It Don't Mean a Thing
Gérard Badini Lyrics
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If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
It don't mean a thing
All you got to do is sing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
If it's sweet or hot
Just give that rhythm
Ev'rything you got
Oh, it don't mean a thing
If it ain't got that swing
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Gérard Badini's song "It Don't Mean a Thing" is a tribute to the timeless Jazz standard originally composed by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills in 1931. The song is a celebration of the importance of swing music in Jazz and how without swing, the music would lose its essence. The song opens with the line "It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing" which becomes the central theme of the entire piece. The phrase "doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah" and "doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah" that follows the opening line are used to represent the sound of the swing in the music.
The first verse of the song talks about how all you have to do is sing to create the swing in the music. The singer emphasizes that it does not matter whether the music is sweet or hot, what is important is the rhythm that drives it. The swing is the soul of the music and without it, the music would lose its charm. The second verse reinforces the message that it is the swing that gives meaning to the music "just give that rhythm everything you got".
In summary, the song "It Don't Mean a Thing" is an ode to the importance of swing in Jazz music. The song emphasizes that without the swing, the music loses its essence and charm. The message of the song is that swing is the soul of Jazz, and that without it, the music just does not mean a thing.
Line by Line Meaning
It don't mean a thing
A thing has no value unless it has swing
If it ain't got that swing
The presence of swing is critical for something to have value
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
It don't mean a thing
A thing has no value unless it has swing
All you got to do is sing
Singing is all that's needed for a thing to have value
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
It makes no diff'rence
There is no distinction
If it's sweet or hot
Whether it's mellow or upbeat
Just give that rhythm
Stay rhythmic
Ev'rything you got
Give everything of yourself
Oh, it don't mean a thing
A thing has no value unless it has swing
If it ain't got that swing
The presence of swing is critical for something to have value
(doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
Doo wah, doo wah, doo wah, doo wah)
Non-lexical vocables used for scat singing
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind