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.
Willow Weep For Me
Harry James and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willow weep for me
Bend your branches down
Along the ground and cover me
Listen to my plea
Hear me willow and
Weep for me
Lovely summer dreams
Gone and left me here
To weep my tears along the stream
Sad as I can be
Hear me willow and
Weep for me
Whisper to the wind
And say that love has sinned
To leave my heart a sign
And crying alone
Murmur to the night
And hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing
Crying all alone
Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down
Along the ground and cover me
Listen to me plea
Hear me willow and
Weep for me
Whisper to the wind
And say that love has sinned
To leave my heart a sign
And crying alone
Murmur to the night
And hide her starry light
So none will find me sighing
Crying all alone
Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy
Bend your branches down
Along the ground and cover me
Listen to my plea
Hear me willow and
Weep for me
Willow
Willow
Weep for me
The lyrics to Harry James and His Orchestra's song "Willow Weep for Me" depict a sorrowful narrative of heartbreak. In the first verse, the singer calls out to the willow tree to "weep" for them and "cover" them, as they are feeling overwhelmed by sadness. The second verse reveals that the singer's dreams have been shattered, leaving them alone to cry. The chorus repeats the plea to the willow tree to empathize with them and cry for their pain. In the final verse, the singer asks the wind to speak of their suffering and the night to hide their tears, so that they may cry alone.
The willow tree is often associated with sadness and mourning in literature and mythology, which is likely why it is used as a symbolic figure in this song. The lyrics highlight the universal experience of heartbreak and the desire for comfort and empathy during a time of grief. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the intensity of the singer's emotions and their longing for solace.
Overall, "Willow Weep for Me" is a poignant and melancholic song that captures the essence of heartbreak and the pain that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me
Oh, Willow, please cry for me, let your teardrops fall down
Bend your branches down along the ground and cover me
Let your branches spread and offer me a cozy, peaceful place to lie down
Listen to my plea, Hear me Willow and Weep for me
Please, Willow, hear my sorrows and cry in pain the same way I'm doing
Gone my lovely dreams, Lovely summer dreams
All my beautiful dreams are gone, vanishing like summer memories do
Gone and left me here to weep my tears along the stream
My pleasant moments abandoned me, leaving me alone to break down by the river
Sad as I can be, Hear me Willow and Weep for me
As sad as I could ever be, please cry for me, my dear Willow
Whisper to the wind and say that love has sinned
Tell the breeze that my love has faulted
To leave my heart a sign and crying alone
Leaving me with broken heart, with a sign of despair, and crying by myself
Murmur to the night and hide her starry light
Whisper to the darkness and conceal the starry light so nobody can witness my grief
So none will find me sighing, crying all alone
So no one will stumble upon me as I sorrowfully cry and sigh all by myself
Weeping Willow tree, weep in sympathy, Bend your branches down
Weeping Willow, with the utmost compassion, bend your arms down
Along the ground and cover me, Listen to me plea, Hear me Willow and Weep for me
Cover me up and hear my request. Cry for me, Willow, and share my grief.
Willow, Willow
Willow, Willow
Weep for me
Cry for me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANN RONELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind