He began recording in 1970 with the LP Small Talk at 125th and Lenox with the assistance of Bob Thiele Flying Dutchman Records, co-writer Brian Jackson, Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie (who later recorded "Delights of the Garden" with The Last Poets), Charlie Saunders, Eddie Knowles, Ron Carter and Bert Jones, all jazz musicians (see 1970 in music). The album included the aggressive diatribe against white-owned corporate media and middle-class America's ignorance of the problems of inner cities in songs such as Whitey On The Moon.
The 1971 Pieces of a Man used more conventional song structures than the loose, spoken word feel of his first, though he didn't reach the charts until 1975 with "Johannesburg". His biggest hit was 1978's "The Bottle", produced by Heron and longtime partner Brian Jackson, which peaked at #15 on the R&B charts (see 1978 in music).
In 2001, Gil Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years' imprisonment in New York State for possession of cocaine. While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the Blazing Arrow album by Blackalicious. He was released on parole in 2003. On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a drug rehabilitation center. Scott-Heron's sentence was to run until July 13, 2009. He was paroled on May 23, 2007. The reason given for the violation of his plea was that the clinic refused to supply Scott-Heron with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist is HIV positive.
After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at SOBs in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing a book titled The Last Holiday, previously on long-term hiatus, about Stevie Wonder and his successful attempt to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.
He was arrested October 10, 2007, the day before a scheduled (but ultimately cancelled) second SOBs performance, on felony possession of cocaine charges. However, he has continued to make live appearances at various US venues during the course of 2008 and 2009, including further appearances at SOBs in New York. He has also stated in interviews that work is continuing on his new album, which will consist mainly of new versions of some of his classic songs plus some cover versions of other artists' work.
Having originally planned to publish The Last Holiday in 2003, before it was put on hold, Canongate Books now tentatively intend to issue it in January, 2011. The book was due to be previewed via a website set to be launched on April 1, 2009, but this did not appear.
Mark T. Watson, a student of Scott-Heron's work, dedicated a collection of poetry to Gil titled Ordinary Guy that contained a foreword by Jalal Mansur Nuriddin of The Last Poets. The book was published in the UK in 2004 by Fore-Word Press Ltd. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Watson's book Black & Blue due for release in 2008 as part of the album Rhythms of the Diaspora by Malik & the OG's on the record label CPR Recordings.
Gil Scott-Heron released his new album I'm New Here on independent label XL Recordings on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner Richard Russell, 'I'm New Here' is Scott-Heron's first album in thirteen years.The pair started recording the album in 2007, with the majority of the record being recorded over the last twelve months with engineer Lawson White at Clinton Studios in New York. In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, www.gilscottheron.net , was launched with a brand new track 'Where Did The Night Go' made available as a free download from the site.
In 2011, Scott-Heron released "We're New Here" a remix album which was a collaboration with Jamie xx, a member of the British indie band The xx. Scott-Heron died in New York City on May 27, 2011.
A Very Precious Time
Gil Scott-Heron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
And was it your first love, a very precious time?
Was there the faintest breeze?
And did she have a ponytail?
Walking down the grassy trail?
Was it your first love, a very precious time, time?
Now they got me trying to define, in later life
What her love means to me
And it keeps me struggling to remember, my first touch of spring.
Was there a touch of spring, in the air?
And did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
Was it your first love,
A very precious, very precious, very precious time, time.
In A Very Precious Time, Gil Scott-Heron takes the listener through a reflective journey of their first love. He asks the listener to recall certain aspects of their first love – whether there was a touch of spring in the air, if she was wearing a pink dress or if she had a ponytail, if she could make you feel ten feet tall, and if her shy smile could almost touch the warmth. He wonders if it was truly your first love, a very precious time.
As the song progresses, Scott-Heron reveals that in later life, he is struggling to define what her love means to him. He is trying to recall what it felt like to experience the touch of spring for the first time, but it seems like a distant memory. The lyrics are full of nostalgia and wistfulness, as the singer longs to relive those moments of bliss and innocence.
A Very Precious Time is a beautiful ode to first love that captures the magic and purity of the experience. It reminds us to cherish those moments and hold them close to our hearts, even as life goes on and things change.
Line by Line Meaning
Was there a touch of spring?
Was the season spring when this memory took place?
Did she have a pink dress on?
Was the girl wearing a pink dress?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Did the girl give a shy smile?
Could you almost touch the warmth?
Did her smile make you feel warm inside?
And was it your first love, a very precious time?
Was this memory of your first love, making it a very cherished moment?
Was there the faintest breeze?
Was there a gentle breeze present in this memory?
And did she have a ponytail?
Was the girl wearing a ponytail hairstyle?
