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.
If I Could Be With You
Harry James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost completely divine
But his vocabulary
Is killin' this romance of mine
We get into an intimate situation
And then begins this Romeo's conversation
He says, "Murder," he says
He says, "Murder," he says
At a time like this
He says, "Murder," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Solid," he says
Takes me in his arms
And says, "Solid," he says
Meanin' all my charms
He says, "Solid," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Chick, chick, you torture me
Zoot! Are we livin'?"
I'm thinkin' o' leavin' him flat
He says, "Dig, dig, the jumps the old
Ticker is givin'"
Now, he can talk plainer than that
He says, "Murder,"' he says
Ev'ry time we kiss
He says, "Murder," he says
Keep it up like this
And that's, "Murder," he says
In that impossible tone
It will bring on nobody's murder but his own
He says, "Jackson," he says
And my name's Marie
He says, "Jackson," he says
'Shoot the snoot to me'
He says, "Jackson," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Woof, woof," he says
When he likes my hat
He says, "Tsk, tsk," he says
What the heck is that?
He says, "Wooh, wooh," he says
Is that the language of love?
He says, "Hep, hep, with helium
Now babe, we're cookin'"
And other expressions to wit
He says, "We're in da groove
And da groove is good lookin'"
He sounds like his uppers don't fit
He says, "Murder"
He says, "Murder"
And the way he says, "Murder"
In that impossible tone
I've told him over and over and over again
That it'll be nobody else's murder but his own
Harry James's "If I Could Be With You" is a lively and cheeky tune about a woman who's found the perfect man except for one detail- his language. Even though he's "almost completely divine," his use of language is "killing this romance" of hers. The song is a playful commentary on how language can sometimes frustrate in communication, particularly when one's partner is not speaking in a way one would expect or desire. The man's peculiarities is the subject of the song, as he uses odd phrases like "Zoot," "Hep, hep with helium," and "Woof, woof," which causes the singer to think about leaving him flat.
The refrain of the song is all about the strange things the man says during moments of intimacy. Every kiss brings about the morbid phrase, "Murder," which causes the singer to question his feelings. She wonders if "Murder" is really "the language of love." "Solid" is used by the man as a way of describing the singer's charm, while "Jackson" is his nickname for her. The song is whimsical and light-hearted, reflecting that even in moments of confusion and frustration, there can still be a humorous edge to things.
Line by Line Meaning
Finally found a fella
I have found a man who I really like
Almost completely divine
He's nearly perfect
But his vocabulary
The words he uses
Is killin' this romance of mine
Are ruining our relationship
And says, 'Solid', he says
And then he says 'solid'
Meanin' all my charms
Referring to my attractive qualities
He says, 'Jackson', he says
He calls me by the name Jackson
'Shoot the snoot to me'
He asks me to show him my best
He says, 'Woof, woof', he says
He makes the sound of a dog barking
When he likes my hat
When he sees that I'm wearing a nice hat
What the heck is that?
He's confused about something
He says, 'Hep, hep, with helium'
He wants to take helium and have fun
Now babe, we're cookin'
We're having a good time now
And says, 'We're in da groove
He says we're in sync
And da groove is good lookin''
Our relationship is looking good
I've told him over and over
I've said this many times
That it'll be nobody else's murder but his own
If anything bad happens, it will be his own mistake
'Murder', he says
He uses the word 'murder'
'Is that the language of love?'
He thinks this is romantic
'Keep it up like this'
If we continue this way
In that impossible tone
It's a strange way to say things
Finally found a fella
I have found a man who I really like
'Chick, chick, you torture me'
He's teasing me
'Zoot! Are we livin'?'
He's excited and having fun
'I'm thinkin' o' leavin' him flat'
I'm considering breaking up with him
'Dig, dig, the jumps the old ticker is givin''
He's referring to his heart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jan Procházka
on All or Nothing at All
trumpet boogie