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.
I Surrender Dear
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sworn enemy of love
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
When stars appear And shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
The lyrics to Harry James's song "I Surrender Dear" convey the singer's inner struggle with pride and the vulnerability that comes with confessing one's feelings; a battle between the heart and the mind. The use of oxymorons such as "pride, sad, splendid liar" adds complexity to the emotional turmoil, highlighting the inner conflict of a person trying to suppress true feelings of love. The line "kept my lips from saying things I was thinking of" implies a hesitation to reveal one's true emotions due to fear of rejection or vulnerability, but the singer ultimately surrenders to these feelings and confesses their love.
The second verse expands on this theme of pretense, where the singer admits to acting 'proud' and 'gay' to keep up appearances, but in reality, it is just a show for the world, and deep down, they cannot deny their love. The use of the word 'gay,' which in modern times has a vastly different meaning than it did when the song was written, highlights the change in language and culture over time.
Line by Line Meaning
Pride, sad, splendid liar,
My pride has been a devastating force in my life, concealing my sadness and causing me to deceive myself and others.
Sworn enemy of love
My pride has prevented me from fully experiencing the joys of love and has caused me to become an adversary to it.
Kept my lips from saying
Things I was thinking of.
My pride caused me to withhold my true feelings and prevented me from being honest with you about my emotions.
But now my pride you've humbled,
I've cast it to the winds,
Broken, beaten, sick at heart
My confession begins.
You have shown me the error of my ways, and I am finally ready to let go of my pride and admit my true feelings to you, even though it makes me feel vulnerable.
We've played the game of stay away
But it cost more that I can pay.
Without you I can't make my way,
I surrender, dear.
Despite our attempts to keep our distance from each other, the emotional cost has been too great for me. I cannot go on without you, and I am willing to surrender myself to you completely.
I may seem proud, I may act gay,
It's just a pose, I'm not that way,
'Cause deep down in my heart I say
I surrender, dear.
My confident facade and aloof demeanor are only a front for my true feelings. Deep in my heart, I am ready to fully commit to you and surrender myself.
Little mean things we were doing
Must have been part of the game,
Lending a spice to the wooing,
But I don't care who's to blame.
Our petty disagreements and hurtful actions towards each other were just part of the game of love, but I am willing to let go of the past and forgive in order to move forward with you.
When stars appear and shadows fall,
Why then you'll hear My poor heart call,
To you my love, my life, my all
I surrender, dear.
No matter the time of day or the season, my heart is constantly calling out to you. You are my everything, and I am fully surrendering myself to you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music
Written by: GORDON CLIFFORD, HARRY BARRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rfvee
This is one of Harry's most underappreciated efforts, especially the forty bars in the beginning where he states the melody. The 'solo' is icing on the cake! What a great tune - I had to look up the original just to see where it came from. Superb.
liljohnreplogle
Sounds a lot like Benny Carters version 😊 Love Harry James!
Larry Gilbo
Don't believe there's any thing that Harry played that ever lacked that special quality he put into his performance. I once had an old 78 of the James band performing a fast samba called "Brazilian Sleighbells" , a Percy Faith composition. If you or anyone can post it, that would make my day. Thanks for the interesting insider info on most of your posts.
Chuck Par-Due
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zaIWHarZQY
Larry Gilbo
PS..I know that "overjazzrecords" has a post of "Brazilian Sleighbells" but it only has part of it and cuts it short about halfway.