Harry James was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a traveling circus. By age 10 he was taking trumpet lessons from his father. His father had him on a very strict practicing schedule every day. He was given one page to learn out of the Arban's book (a trumpet drill book) every day and could not do anything until he learned that page.
In 1931 the family settled in Beaumont, Texas and James began playing with local dance bands. James joined the nationally popular Ben Pollack in 1935. At the start of 1937 he left Pollack to join Benny Goodman's orchestra, where he stayed through 1938.
In February of 1939 Harry James debuted his own big band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He continued touring with the band into the 1980s. His was the first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. In 1943 he married actress Betty Grable.
His first wife was ex B.Goodman singer.,Louise Tobin.
You can hear his trumpet playing in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn, dubbing Kirk Douglas. His recording of "I'm Beginning to See the Light" appears in the motion picture My Dog Skip (2000). James recorded many popular records and appeared in many Hollywood movies.
In 1983, James was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, but he continued to work, playing his last professional job on 26 June 1983 in Los Angeles just nine days before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How Deep Is the Ocean
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll tell you no lie
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How many times a day do I think of you?
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?
How high is the sky?
The lyrics to Harry James and His Orchestra's song "How Deep Is the Ocean" portray a love so profound that it can only be measured in universal terms. The song is essentially a series of rhetorical questions that are meant to convey the depth and intensity of the singer's love for the subject of their affection. The opening lines, "How much do I love you? I'll tell you no lie," set the tone for the rest of the song, which is characterized by a sense of honesty and vulnerability.
The song goes on to ask a series of questions, such as "How many times a day do I think of you? How many roses are sprinkled with dew?" These questions are meant to underscore the extent to which the singer is consumed by thoughts of their loved one. The refrain "How deep is the ocean? How high is the sky?" serves as a powerful metaphor for the extent of the singer's love, implying that it is as vast and infinite as the natural world itself.
One interesting feature of the song is the fact that it was written by Irving Berlin, one of the most iconic composers of the 20th century. Berlin was known for his mastery of the pop song form and his ability to write melodies that were both catchy and emotionally resonant. Another interesting fact is that the song has been recorded by countless artists over the years, including Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand.
Line by Line Meaning
How much do I love you?
I am trying to express the depth of my love for you.
I'll tell you no lie
I am being truthful; I won't hide anything from you.
How deep is the ocean?
I am asking how infinite my love for you can be.
How high is the sky?
I am trying to emphasize the immensity of my love for you.
How many times a day do I think of you?
I am constantly thinking of you all the time.
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?
My thoughts of you are as numerous as the number of dew sprinkled roses.
How far would I travel
I am willing to go any distance for you.
To be where you are?
I want to be with you always.
How far is the journey
The distance between us is irrelevant, I will come to you.
From here to a star?
Even if the journey is as far as the distance between us and a star.
And if I ever lost you, how much would I cry?
The mere thought of losing you is devastating, and I would cry a lot.
How deep is the ocean?
The depth of my tears in the event of losing you would be as deep as the ocean.
How high is the sky?
The measure of my despair in your absence would be as vast as the sky.
How high is the sky?
Once again, I am trying to emphasize the immensity of my love for you.
Lyrics © IMAGEM U.S. LLC
Written by: IRVING BERLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
BubbaTex
Listen to the entire Harry James And His New Swingin' Band album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPI5PXSZiYU&list=PL0E0123v1zlN9ai6FrfaL6R9h2hey4bup
K Lee
My favorite Harry James recording ever. Beautiful. This is a taste of what the big bands would have sounded like had the Swing Era continued past the 1940's. Thanks for up loading.
K Lee
My favorite Harry James recording ever. Beautiful. This is a taste of what big bands would have sounded like if the Swing era had continued past the 1940's. Thanks for uploading.
BubbaTex
@K Lee This entire album is one of my favorites. HJ adopted a Basie sound in the late 50's while he was still with Capitol, which continued through his move to MGM with this album, and I think this album is the closest to Basie out of all of them. Ernie Wilkins (former Basie saxophonist) arranged most of the tunes, and a few, like "Shiny Stockings," "M Squad Theme" and "Slats," were written by Basie or his sidemen. I'm glad you found it, and thanks for listening!