Fame was born in Leigh in Lancashire. At sixteen years of age he entered into a management agreement with Larry Parnes, who gave artists new names such as Marty Wilde and Billy Fury. Fame was already playing piano for Billy Fury in a backing band called The Blue Flames, which later became billed as "Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames". The band had great success with rhythm and blues. Their greatest success was "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" in 1968, which was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and in the United States; they also had UK number-one hits with "Yeh, Yeh" (1965) and "Get Away" (1966). Although he enjoyed regular chart success with singles in the late 60s, it was a peculiar quirk of chart statistics that his only three Top 10 hits all made number one.
Fame continued playing into the 1970s, enjoying a hit with Alan Price (ex-keyboard player of The Animals), "Rosetta", in 1971. He has also toured as one of the Rhythm Kings, with his friend Bill Wyman playing bass.
From the late 1980s, until the 1997 album The Healing Game he was a core member of Van Morrison's band, as well as his musical producer, playing keyboards and singing harmony vocals on tracks like "In the Days before Rock 'n' Roll", whilst still recording and touring as an artist in his own right. He frequently plays residences at jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scott's. He has also played organ on Starclub's album..
Georgie Fame's swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the '60s. Fame played piano and organ in addition to singing, and was influenced by the likes of Mose Allison, Booker T. & the MG's, and Louis Jordan. Early in his career, he also peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fame was born Clive Powell on June 26, 1943, in Leigh, Lancashire (near Manchester, England). He began playing piano at a young age, and performed with several groups around Manchester as a teenager, when he was particularly fond of Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1959, his family moved to London, where the 16 year old was discovered by songwriter Lionel Bart (best known for the musical Oliver). Bart took Powell to talent manager Larry Parnes, who promoted British rockers like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, and Vince Eager. Powell naturally had to be renamed as well, and as Georgie Fame, he played piano behind Wilde and Eager before officially joining Fury's backing band, the Blue Flames, in the summer of 1961. (The Blue Flames also included guitarist Colin Green, saxophonist Mick Eve, bassist Tony Makins, and drummer Red Reece.) When Fury let the band go at the end of the year, Fame became their lead singer, and they hit the London club circuit playing a distinctive blend of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and ska. Their budding reputation landed them a residency at the West End jazz club the Flamingo, and thanks to the American servicemen who frequented the club and lent Fame their records, he discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, becoming one of the very few British musicians to adopt the instrument in late 1962. From there, the Blue Flames became one of the most popular live bands in London. In 1963, they signed with EMI Columbia, and in early 1964 released their acclaimed debut LP, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo. It wasn't a hot seller at first, and likewise their first three singles all flopped, but word of the group was spreading.
Finally, in early 1965, Fame hit the charts with "Yeh Yeh," a swinging tune recorded by Latin jazz legend Mongo Santamaria and given lyrics by vocalese virtuoso Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. "Yeh Yeh" went all the way to number one on the British charts, and Fame started living up to his stage name (although the song barely missed the Top 20 in America). His 1965 LP Fame at Last reached the British Top 20, and after several more minor hits, he had another British number one with "Getaway" in 1966. After one more LP with the original Blue Flames, 1966's Sweet Thing, Fame broke up the band and recorded solo; over the next few years, his backing bands included drummer Mitch Mitchell (later of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and the young guitarist John McLaughlin (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra).
At the outset, Fame's solo career was just as productive as before, kicking off with the Top Ten big-band LP Sound Venture (recorded with Harry South's orchestra); thanks to its success, he toured with the legendary Count Basie the following year. Several hit singles followed over the next few years, including "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde," which became his third British chart-topper in late 1967 and, the following year, his only Top Ten hit in America. But by 1969, his success was beginning to tail off; hoping to make inroads into the more adult-oriented cabaret circuit, Fame was moving more and more into straight-up pop and away from his roots. In 1971, he teamed up with onetime Animals organist Alan Price and recorded an album of critically reviled MOR pop, Fame & Price; the partnership produced a near-Top Ten hit in "Rosetta," but ended in 1973. Fame re-formed the Blue Flames with original guitarist Colin Green in 1974 and attempted to return to R&B, but his records for Island attracted little attention. He spent much of the '70s and '80s making ends meet by performing on TV and the cabaret circuit, as well as writing advertising jingles; he also continued to make records, to little fanfare.
