racehorse waiting for the starting gate to open
That never left the post
But the gate never opens
I lay in my room
I find myself spending a lot of time in my room
Starring up at the ceiling
Often gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought
Spring can really hang you up the most
Springtime can be quite emotionally trying and difficult
Morning kiss wakes trees and flower
In the morning, I see nature coming back to life with new growth and blooming flowers
And to them my life
Nature seems to have a life of its own and does not seem to care about what is going on in my life
To drink a toast I walk in the park
To celebrate life, I take walks in the park and raise a metaphorical toast to its beauty
Just to kill those lonely hours
These walks help me cope with my loneliness and fill the time
All afternoon
During the afternoon
Those birds tweet-a-tweet I know their tune
The sounds of chirping birds and singing spring peepers are familiar sounds to me
This is love this is it
I have heard this song before and it reminds me of a lost love
Heard it before
This is a familiar story
And I know the score
I know how it ends
And I decide that love is a bore
I have come to the conclusion that love is boring
Love seem sure around the new year
Love usually seems promising at the beginning of the year
Now it's April
But it's now April and things have changed
Love is just a ghost
My love life is like a ghost that haunts me, with nothing solid or tangible to show for it
Spring arrived on time
Spring season began on schedule
But what became of you, dear
But my dear, what happened to you?
Spring can really hang you up the most
Springtime can be emotionally challenging
Spring is here
Spring season has arrived
There's no mistaken
There is no doubt about it
Robins build their nest from coast to coast
Robins are busy building their nest across the land
My heart tries the same
I am trying to move on and build a new life for myself
So they won't hear it breaking
So that no one can hear my heart breaking again
Spring can really hang you up the most
Springtime can be emotionally tough
College boys are riding somewhere
Young men are out and about, having fun and living life to the fullest
Tender passion there it grows
These young men are exploring their passions and enjoying life
But I'm on the shelf with last years easter bonnet
While these young men live their lives, I am still stuck with last year's Easter bonnet, feeling left behind
Spring can really hang you up the most
Spring can really weigh heavily on one's emotions
Love came my way
I found love
I'm holding the last
I am still holding on to the memories of that love
We had our day
We were happy once and loved each other deeply
Now that's all in the past
But that is now just a memory, a relic of the past
Spring came along
Spring season arrived
A season of song
Spring season is a time of new beginnings and vibrant growth
For love's sweet promise
A time when people often fall in love
But something went wrong
But something did not go as planned
Doctor's once prescribed a tonic
There was a time when doctors believed that tonic could cure depression and loneliness
Sulfur and molasses was the dose
A particularly unappetizing form of tonic was made from sulfur and molasses
Didn't help me a bit
But it did not do anything beneficial for me
My condition must be chronic
I seem to have a chronic case of loneliness and despair
Spring can really hang you up the most
Spring season can be particularly painful and trying
All alone, the party's over
Now, I am all alone, and the fun and excitement of the season is over
Winter was a gracious host
I had a good season with winter, but it is now gone
But when you keep praying
No matter how much you pray
For snow to hide the clover
Winter's snow cannot come back to hide the Clover
Spring can really hang you up the most
Spring can have a particularly strong effect on one's emotions
Lyrics © FRICON MUSIC COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@metallothionein9
The brings tears of joy to my eyes and laughter to my voice and fills my brain with a collage of swirling colors. So brilliant and beautiful. I miss you Freddie.
@denissutherland3653
Lovely composition beautifully played.
@maxim_hue6089
One of my favorite standards in a wonderful rendition
@anthonyhollis476
Reminds me that Spring is a wonderful time of the year. Freddie you are great missed. 🎺
@MrViglioni
DOS MELHORES NO GÊNERO!
@RandyResnick
It's happening here in Bordeaux right now! Beautiful melody, Freddie
@andalou552
One of my favorite tunes.
@malcolmjohnson3099
for those who love this tune, do not miss it done by freddie and wayne shorter and i think cedar walton in art blakey's band... lp is called three blind mice... under art's name.
@inbflat
how can anyone thumbs down this?
@edmundgregorymiselontlokwa8601
Lovely version 😍 ❤ 💕 👌