She moved to New York and became a recording vocalist with Harry James big band in 1937.
Her swing recordings with Harry James included "Jubilee", "I Can Dream Can't I", "That's The Dreamer In Me" and "Song Of The Wanderer".
Helen Humes became one of the vocalists with Count Basie's band in the late 1930s.
Her vocals with Basie's band included "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea".
During the 1940s and 1950s Helen Humes became a solo performer and worked with different bands and other vocalists including Nat King Cole.
In 1950 Humes recorded Benny Carter's "Rock Me to Sleep". She managed to bridge the gap between big band jazz swing and rhythm and blues.
She moved to Hawaii and later to Australia.
Helen Humes died in Santa Monica, California.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Humes"
If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight
Helen Humes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I was free to do the things I might
I want you to know I wouldn't go
Until I told you baby that I love you so.
If I could be with you I'd love you long
Just to be with you I'd love you all night long.
I'm telling you true that you'd never be blue,
If I could be with you.
Now if I could be with you one hour tonight
And I was free to do the things I might,
Dear I want you to know I wouldn't go
Until I told you baby that I love you so.
If I could be with you, well I'd love you long.
To be with you I'd love you all night long.
But I'm telling you true that you'd never be blue
If I could be with you for one hour.
If I could be with you.
The lyrics of Helen Humes's song 'If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight' express the desire to be with someone special for just one hour, highlighting the intensity of the love felt for that person. It is a longing reflected in both stanzas, where the singer imagines the possibility of being with their loved one, able to express their feelings and love intensely. The use of the conditional tense "if" is the key to the song's power as it implies a sense of impossibility, of being out of reach, or bound by something that prevents the singer from being with their loved one, adding a touch of melancholy to the song's overall mood.
In the first verse, the singer admits that they would not leave their loved one's side until they had expressed their feelings fully, emphasizing the importance of this one hour together. In the second verse, the singer reinforces their desire to be with their beloved, wanting to love them all night long, and promising to never leave them feeling sad if only they could be together. The song's message is straight forward and romantic, as it expresses the yearning of love and the desire to be close to someone despite difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could be with you one hour tonight
If I had the chance to spend one hour with you tonight
And I was free to do the things I might
And if I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do
I want you to know I wouldn't go
I want you to know that I wouldn't leave
Until I told you baby that I love you so.
Until I expressed my love to you, baby
If I could be with you I'd love you long
If I could be with you, I would love you for a long time
Just to be with you I'd love you all night long.
Just being with you would make me love you all night long
I'm telling you true that you'd never be blue,
I'm being honest when I say that you would never be sad
If I could be with you for one hour,
If I could be with you for just an hour
If I could be with you.
If I could just spend some time with you
Contributed by Kylie L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.