In 1989, Fame played organ on Van Morrison's Avalon Sunset album, which grew into a fruitful collaboration over the course of the '90s; Fame played on all of Morrison's albums through 1997's The Healing Game, received co-billing on Morrison's 1996 jazz album How Long Has This Been Going On, and even served a stint as Morrison's musical director. Meanwhile, Fame's own solo work during the '90s received some of his best reviews since the '60s, starting with 1991's jazzy Cool Cat Blues, which featured a duet with Morrison on "Moondance." 1995's Three Line Whip featured his sons Tristan and James Powell on guitar and drums, respectively, and 1996's The Blues and Me further enhanced his growing jazz credibility. In 1998, Fame split with Morrison to record and tour with former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman's new group the Rhythm Kings, contributing organ and vocals to several albums. In 2000, now signed to Ben Sidran's Go Jazz label, Fame released the acclaimed Poet in New York, which established him as an impressive student of jazz's vocalese tradition.
Funny How Time Slips Away
Georgie Fame Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hello there
My, it's been a long long time
You ask me, how am I doing now
You really wanna know?
Well I guess I'm doing fine
It's been so long now
Well ain't it funny, so funny
How time can just slip right all away
I'd like to ask you a question too
You know, I heard you got a new love
But I wonder, can you truthfully say he's doing fine
You know I heard something the other day, girl
When a friend of mine told me
That you were gonna love him right until the end of time
Now you know that I know that you must have been lying
'Cause that's the very same thing
That you told me, yeah
You know, it seems like
Just the other day
Well ain't it funny, so funny
How time can just slip right all away
I hate to leave you baby
But I think I'd better split now, now
Well, I guess I'll see you somewhere around
You'd be lucky too, but here's one thing you just can't tell
You don't know when though, no
Well girl, you can't tell when I'll be back in town
So hold on to all your money
And please remember
Everything I told you, babe
I believe in time
And I know if you live you're gonna pay
Then you'll find it funny, so funny
How time can slip right all away
And you don't even know it
Georgie Fame's song "Funny How Time Slips Away" is a poignant story about two former lovers, who meet after a long time. The singer is surprised to find the person he was once in love with after a long time. In the first verse, he replies to his former lover's question about his current situation by assuring her that he is doing fine even though it's been a long time since they last saw each other. He then goes on to note how time seems to have flown by since they were last together.
In the second verse, he questions his former lover about her new lover. He had heard that she had found someone new and was in love with him. But, he is skeptical of her true feelings for this person. He recalls that she had said the same words to him when they were together. He implies that she is lying to her new lover the same way she had lied to him in the past. The singer's tone is resentful because he was hurt by the betrayal of trust.
Finally, in the third verse, the singer concludes their conversation and declares that it's time for him to leave. He tells his former lover to keep her money and advises her to remember what he has told her. The last line emphasizes the song's theme, which is that time flies so quickly that even when we don't realize it, we lose significant moments forever.
In conclusion, the song's lyrics explore a universal and timeless theme - how quickly time passes and how fleeting our moments are. It is a bittersweet reflection by the singer, who realizes that time has slipped away, and he has lost the person he once loved. The lyrics convey a sense of regret, resignation, and a yearning for the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, well, well
Casual greeting to the person being addressed
Hello there
Further greeting or acknowledgment of the person being addressed
My, it's been a long long time
Expressing surprise at how much time has passed since last seeing the person being addressed
You ask me, how am I doing now
Acknowledgment of the person's question and inquiry into the artist's current wellbeing
You really wanna know?