And could she make you feel ten feet tall,
Did the girl make you feel confident and proud?
Walking down the grassy trail?
Were you walking down a grassy trail together?
Was it your first love, a very precious time, time?
Is this memory of your first love a time you hold dear?
Now they got me trying to define, in later life
Now, later in life, people are asking me to define what this memory means to me.
What her love means to me
What does the love that I experienced from this person mean to me?
And it keeps me struggling to remember, my first touch of spring.
This memory is causing me to struggle to recall my first feelings of love and warmth.
Was there a touch of spring, in the air?
Was there a feeling of new beginnings or freshness in this memory?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Did the girl smile shyly?
Could you almost touch the warmth?
Did her smile make you feel warmly towards her?
Was it your first love,
Was this memory one of your first experiences with love?
A very precious, very precious, very precious time, time.
A time that is very dear and valuable to you.
Contributed by Reagan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tomas Horn
Was there a touch of spring?
Did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
And was it your first love, a very precious time?
Was there the faintest breeze?
And did she have a ponytail?
And could she make you feel ten feet tall,
Walking down the grassy trail?
Was it your first love, a very precious time, time?
Now they got me trying to define, in later life
What her love means to me
And it keeps me struggling to remember, my first touch of spring.
Was there a touch of spring, in the air?
And did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
Was it your first love,
A very precious, very precious, very precious time, time.
Dorothy P
A Poem for GSH
Its’ been over 3 years ago since you left that final indelible mark Gil. Over 3 years now that those that knew you and loved you sat quietly in that sterile white place on 5th Ave, where you laid. Sitting there, I wanted to scream and say, “Gil was a child of Harlem, these people who took your body did not know you”. I guess though irony plays itself out where it chooses and gives no pause or final direction to how we lived our lives. And although we are both children of spring of 49’ you spoke for me in my formative years. Your words, your poems gave rise to silent echoes wanting to escape and tell the world of how it really is.” Jagged jigsaw pieces, tossed about the room, I saw my grandma sweeping with her old straw broom”. Only you could pen such a song that made, that defined who we were and gave us love for our grandma hands. Who would know some forty years later that you would fall victim to your own pen, your own home is where the hatred is. Hard for me to listen to my favorite tuned without considering the once again - irony of it all. But I ain’t mad atcha Gil, because I know that each of us have to walk our own path. I wish though Gil that you could have been the first minute of your new day, that you could have had “new beginnings” and that finally I had something to offer you…that you could of burn those heroin “bridges” and that you could have found peace in ‘the middle of your day” realizing albeit too late that “speed kills”. And I kept saying “must be something” Gil could do, but in the end when you got tired of just being, “it was your world” and Gil you were right….”it was not meant for me”.
Peace go with you brother….
Dorothy
June 2014
Anita Sewer
Not nearly enough words to describe this Ancestor. A Genius and so far ahead of his time so may serious social and personal subjects he song & wrote about. Thanks Gil for sharing yourself with the world..
Cedric Powell
Thank you Gil and Brian. Remembering those Lincoln University, Pa says when you and Brian would practice your songs in the student union building and I would sit on the stairs and listen. Certainly a very precious time.
Maitefa Angaza
You may have known my friend Louis Young. His best friend at Lincoln was roommates with Gil.
WHAT IS JAZZ?
I love Gil - the wisdom and real lyricism - the beautiful melodys -
and most importantly the messages - all revelant - peace my brother peace - he seems to say so much with so few words - beautifully gets to the point
monojonbrooks
Thank you Gil for your skills and enlightenment, your powerful messages, your real humor, and beautiful chords. You have inspired me, uplifted me, awakened me and serenaded me almost all of my life. I thank the universe for sharing your precious time with us all.
Carole Weatherford
Gil Scott in a rare tender mood. I thank God for Gil. He was among the earliest poets I saw perform in person. He expanded my poetic horizons.
Tomas Horn
Was there a touch of spring?
Did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
And was it your first love, a very precious time?
Was there the faintest breeze?
And did she have a ponytail?
And could she make you feel ten feet tall,
Walking down the grassy trail?
Was it your first love, a very precious time, time?
Now they got me trying to define, in later life
What her love means to me
And it keeps me struggling to remember, my first touch of spring.
Was there a touch of spring, in the air?
And did she have a pink dress on?
And when she smiled, her shyest smile
Could you almost touch the warmth?
Was it your first love,
A very precious, very precious, very precious time, time.
Vanessa Johnson
Yes it was!!! RIP GREGORY JOHNSON
misternelson90
Dedicated to????
Anita Sewer
This is such a beautiful song. In a way it's haunting and it touches my spirit so.