He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a traveling circus. By the age of 10 he was taking trumpet lessons from his father, who placed him on a strict daily practice schedule. Each day, James was given one page to learn from the Arban's book and was not allowed to pursue any other pastime until he had learned that particular page.
In 1931 the family settled in Beaumont, Texas, where James began playing with local dance bands.
He joined the nationally popular Ben Pollack in 1935 but at the start of 1937, left Pollack to join Benny Goodman's orchestra, where he stayed through 1938.
In February 1939 James debuted his own big band in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His hit "You Made Me Love You" was in the Top 10 during the week of December 7, 1941. He toured with the band into the 1980s.
His was the first "name band" to employ vocalist Frank Sinatra, in 1939. He wanted to change Sinatra's name to 'Frankie Satin' but Sinatra refused. His later band included drummer Buddy Rich.
He played trumpet in the 1950 film Young Man with a Horn, dubbing Kirk Douglas. James's recording of "I'm Beginning to See the Light" appears in the motion picture My Dog Skip (2000). His music is also featured in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters. James recorded many popular records and appeared in many Hollywood movies.
He was second only to Glenn Miller as the most successful recording artist of 1942.
James was married three times. On May 4, 1935, he married singer Louise Tobin, with whom he had two children. They divorced in 1943. That same year, he married actress Betty Grable. They had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica, before divorcing in 1965. James married a third time in 1968 to Las Vegas showgirl Joan Boyd, whom he would divorce in March 1970. Contrary to some assertions, he did not marry a fourth time. He had five children (two by Tobin, two by Grable, one by Boyd) and (as of his death) 16 grandchildren.
James owned several thoroughbred racehorses that won races such as the California Breeders' Champion Stakes (1951) and the San Vicente Stakes (1954). He was also a founding investor in the Atlantic City Race Course. His knowledge of horse racing was demonstrated during a 1958 appearance on The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour entitled "Lucy Wins A Racehorse."
In 1983, James was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer, but he continued to work, playing his last professional job on June 26, 1983, in Los Angeles, California, just nine days before his death in Las Vegas, Nevada. Frank Sinatra gave the eulogy at the Bunkers Eden Vale Memorial Park in Las Vegas.
On a Little Street in Singapore
Harry James and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'd meet beside a lotus-covered door,
A veil of moonlight on her lonely face,
How pale the hands that held me in embrace.
My sails tonight are filled with perfume of Shalimar,
And temple bells will guide me to the shore.
And then I'll hold her in my arms, and love the way I loved before,
On a little street in Singapore.
The lyrics to Harry James and His Orchestra's song, "On a Little Street in Singapore," describe a romantic, intimate encounter between two individuals on a small street in Singapore. The singer reminisces on the time spent with his lover on this street, beside a lotus-covered door. The imagery of a "veil of moonlight" on her face and "pale hands" holding him in embrace creates a vivid, melancholic scene.
The singer then goes on to describe his current situation, sailing away with the "perfume of Shalimar" filling his sails and temple bells guiding him to the shore. Despite his departure, he still longs for his lover and reminisces on their past love. The song ends with the singer yearning to hold her once again, back on that little street in Singapore.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing and nostalgia for a past love and a romantic time spent on a specific street in Singapore. The use of vivid imagery and sensory details and the melancholic tone of the lyrics add to the emotional depth of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
On a little street in Singapore,
In a small and humble road situated in the country of Singapore,
We'd meet beside a lotus-covered door,
We would rendezvous near a door covered with the beautiful flowers of a lotus plant,
A veil of moonlight on her lonely face,
Her face would be covered with a thin layer of moonlight, adding to the sense of solitude felt by her,
How pale the hands that held me in embrace.
The hands that held me during our embrace were so pale, perhaps signifying a sense of sickness or weakness,
My sails tonight are filled with perfume of Shalimar,
The sails of my vessel tonight are infused with the delightful fragrance of Shalimar perfume,
And temple bells will guide me to the shore.
The gentle and melodious sounds of temple bells shall serve as a guide to help me reach the shore safely,
And then I'll hold her in my arms, and love the way I loved before,
Once I encounter her again, I will embrace her and love her wholeheartedly, just like I did in the past,
On a little street in Singapore.
All of this will happen once again in the same little street in Singapore.
Lyrics © SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: BILLY HILL, PETER DE ROSE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gyniest
Many people may not be too familiar with this song, but I think if they were to hear it, they would like it as much as I do. Frank and Harry were both great artists.
@ddkoda
This is the definitive version of On A Little Street In Singapore for me. The great arrangement along with Harry's magnificent trumpet and Frank Sinatra's bel canto singing style all combine to create an exotic atmosphere appropriate to the story line of the song. All of these elements together allow one to picture in the mind's eye the romantic tale that is told.
@greenbrae7
Butt off coarse! It's the original ( ;o)]
@jorgedonatofernandocarpiozegar
Excelente!
@ddkoda
Exceptional modulation of pitch and power on Frank's part makes this song soar to the top.
@century123ful
Imagine , this was recorded in 1939! Young Frank was so wonderful even then, at the beginning to what would become a magnificent career for an enduring star.
@roybodden9243
As much as I love Sinatra, I much rather the versions by Glenn Miller and the Manhattan Transfer.
@fmazzar
This was top 40.....My daughter asked me if I thought that this Harry James video would have a million hits if Youtube and internet existed in the 1930's...what do you think?
@wingaard
Frank Sinatra covered this.( As did Manhattan transfer in the 1970's) The song was written by Peter De Rose.
@tonygumbrell22
???? I wished this "covered" business would go away.