Expressing surprise, possibly skeptical, at the sincerity or motivation behind the person's question
Well I guess I'm doing fine
Genuine or perhaps begrudging confirmation of the singer's current status
It's been so long now
Reiteration of the amount of time that has passed since last seeing the person being addressed
But it seems like it was only yesterday
Contrasting the perceived passage of time with the actual amount of time that has passed
Well ain't it funny, so funny
Reflection on the irony or absurdity of the situation
How time can just slip right all away
Further contemplation of the rapid passage of time and the sense of loss or change it can bring
I'd like to ask you a question too
Request or suggestion for a reciprocal inquiry
You know, I heard you got a new love
Mention of rumors or information the artist has received about the person being addressed
But I wonder, can you truthfully say he's doing fine
Skepticism or concern regarding the wellbeing of the person being addressed's new partner
You know I heard something the other day, girl
Introduction of additional information the singer has heard about the person being addressed
When a friend of mine told me
Indication of the source of the information being shared
That you were gonna love him right until the end of time
Report of the person being addressed's purported intentions towards their new partner
Now you know that I know that you must have been lying
Accusation or challenge to the truthfulness of the person being addressed's previous statement or actions
'Cause that's the very same thing
Assertion that the person being addressed has made similar statements or promises in the past
That you told me, yeah
Further confirmation of the previous assertion
You know, it seems like
Pensive observation on the passing of time and the change it can bring
Just the other day
Qualification of the preceding observation
Well ain't it funny, so funny
Reiteration of the artist's earlier reflection on the irony of the situation
How time can just slip right all away
Further emphasis on the rapid and unpredictable passage of time
I hate to leave you baby
Expression of reluctance or regret at having to end the conversation or interaction
But I think I'd better split now, now
Declaration of the singer's intention to leave or end the interaction
Well, I guess I'll see you somewhere around
Indication of likelihood of future interaction or encounter with the person being addressed
You'd be lucky too, but here's one thing you just can't tell
Humorous or playful suggestion that the person being addressed might benefit from their encounter with the singer
You don't know when though, no
Acknowledgment of the unpredictability or uncertainty surrounding future events
Well girl, you can't tell when I'll be back in town
Further acknowledgement of the unpredictability of future events, specifically the artist's future visits to the area
So hold on to all your money
Suggestion or advice for the person being addressed to be cautious or prepared for the future
And please remember
Request or reminder for the person being addressed to heed the singer's advice or suggestions
Everything I told you, babe
Recall or summary of the artist's previous statements or advice
I believe in time
Expression of the artist's faith or trust in the natural progression of events over time
And I know if you live you're gonna pay
Suggesting that the person being addressed will inevitably face consequences or negative outcomes in the course of their life
Then you'll find it funny, so funny
Reflection on the irony or absurdity of the person being addressed's potential future experiences
How time can slip right all away
Recall of the artist's earlier reflection on the rapid passage of time and the changes it can bring
And you don't even know it
Observation or warning that the person being addressed may not be aware of the gradual changes or consequences they will face over time
Contributed by Zoe Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bengt Blom
Wonderful ballad of Willie Nelson so good performed by the great Georgie Fame.
richard chevalier
Soooo good to see Georgie again!
Thanks for posting. 🙏🙏🙏
John Robertson
I heard of him but never heard him . he is really good!
una allcock
I used to go to hear him and the Blue Flames in the basement of the Bromley Court Hotel. It was so good we could put a litlle note on the top of the organ and ask for requests. Such a lovel time - I am so sorry kids dont get the chances I had to listen to music.
Jose Goyes
Hermoso.
thanks!
Theresa Thornton
Love 💞🎺🙏
David Storey
This is one of the best Britain has. Imagine what we call second rate sounds like.....x
Steffan Hoffmann
Who's we?
Susan Still
Saw him in the Ricky tick club georgie fame was the boss
Alex Gordon
From the wonderful sound venture album with the Harry south big band.